Go Green for Independence Day!

Jul 01, 2021

With Independence Day celebrations on the horizon, SWACO is sharing some easy ways to make your summer celebrations a little more sustainable this year.

Recycle Right with these Tips

Jun 16, 2021

It’s no secret that recycling right can help you make a positive impact on your community. This effort reduces landfill emissions, protects local jobs and ensures the environment is healthy and clean for future generations.

SWACO proudly sponsors Recycle Right, Make a Difference –  a community-wide residential recycling education program throughout Franklin County that helps residents learn best recycling practices so they can take part in making a positive impact. While central Ohio’s rate of recycling exceeds the national average, residents still send over a million tons of material to the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill each year and over half of that material could be diverted – meaning it could have been reused, recycled or even composted instead of being sent to the landfill.

To help the Franklin County community Recycle Right and make a difference, SWACO has compiled five tips for residents to keep in mind:

1. Never bag recyclables. Keep them loose in carts: One in four homes in Franklin County still puts their recyclables in bags which can become tangled in equipment at the sorting and processing facility. When this happens, bagged materials may end up in the landfill.
2. Plastic bags are 100% recyclable: Grocery, newspaper and bread bags can be recycled but must be recycled correctly through a Plastic Film Recycling program. Do not put plastic bags in curbside recycling carts or drop-off containers.
3. Avoid placing tanglers in recycling carts: Hoses, wires, and cords are all considered tanglers, which can jam recycling sorting equipment and may lead to costly repairs and downtime at the facility. This could translate to a future increase in recycling costs, which we all strive to avoid.
4. Know what plastics are recyclable: All plastic bottles with a neck smaller than its base, plastic tubs, fruit cups and yogurt containers can be recycled. For recyclable food containers, leaving lids and labels on is okay, but containers do need to be emptied of all contents before placed in a recycling bin.
5. Cardboard: Many types of cardboard items are recyclable, including corrugated cardboard, mail-order boxes, cereal boxes, paper towel rolls, and other items. For curbside pickup, cardboard boxes should be emptied, flattened, and placed in the cart, and it is okay to leave labels and tape on.

Every time you recycle correctly, you’re making an impact. You’re helping hundreds of businesses who depend on recycling, supporting thousands of jobs that those businesses create, keeping these valuable materials circulating throughout our economy, and helping to keep central Ohio green by reducing our energy use, creating cleaner air, and reducing our reliance on the landfill. Proper recycling takes only a few minutes, but the impact lasts for years.

If you come across questions about what is or is not recyclable, SWACO offers a convenient, user-friendly search tool that clearly outlines recycling practices for Franklin County. In fact, we’re always adding categories to the tool and recently added what to do with plastic toys and car and bike tires. Take a look!

For additional information on resident recycling pickup programs or to find a recycling drop-off program near you, visit www.RecycleRight.org.

Together, we can make a difference.

Celebrating SWACO School Recycling Champions

Jun 16, 2021

SWACO’s School Recycling Champion program launched at the beginning of the 2019-2020 school year. The program presents schools with resources to help implement recycling education with kid-friendly activities. It also offers funding assistance to schools to help purchase recycling containers to encourage students and staff to participate in the school recycling program, and through their actions making a difference within their community.

To give thanks to the schools involved in SWACO’s School Recycling Champion program, we are highlighting program successes from previous years which have paved the way for the success of the program.  The development of SWACO’s School Recycling Champion program could not have been possible without the partnership and collaboration with the Arts and College Preparatory Academy, Columbus City Schools, Columbus School for Girls, Hilliard City Schools, South-Western City Schools, Upper Arlington City Schools, and Westerville City Schools.

Each of these school systems provided valuable input into the development and testing of the Recycling Champion program and improved their schools’ recycling programs in the process!  Special thanks to Columbus School for Girls, JC Sommer Elementary School, Oakmont Elementary School, Westerville Central H.S., and Windermere Elementary School for their hard work during our pilot phase. These initial partnerships offered valuable insight and highlighted specific areas of need and are now serving as models for newly established programs throughout surrounding districts, helping to implement recycling practices on a wider scale.

We also want to thank Hilliard City Schools for their exemplary work reducing waste throughout the district. In 2019, Hilliard City Schools improved its recycling program with funding and technical assistance provided by SWACO, which helped to support the purchase of new recycling containers and signage.  These resources used within classrooms helped to facilitate a conversation around recycling and educate students, and staff, on the difference they can make in their community through conscious, simple decisions. As a result, Hilliard City Schools contributed to the diversion of 69,700 lbs. of co-mingled recyclables from the landfill!

Each partner worked with SWACO to make a true impact in their school buildings, educate students on the importance of waste reduction and recycling, and serve as an important example throughout the community. Congratulations to these School Recycling Champions!

To download SWACO’s educational recycling resources and to learn more about School Recycling Champion program eligibility, please visit our School Recycling Resources web page and select ‘Recycling Champion and Funding Recognition Program’.

Celebrate Earth Month by Learning How you Can Make a Difference Everyday!

Apr 06, 2021

SWACO plastics expansion recycling webinar featuring speakers from rumpke waste & recycling

Despite what you may have heard about changing global markets and challenges to the recycling industry, recycling remains one of the easiest ways individuals can make a difference that benefits the environment and the local economy. The recycling program in Franklin County recently expanded to include additional types of plastics – tubs, specifically – which means our cottage cheese tubs and yogurt containers can now go on to have a second life as a new product. Get inspired to help make a difference this Earth Day and every day! Watch the recording.

One Stop Guide for Responsible Spring Cleaning

May 22, 2020

Most people engage in the annual ritual of spring cleaning. They take advantage of the longer, warmer days to air out and deep clean their houses that have been closed up all winter.

With most of us spending more time at home thanks to Ohio’s shelter-in-place order, chances are there’s going to be a whole lot of spring cleaning going on in the coming weeks.

As you clean, purge and organize, please remember that even during a pandemic, we must continue to recycle, reduce and reuse. These “3 Rs” are critical to diverting waste from the landfill and protecting our environment.

To help you do this, we offer these suggestions for responsible spring cleaning.

Closets

Your closets are probably filled with accessories you don’t use, clothes that don’t fit and shoes you’ve haven’t worn in years. Clear these items from your closet, but don’t throw them away. Donate them instead. Several organizations, including Goodwill, the Salvation Army and Volunteers of America, are still accepting donations, although at limited sites and during limited times. Visit their websites to find out when and where you and can take your donations.

Kitchen

As you clean cupboards and drawers, don’t toss items you no longer want or use. Give them to one of many nonprofit organizations around town, like the Furniture Bank of Central Ohio, that accept pots, pans and other kitchenware in good condition and give it to families in need. The Furniture Bank will begin taking donations again on April 28, but on a limited basis. Or, like the items from your closet, you can keep your kitchenware until your favorite organization is taking donations again.

You can also take steps to reduce the amount of food you send to the landfill. Start by donating non-perishable food items to a local food pantry or food bank, like the Mid-Ohio Food Collective. If you have food scraps, try composting them. Our “Compost at Home” guide and Backyard Composting video explains how to start your own compost system at home. It’s easier than you think, and it’s a good way to create nutrient-rich compost for your lawn and garden.

Many Central Ohio communities, with the help of SWACO, have also implemented residential food waste composting drop-off programs. Check with your local municipality to determine if a drop-off program is available in your area.

Finally, using the garbage disposal to dispose of appropriate food items is another good solution to avoid putting it in the trash. Many times, when the food from the disposal arrives at the waste water treatment facility, it is turned into compost.

Garage and Basement

Motor oil, paint and pesticides are examples of household hazardous waste materials often found in garages and basements. These types of products should never be thrown in the garbage because they pose hazards to sanitation workers, wastewater treatment systems and human health. The household hazardous waste pick-up events scheduled around Franklin County this spring have been cancelled because of the coronavirus crisis. But SWACO’s household hazardous waste facility is open for drop-offs.

If you want to get rid of bulky items like carpet and mattresses or hard-to-recycle items like batteries, electronics and scrap metal, SWACO has a search tool that can help you find a location that accepts and properly disposes of these items. So before you throw anything away, check out the search tool. Make the garbage the last resort!

Yard

Franklin County’s curbside waste and recycling program allows residents to leave yard waste at the curb for pick up. The yard waste is then turned into mulch and made available for sale to consumers. This program keeps millions of tons of yard waste out of the landfill every year.

Residents can also compost their yard waste. Composting food and/or yard waste is a relatively easy and inexpensive process that results in nutrient-rich soil for plants, lawns and gardens. To encourage people to compost, the Franklin County Soil and Water Conservation District offers a $50 rebate, funded by SWACO, through its Community Backyards program to anyone who installs a compost bin or rain barrel or plants native plants and trees in their yards.

Please keep these tips in mind as you begin your spring cleaning – and don’t let the stay-at-home order lessen your commitment to recycling, reducing and reusing. Every little thing you do adds up and makes a big difference for our environment and for our community.

Plastic bags are recyclable, just not in your curbside recycling container

Feb 04, 2020

What do you usually do with your plastic grocery, bread and dry cleaning bags? Do you toss them in the garbage? Do you put them in your recycling container?

Hopefully, you answered ‘No’ and ‘No.’

These types of bags are made with extremely thin sheets of plastic, called plastic film. Plastic film is also used to make newspaper sleeves, food storage bags, wrapping around cases of bottled water, the bubble wrap and air pillows used in packaging, and product overwraps (think paper towels and toilet paper).

Products made of plastic film are recyclable as long as they’re clean and dry. They just can’t go in your curbside recycling container. That’s because this type of plastic is stretchy and can tangle in the sorting equipment designed to separate plastic, paper, glass and other materials.

Instead, save your plastic bags and other film plastic items in a big plastic or paper bag near your recycling container. Then, the next time you’re shopping or running errands, drop it off at one of the dozens of grocers and retailers in central Ohio that accept plastic film for recycling, including Kroger, Giant Eagle, Lowe’s, Target, Walmart, Meijer, Koh’s, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s and Swan Cleaners. Visit our Recycling and Reuse Search Tool to find the location nearest you.

These stores send the plastic film to facilities capable of recycling it. From there, it’s used to make products such as crates, plastic bags and corrugated pipe as well as durable composite lumber used for fences, decks and benches.

Are Clamshell Containers Recyclable?

Jan 06, 2020

*As of November 1, 2024, clear plastic clamshell containers are accepted in curbside recycling and at SWACO recycling drop-off locations in Franklin County.

To learn more please click here.

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So much of our food comes in “clamshells,” those plastic containers whose form and function resemble the shell of a clam. Blueberries, strawberries, lettuce and tomatoes are just a few of the grocery items packaged in clamshells, which are also used to box up restaurant left-overs.

Unfortunately, plastic clamshell containers are not accepted in Franklin County’s curbside or drop-off recycling programs. The equipment used in our local material recovery facility sorts plastic materials based on shape and only plastic bottles, tubs, and jugs are accepted.  Accepted items include: milk and juice jugs, plastic soda, lotion and hand soap bottles, butter and sour cream tubs and all yogurt containers.

But that doesn’t mean clamshell containers have to end up in the garbage. There are so many easy and clever ways to repurpose them. You can use them to:

• store crayons, pens and markers
• serve as disposable lunch boxes
• organize the contents of a drawer
• make seasonal decorations or gift baskets (decorated with ribbons and flowers)
• hold yarn, keeping it clean and tangle free as you knit or crochet
• make a treasure chest for kids (decorated with foil and bling)
• plant seedlings

Of course, the best way to reduce the number of plastic clamshell containers that wind up in the landfill is to minimize their use. Whenever possible, purchase produce in more environmentally friendly packaging and use your own re-usable containers to bring home leftovers.

Done with Lawn and Pool Chemicals for the Season? Follow These Disposal Tips.

Sep 24, 2019

On a sunny summer day, who doesn’t love to swim in a crystal clear pool, lie on a lush green lawn or enjoy a garden filled with colorful flowers?

These idyllic scenes are often made possible by the use of chemicals like chlorine, fertilizer, pesticides and herbicides as well as gasoline for the lawn mower. And while these chemicals enhance our lawns and gardens, they can wreak havoc on our health and the environment. Fertilizers, for example, can contaminate our water supply, while gasoline can start fires and highly corrosive pool chemicals can cause explosions.

It’s crucial that you never put these types of household hazardous waste down the toilet, in a sink, down a storm drain or in your household garbage. Instead, follow these disposal tips:

1. See if a neighbor can use your excess lawn chemicals. 
2. Donate surplus pool chemicals to your community pool.
3. Hold on to your chemicals longer, as most have longer shelf lives if stored properly.

If these aren’t options, you can always dispose of your lawn and pool chemicals through SWACO. We have a permanent drop-off location for household hazardous waste, and we host collection events in different communities throughout the year.

Household Hazardous Waste Center

• 645 E. 8^th Ave. (just south of the Ohio State Fairgrounds)
• Open Wednesdays and Fridays noon to 6 p.m. and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Community Household Hazardous Waste Collection Events

• Visit SWACO’s website to find out the dates, times and locations of upcoming events.

How Should You Dispose of Oil-Based Paints, Spray Paints, Stains and Thinners?

Sep 09, 2019

So you’re done with the big painting projects around your house and you want to get rid of the leftover spray paint, stains, oil-based paints and thinners. How should you dispose of them? 

These items are referred to as “household hazardous waste” because they contain poisonous hydrocarbons and high levels of volatile organic compounds, called VOCs, which can pollute the air and cause major health issues. You should never put hazardous waste in your household trash because it can be harmful to our environment and to human health if not handled properly.

Instead, household hazardous waste can be taken to a location that accepts this type of material. SWACO offers two convenient ways for Franklin County residents to safely discard their household hazardous waste for FREE. 

1. You can take it to SWACO’s permanent Household Hazardous Waste Center, located at 645 E. 8^th Ave. (the corner of E. 8^th and Essex avenues just south of the Ohio State Fairgrounds). The center is open Wednesdays and Fridays from noon to 6 p.m. and on Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
2. You can also take your household hazardous waste to one of SWACO’s free mobile collection events, which are held in various communities throughout the year. Visit SWACO’s website to find out the dates, times and locations of upcoming events.   

Cardboard Recycling

Jul 25, 2019

How to recycle cardboard. Remember to break it down or flatten it before putting in with household recycling.

Recycling plastic and films correctly

Jul 25, 2019

How to correctly recycle plastic and films like bags and water bottle wrappers.

Study Reveals Economic Impact of Local Recycling Industry

Oct 13, 2018

Got Recycling in the Kitchen Mastered? We’ve Got Ideas to Help Your Recycle in the Bathroom Too

Oct 13, 2018

For many of us, recycling in the kitchen is an easy no-brainer. But, once we’ve mastered what goes in and what should stay out of the recycling bin, how can we avoid a recycling plateau? 

Simply adding a small recycling container to your first and second floor bathrooms is a great way to begin capturing even more household recyclables and further reduce your reliance on the landfill. 

Remember the ABC’s of how to recycle right in the bathroom by only putting items accepted for recycling into the recycle bin.  

Recycle these common bathroom products: 

Aerosol cans (non-hazardous) like those for shaving cream and gels.  Please empty the aerosol container completely and remove the tip. 

Bottles like those for shampoo, conditioner and lotions

Cardboard like toilet paper rolls and other personal care item packaging 

Use our Recycle Right guide to answer questions about whether other common bathroom items can be recycled.

Recycle Plastic Bags like Produce and Sandwich Baggies at Local Retailers

Oct 13, 2018

By now you’ve probably heard that plastic grocery bags should not be put in the curbside recycling container. You’ve probably also heard that grocery bags are widely accepted for recycling throughout Franklin County at nearly 100 retail locations including most Kroger and Giant Eagle stores.  However, you may not be aware that these same retailers also accept ‘film plastics’ for recycling too. 

Wait, what? If you’ve never heard of ‘film plastics’ read on. 

According to Plastic Film Recycling, plastic film is typically defined as any plastic less than 10 mil thick. The majority of plastic films are made from polyethylene resin and are readily recyclable if the material is clean and dry. 

So, what common households items are considered ‘film plastics’ and accepted for recycling at one of these local retailers? 

• Bread bags
• Dry cleaning bags 
• Grocery bags
• Newspaper bags
• Plastic Sandwich Bags (various sizes accepted)
• Produce Bags

Also included is the plastic wrapping frequently found around a case of water bottles, paper towels and toilet paper. 

When in doubt, it’s easy to tell if an item is made of film plastic and accepted in these programs by whether the plastic stretches. If it stretches, recycle it. If it breaks, don’t. 

Start recycling your films today. Simply input your zip code into the keyword search and find your closest participating retailer.

Latex Paint is Not Hazardous and Can Easily Be Disposed When Dry

Oct 09, 2018

DYK if you take latex paint to a Household Hazardous Waste Center there will be a charge for disposing it? Latex paint is water based and not hazardous and can be safely disposed in your household trash if managed correctly. Why not save a couple of bucks and dry the paint out at home for disposal? 

Just follow these three simple steps: 

Step 1: 

Stir an equal amount of cat litter or saw dust into the unwanted latex paint in the can.  

Step 2: 

Leave the paint mixture to sit, without the lid, until dry. 

Step 3: 

Leave the lid off the dried paint and toss the can into the garbage. Your waste hauling provider will bring the garbage to SWACO where it will be disposed of safely. 

Have oil-based paints that you want to dispose of safely? These can be disposed of for FREE at SWACO’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility located at 645 East 8^th Ave., Columbus, Ohio 43201. 

Empty, Recycle, Repeat. No Need to Rinse Your Cartons Before Recycling

Oct 09, 2018