Happy Memorial Day! Follow These Tips for a Sustainable Summer

May 21, 2025

Who’s ready for the summer?  This weekend will be the perfect time to gather with friends and family, eat great food, go camping, and get excited about the warmer months ahead.  It also presents a lot of great opportunities to reduce waste and model how to have a green season.

Keep recycling and waste reduction top-of-mind this weekend and all season long.

• Cookout and Camp With Less Food Waste: Before you head to the store, shop your pantry so that you don’t end up with duplicate ingredients, and check out SWACO’s Guestimator tool to help determine how much food you’ll need for your party.  After a long weekend, everyone needs something to take for lunch on their first day back at work.  Save your leftovers in a labeled, reusable container, and send each of your guests home with a hearty portion.
• Use Reusable Plates and Cutlery and Make Recycling Easy: While paper plates and plastic cutlery can seem like the easy choice for summer parties, remember that they aren’t recyclable.  Using reusable dinnerware prevents your trash from filling up with single-use plastics.  Make sure that anywhere you have a trash can, there are also recycling and compost bins right beside it.  Any food scraps can be composted and you can print and display this recycling sign as a reminder to your guests.
• Dispose of Propane Tanks and Pool & Lawn Chemicals Correctly: Items like propane tanks and pool and lawn chemicals can’t be recycled or put into your curbside trash, but they can be dropped off at SWACO’s Household Hazardous Waste collection facility at 645 E. 8th Avenue in Columbus.  The facility is open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month.  Click here to learn more.
• Compost Food Scraps for Gardening: Unfinished food scraps from parties and all other meals can be collected and composted into nutrient-rich material that can enrich the soil in your lawn or garden.  To learn more about composting at home or find a food waste drop off sight near you, visit the SWACO website here.

______

Sign up for a free Recycle Right at Home webinar today!

Recycling can be confusing, but SWACO can help!  Taking a few minutes to recycle the right way can help you reduce pollution, contribute to cleaner water, conserve limited natural resources, support our circular economy, and reduce central Ohio’s reliance on landfills.

Wed., May 28 from noon to 1 p.m.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Get Started Composting At Home Today!

Get a $30 home compost bin today when you register to take an online course or participate in a webinar with the Franklin Soil and Water Conservation District.  Composting at home reduces the amount of food scraps being sent to the landfill and can provide amazing nutrient-rich soil for your garden.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE