SWACO is one of 52 solid waste districts in Ohio, a government agency whose purpose is to ensure the safe disposal of solid waste and reduce reliance on landfills, and it’s the only one to own and operate a landfill itself. In addition to operating the landfill to ensure human safety, environmental compliance and economic benefit to the surrounding community, the other major component of SWACO’s work is focused on programming and education for businesses, schools, and residents to reduce the amount of waste sent to the landfill.
Every 5 years, a Waste Characterization Study is conducted.
- In 2019, the single largest category of material brought to the landfill was food scraps (15% of the total).
- Almost a 1/3rd of material currently being landfilled could be composted instead.
- About 40% of all material comes from residents, while 60% is generated by commercial and industrial businesses.
Recognizing a major diversion opportunity, SWACO convened more than 100 partners from the food, farm, health, education, and public and private sectors to come up with a collective action solution. The Central Ohio Food Waste Initiative (COFWI) emerged as a regional network of partners working to reduce food waste. The Food Waste Action Plan was developed by the group in 2019 as a guide for how to achieve food waste diversion. Read more about how it guides the work of partners across central Ohio.
