SWACO awards grants

The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) has awarded $178,091.74 in competitive grant funding to fourteen community projects throughout the region. The 2019 Community Waste Reduction Grant program represents an increase of an additional three grant recipients and totals nearly $45,000 in additional funding over last year’s program award, SWACO says.

“The Community Waste Reduction Grant program supports unique and innovative projects throughout Franklin County to help our partners advance their sustainability goals and reduce the community’s reliance on Franklin County’s Sanitary Landfill,” says SWACO Executive Director Ty Marsh.  

The following is a list of 2019 Community Waste Reduction Grant recipients:

Waste Reduction and/or Reuse Projects 

• Furniture Bank of Central Ohio received $35,000 toward the purchase of a new 16’ box truck to enable the diversion of more furniture from the landfill and into the homes of families who need it. The truck will divert up to 18,000 items from the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill each year and serve approximately 10,000 people, including 5,000 children.
• Columbus Regional Airport Authority (CRAA) received $17,608.83 to purchase and install two new refillable water bottle stations and new signage for recycling and waste disposal containers in the concourse. Signage will be aligned with best management practices.
• Columbus Association for the Performing Arts (CAPA) received $11,287.50 to hire a consultant to conduct a waste minimization study and action plan to reduce waste and increase recycling at the Ohio Theatre, which hosts more than 240 events annually and welcomes more than 300,000 patrons.

Recycling Projects 

• Ohio Health’s Riverside Methodist Hospital received $27,334.89 to initiate the first phase of a recycling program for public and non-clinical spaces.
• The city of Westerville received $14,700 to purchase new public space recycling containers for Uptown Westerville, the historic heart of the community. Funding will also support the development of new recycling signage for the containers that meet best management practices.  Uptown Westerville is home to more than 80 retail establishments.
• Hilliard City Schools received $31,680.24 to purchase recycling containers for classrooms and common areas within the middle and high schools and central office. SWACO will also assist with the implementation of educational resources and signage for the containers.
• Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction received $7,147.46 to implement a new recycling program at their new offices shared with the Department of Youth Services on Fisher Road.
• Upper Arlington School District – Windermere Elementary School received $500 to replace existing classroom recycling containers. In addition to new containers, SWACO will assist the school with improving recycling signage throughout the building so that students, faculty and staff recycle properly and more consistently.
• Junior Achievement of Central Ohio received $618.16 to purchase new recycling bins and create accurate recycling signage.

 Food Waste Reduction and Composting Projects 

• Columbus City Schools received $9,093.43 to implement a cafeteria food waste prevention, diversion and composting program in 3 elementary schools and 1 middle school. Maize (43224), Ecole Kenwood French Immersion (43220) and Devonshire elementary (43229) schools will employ outdoor tumblers as well as vermicomposting (the use of worms to compost materials). Columbus City Preparatory School for Girls (43205) will pilot a collection service to compost food waste from the cafeteria.
• The city of Worthington received $4,680 to begin a residential food waste drop-off composting program. Participating residents will be provided a bucket to collect household food waste in and return it weekly to the Worthington Service Complex (380, Highland Ave., Worthington, OH 43085) to be swapped out for clean buckets.
• Food Rescue US received $9,931.20 to purchase reusable food containers for donor use. The reusable containers will decrease the amount of non-recyclable, disposal containers currently sent to the landfill and will help to facilitate the rescue of 100,000 meals every month which will be delivered to residents and families in need. The new containers will also assist Food Rescue US with extending their donor program to an additional 20 new donors.
• MORPC received $2,700 to pilot a home-to-work composting program in which employees will be able to collect food waste generated at their homes and offices for composting. MORPC will also collect and compost food during meetings and events hosted by MORPC.
• Sunbury Urban Farms received $5,810.03 in order to offer seven (7) workshops and educational programs centered around Bokashi composting. Grant funds will be used to purchase composting supplies for the workshops.
  

Grant projects must be completed on or before December 31, 2019.

Schools, non-profits and community and governmental partners interested in applying for a 2020 Community Waste Reduction Grant are invited to apply in July 2019. For more information, click here.

In 2018, SWACO awarded grants to eleven projects. Videos that highlight four innovative projects from the 2018 grant cycle are available online:

Hilliard City Schools
Franklinton Farms
Otterbein University 
Franklinton CycleWorks