As part of Food Waste Action Week (March 7-13), SWACO, The Ohio State University and the City of Upper Arlington released the results of a study that was conducted in the spring and summer of 2021 and evaluated the effectiveness of SWACO’s Save More Food campaign as well as current attitudes, behaviors and barriers to diverting food waste from the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill.
The study, funded in part by a federal grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was conducted in the City of Upper Arlington by The Ohio State University as part of SWACO’s efforts to divert food waste from the landfill. The study gathered research from more than 1,600 participants, netting impressive results. In fact, participants who received Save More Than Food materials reduced the amount of food waste they were creating by 21%.
During the study period, Upper Arlington’s three food waste drop off locations also experienced a 40% increase in use after households received information on the program. “Not only is food waste the single largest source of material entering the county landfill, it also presents one of the best opportunities to increase diversion and help slow climate change,” said Kyle O’Keefe, SWACO’s Director of Innovation and Programs.
In addition to documenting a decrease in the amount of waste these households created, the study also documented the following:
- 57% of respondents believe Save More Than Food is effective at creating awareness of the prevalence of food waste in Central Ohio
- 40% believe that Save More Than Food motivated them to act to reduce food waste
- Access to a curbside composting program was the top response for how to increase composting in the city.
“The evidence collected in Upper Arlington suggests that community-based implementation of campaigns like Save More Than Food can move the needle on food waste reduction,” said Professor Brian Roe, who helped assess the effectiveness of the initiative.
“The results of the study were eye-opening for us. We learned that it takes more than just having a program in place to collect the food waste; the educational component is crucial to maintaining a successful program,” said Katy Rees, Performance Analyst with the City of Upper Arlington.
The City of Upper Arlington is using the results to inform decisions about how best to expand the program. This spring, the city will pilot a curbside food waste collection. “The results of this study undeniably capture the value of having the right infrastructure in place as well as the benefits of a good public education campaign paired with a strong call to action. We look forward to working with all of our communities in the coming year to advance even greater efforts to prevent and capture food waste in our Region,” continued O’Keefe.
Work is already underway in the cities of Gahanna and New Albany who will be opening new food waste drop off sites in the coming month, as well as implementing the Save More Than Food campaign in their communities. They join the cities of Bexley, Dublin, Grandview Heights, Grove City, Hilliard, Upper Arlington, Westerville and Worthington who all previously launched food waste drop-off locations in Central Ohio with support from SWACO.
SWACO is currently evaluating ways to improve composting infrastructure in Central Ohio which would help create opportunities for increased food waste composting and support curbside collection programs across Franklin County.