SWACO is awarding more than $155,000 to six central Ohio organizations as part of the 2024 Community Waste Reduction Grant (CWR Grant). Since 2016, SWACO has awarded more than a million dollars through its CWR Grant program to assist local public-sector and non-profit organizations with projects that address unique waste reduction, reuse, recycling, and composting needs and which ultimately support SWACO’s mission to reduce reliance on the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill. Today, Franklin County’s diversion rate stands at 54%, an all-time high for the Solid Waste District.
The list of 2024 grant recipients and their projects includes:
- City of Dublin ($35,000) – to expand recycling to the sports parks at Emerald Fields.
- City of Gahanna ($35,000) – to improve recycling in the Creekside Outdoor Refreshment Area (CORA).
- City of Westerville ($35,000) – to purchase and install a foam collection and processing system for Expanded Polystyrene (EPS).
- ECDI ($5,362.40) – to implement a one-year food waste composting pilot at the Food Fort.
- Ohio Dominican University ($17,379.00) – to implement a campus-wide recycling program.
- Hilliard City School District ($28,000) – to create a comprehensive waste reduction roadmap for the 24 schools and administrative complex and to help with the reinstatement and expansion of waste reduction activities such as recycling and composting.
“If we want to continue to build a community that is both sustainable and prosperous, we must continue to work together to support one another’s efforts,” said Joe Lombardi, SWACO’s Executive Director. “SWACO is pleased to be able to support these transformational waste reduction programs and applauds the efforts of each of these recipient organizations.”