After serving more than eight years as executive director for the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO), Ty Marsh will retire March 31, 2022. Hired by the SWACO Board of Trustees in December 2013, Marsh has overseen significant and strategic change at SWACO and in the Solid Waste District which now boasts a recycling rate of 51% – far exceeding the national average – and a highly efficient municipal solid waste landfill with more than 40 years of capacity remaining to serve the public.
“It has been a great honor to be part of SWACO’s transformation from an organization solely focused on landfill operations to one that is leading the conversation and efforts around community sustainability,” Marsh said. “With a strong foundation and clear plan for progress in place, I am excited to see how SWACO can seize the opportunities before our community in the years ahead.”
“Director Marsh has accomplished much in his tenure with SWACO, setting a clear strategic direction for the future of solid waste disposal, recycling, waste reduction and diversion for our community,” said Susan Tilgner, Chair of the SWACO Board of Trustees. “His retirement is well deserved, but he will be missed.” In his remaining months, Marsh plans to focus on initiatives where the mutually beneficial goals of environmental protection and economic security intersect.
Every year in Franklin County, over a million tons of material arrives at the landfill and the vast majority (76%) could have been diverted. With consumer desire for more sustainable goods at record levels, these materials are in high demand by local businesses, hundreds of which call central Ohio home. “With the right infrastructure and leadership in place, our future can become about seizing opportunities that set our community apart both environmentally and economically, while creating a competitive advantage for attracting workforce and investment, and fueling the marketing of our region,” said Marsh.
In the first quarter of 2022, SWACO plans to invite proposals from qualified vendors to construct and operate recovery facilities for recyclables and organics. In addition, SWACO and partners will move closer to the opening of the largest solar array on a closed landfill site in the United States. Work will also continue on the Green Economy Business Park which will bring together the sustainable materials management supply chain to create thousands of jobs and millions of revenues and investment in our region.
At the same time, the SWACO Board of Trustees will be conducting an open search for SWACO’s next executive director and has hired Ohio-based Strategic HR and Direct Effect Solutions to recruit potential candidates. The Board is focused on finding the best candidate for the position and hopes to be able to announce a successor prior to the end of March.