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SWACO LAUNCHES COLLABORATIVE INITIATIVE
TO SOLVE CENTRAL OHIO'S FOOD WASTE CHALLENGES
Initiative will engage key stakeholders and community leaders to develop food waste action plan
Columbus, Ohio – October 9, 2018 – The Solid Waste
Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) recently announced the launch of a new, collaborative
initiative aimed at solving one of central Ohio’s biggest waste challenges: the
growing amount of food waste going into the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill. The
Central Ohio Food Waste Initiative, a collective impact approach to solving local
food waste challenges, brings together business leaders and key stakeholders,
building collaboration towards developing an action plan to reduce and divert
food waste created in central Ohio.
Each
year, millions of tons of food are wasted across the United States. In central
Ohio alone, it’s estimated that nearly 13 percent, or over 140,000 tons, of all
waste that goes to the landfill is food waste, including items from residents
and business.
“The
goal of the Initiative is to reduce food waste and leverage it as a resource to
benefit the region,” said Kyle O’Keefe, director of innovation and programs at
SWACO. “Food waste is a complex issue. Effective solutions require
collaborative community-based approaches that align and leverage the efforts of
many organizations, including the residents we serve.”
In
partnership with Resource Recycling Systems and Biehl Consultancy, SWACO
launched the initiative with a kick-off meeting on Sept. 20. The initiative
will include participation from over 40 central Ohio-based organizations
representing all facets of the food chain, including farmers, food producers,
retailers, consumers, nonprofits, government agencies and private sector
companies.
The
group will take a holistic approach to the issue by focusing on preventing food
waste, recovering edible food waste for redistribution and recycling food waste
through agriculture uses such as composting. SWACO expects to introduce an
action plan by the end of the first quarter in 2019. The action plan will act
as a road map for implementing food waste solutions throughout the region.
“The
central Ohio community recently achieved a record for recycling by diverting
more than 46 percent of central Ohio’s waste from the landfill through
recycling and reuse,” said O’Keefe. “Now, we’re focused on reaching a new goal
of 75 percent diversion by 2032, and to do that, we’ll need to build community
support to reduce the amount of food being wasted in the region.”
In
recent years, food waste has been brought to the forefront of national solid
waste issues through commitments from the U.N. and U.S. EPA to reduce food
waste, both national and globally, 50% by 2030.
To
follow the progress of the Central Ohio Food Waste Initiative, or to learn more
about food waste and recycling tips, visit SWACO’s website at www.cofwi.org.
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About SWACO:
SWACO is the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio and is located in Franklin
County. SWACO seeks to reduce the community’s reliance of landfills as well as
meet state mandated diversion goals by providing waste reduction, reuse and
recycling programs and services to residents and businesses in 41 communities,
totaling more than a million people. Last year, Franklin County reached its
highest rate of diversion ever – 46.5 percent. In addition to diversion
programming, SWACO is the only Solid Waste District in Ohio to own and operate
a landfill and which provides the organization with a holistic and unique
perspective on the local waste stream.
In
February 2018, the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency approved SWACO’s
updated 15-year Solid Waste Management Plan which includes new initiatives and
programs to increase waste reduction, reuse and recycling and will guide
SWACO’s efforts on behalf of the community to reach a 75 percent diversion goal
by 2032.
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