2021 Impact Report
2021 Community Impact Report
Managing the Waste Stream
Today’s municipal solid waste landfills are engineering marvels, and the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill is no exception. The landfill was built in 1984 and is a highly sophisticated facility designed for the safe disposal of municipal solid waste (MSW) – more commonly known as household trash – in a way that protects the environment and public health. As the final destination for anything that is not reused, recycled or composted, 1 million tons of waste arrives at the County Landfill every year.
Safe & Responsible Waste Disposal
SWACO manages the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill, a publicly owned entity that serves 41 communities in Central Ohio, including all of Franklin County and a few neighboring areas. SWACO is committed to managing this valuable community asset in the most transparent, sustainable, environmentally friendly and fiscally responsible manner possible.
Managing Franklin County’s Waste Stream Materials
Franklin County never ceases to create waste. From homes and businesses to classrooms and beyond, an estimated 3,000 tons of waste arrives at the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill every single day. That’s equivalent to 400 to 500 trash truck loads. In fact, in 2021, SWACO handled 45,265 tons (or 4%) more waste than in 2020.
Virtually all of that additional waste material arrived at the county landfill after first being dropped off at a SWACO Transfer Station. Not only does SWACO own and operate the county landfill, SWACO also operates two Transfer Stations as a convenience for our waste hauling customers. These Stations are used by municipalities and local waste haulers for more convenient options so as to speed up their operations. SWACO then transports the waste from these Transfer Stations to the County Landfill for permanent and safe disposal.
To handle all of Franklin County’s waste, SWACO employs environmental engineers, compliance specialist and a variety of operators to ensure things run smoothly and there’s always a plan for how to manage the arriving materials. Last year this team worked with construction experts to design, build and open a new 21-acre cell (a place where the trash can be placed and covered). The new cell cost approximately $10 million to build, will accept approximately 5 million cubic yards of material and based on today’s reliance on the landfill, the cell is expected to last only about 3.5 years.
Landfill Innovations
While pandemic-related challenges were felt across the waste stream in the form of labor shortages and more landfill materials to manage, SWACO’s financial stewardship and innovative public-private partnerships allowed us to maintain some of the lowest disposal fees in Central Ohio. This helped us keep costs down for businesses and residents even as our operations grew and our community reached record levels of reuse, recycling and composting.
Waste to Energy Facility
SWACO partners with Archaea Energy (formerly Aria Energy) for the sale of the gas created by decomposing items in the county landfill. Last year, this partnership generated approximately $8.5 million in revenue. Turning this landfill gas into renewable energy not only reduces emissions, the energy generated from the landfill is used to heat 13,000 homes in Central Ohio.
Closed Landfill to Become Columbus Solar Park
In the coming months, SWACO will be joined by BQ Energy, AEP and the City of Columbus to break ground on Columbus Solar Park, a 50-megawatt solar array that when open in late 2023, will generate enough renewable energy to power more than 5,000 homes. SWACO continues to explore new ways to use our assets to serve as a sustainability resource for our residents – and our businesses.
Safety First Program
Solid waste collection and landfill jobs are dangerous – consistently ranking in the 10 deadliest jobs in the United States. In fact, on average, one collection worker dies every 1.5 weeks in the U.S., with numbers increasing each year since 2009. SWACO places a high emphasis on running a top-notch safety program for employees – not just those in the field but across the organization including those in office jobs.
Last year, SWACO joined with the Solid Waste Association of North America and local waste and recycling haulers, on a series of safety outreach events that were held in June. During the events, waste haulers and landfill operators participated in taking a Safety Pledge. The pledge is an ongoing way for drivers and operators in the industry to keep safety at the forefront of their duties and commit to protecting themselves and others from harm with the promise of helping ‘everyone get home safe every single day.’
“Our community’s waste haulers and recycling workers are essential and highly valued members of our community whose jobs play a critical role each day in our ability to safety and efficiently manage waste across Franklin County,” said Scott Perry, Director of Operations and Maintenance for SWACO and a member of the SWANA Board of Directors. “We are proud that SWACO leads the way in both service and safety, but we implore the public to exercise caution on the road as a way to show that we all care about and value these important members of our community. As SWANA says, everyone deserves to go home safely from their job at the end of the day.”
Multi-Agency Effort to Tackle Litter in Franklin County
Every year, local and state government and law enforcement spend hundreds of hours and thousands of dollars to combat litter in Central Ohio. Last year SWACO alone spent nearly 500 hours and invested more than $10,000 into litter clean up, removing more than 12,000 pounds of litter to keep highways and roads in southwestern Franklin County clean and safe for motorists and the environment.
This isn’t an issue that can be solved by one organization alone. In 2021, SWACO helped to convene six (6) public partners to work on the issue of litter in Franklin County. Representatives from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, city of Grove City, Jackson Township, the state of Ohio, the Franklin County Board of Health and SWACO in the third and fourth quarters and continue to meet in 2022 to work on efforts related to litter recently testing equipment that would pick up more litter in less time.
This year, SWACO and partners will continue to work together to advance community clean-up efforts.
See something? Say something.
Illegal dumping and littering can be reported 24-hours a day in Franklin County at itsacrime.org
SWACO 2021 Impact Report
Letter from SWACO's Board of Trustees Chair
Meet Our New Executive Director
Financial Report
Managing the Waste Stream
Increasing Diversion
Community Education & Engagement
Our Sustainable Future
Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio
4239 London Groveport Road
Grove City, OH 43123
Phone: 614-871-5100
Email: info@swaco.org