Columbus officials highlight recycling gains and landfill pressure, urge more diversion

Council Member Weiss opened the Public Utilities and Sustainability Committee hearing with an informational overview on waste and recycling in Columbus. Tim Swager, the city’s refuse administrator, told the committee: “We visit 350,000 of our residents every single week.”

The city and the Franklin County solid-waste district (Swayco) described existing diversion programs and the potential to send far less material to the region’s landfill. Swager said a recent landfill characterization found “about just over 40% of what residents currently throw away could be recycled in our current programs.” He added that curbside recycling and the city’s yard‑waste program now divert significant tonnage: “With our biweekly yard waste program, we have over 16,000 tons diverted” and “we also divert 34,000 tons just through the curbside recycling.”

Joe Lombardi, executive director of Swayco, said the district operates the county landfill and two transfer stations and that keeping tonnage down is a regional priority. “We only have 1 landfill here in Central Ohio,” Lombardi said, noting that an Ohio EPA approval in February 2016 extended the landfill’s permitted life to 2062 based on then-current data but that continued growth could shorten that projection. Lombardi warned that if disposal destinations change, transportation costs would rise, pressing municipal budgets and, ultimately, residents.

Why this matters: The city provides refuse service from the general fund rather than charging each household directly; higher disposal costs would therefore affect the city budget rather than appearing as separate customer bills. Officials said diverting existing recyclables is a near‑term way to reduce pressure on the landfill and city finances.

Details and programs discussed

- Convenience centers and reuse partners: Swager described two city convenience centers at 2100 Allen Creek Drive and a Georgesville Road station (1650 Georgesville Road). He said the sites are open Tuesday through Saturday and have diverted nearly 240 tons so far this year. The centers accept bulky items, electronics, Styrofoam for densification, and other materials that would otherwise be landfilled; many items are routed to reuse partners such as Goodwill or furniture redistribution programs.

- Food‑waste initiatives: The city belongs to the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact and has nine city food‑scrap drop‑off locations. Swager said the city’s nine drop‑offs have diverted “over a 100 tons” year‑to‑date. Lombardi said Swayco supports 30 total food‑waste drop‑off sites across the region (including the nine in Columbus) and that “food waste is the single largest category of material arriving at the landfill each day,” estimating nearly 1,000,000 pounds daily in Central Ohio. City staff and Swayco highlighted pilot projects that rescue edible food at festivals (the Jazz & Ribs Fest pilot rescued hundreds of pounds) and partnerships with Local Matters’ Columbus Food Rescue program and other nonprofits.

- Outreach and education: Swager and Swayco emphasized education and consistent regional messaging. Swager described door‑to‑door marketing and an ambassador program; he said a recent outreach to 1,500 homes resulted in about 500 households increasing recycling participation. Lombardi and Swayco described programs that reimburse multifamily properties for initial hauling costs and provide technical assistance to encourage recycling at apartment complexes.

- Multifamily and campus programs: Officials described a multifamily recycling pilot and targeted work in Ohio State University off‑campus neighborhoods to capture move‑in/move‑out materials (cardboard, furniture). Swayco said it reimburses up to six months of hauling up to $2,500 for some property owners and offers container loan and grant support for multifamily recycling pilots.

City and county numbers cited in the hearing

- 350,000: residential routes visited weekly by the Division of Refuse (Tim Swager). - 600,000+: managed trash and recycling containers across the city (Swager). - 137,000 tons/year: quantity Swayco’s landfill characterization estimated could be diverted with current programs (Swager). - ~50,000–60,000 tons/year: current total diverted by curbside recycling and yard‑waste combined (Swager). - 16,000+ tons/year: yard‑waste diversion (Swager). - 34,000 tons/year: curbside recycling diversion after expansion (Swager). - 9: number of food‑scrap drop‑off sites in Columbus (Swager); 30 sites across the region (Lombardi). - ~240 tons: diverted so far this year at the city convenience centers (Swager). - 132 tons: material residents brought to Swayco’s Jackson Pike recycling convenience center in the past year (Lombardi). - Landfill expansion approval date: February 2016 (Ohio EPA approval referenced by Swayco), with a 2062 estimate tied to the 2016 data (Lombardi).

What remained discussion, not decision

The hearing was informational. No ordinance, budget amendment, contract, or formal vote was taken. Council members and staff discussed options for expanding convenience center coverage (Swager said the city would like a third center and is seeking permanent, non‑conflicting land), improving apartment recycling uptake, and scaling food‑rescue efforts. Officials described funding and partnerships but did not present a formal new funding request or change in fee structure at the hearing.

Community context and next steps

Council members pressed staff on resident impacts if the landfill closed or required hauling outside the region; Swager and Lombardi said higher transportation and disposal costs would strain the city’s general‑fund model for refuse service. Staff said they will continue to pursue education, partnerships (Swayco, local nonprofits, Ohio State), and piloted programs aimed at capture and reuse. Committee materials and the presentations will be posted on the council website.

Ending note: The committee repeatedly framed the hearing as informational; speakers urged residents to use available drop‑offs and diversion programs and emphasized coordination with regional partners to reduce landfill reliance.