SWACO offers communities discount on recycling cart purchases

The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO), Grove City, Ohio, has announced a new program designed to help Franklin County communities purchase 65-gallon curbside recycling carts at a reduced price. Communities can purchase the carts at a 50 percent discount, or roughly $22.50 per cart.

While more than 96 percent of Franklin County single-family households have access to curbside recycling pickup, many communities still use small recycling containers or bins, roughly 18 gallons in capacity, for their residential programs, SWACO says.

The wheeled recycling carts provide residents and communities a number of advantages over the recycling bins, according to SWACO: They are easier to move to the curb; they have a lid, which reduces litter on windy days; and the larger size makes it easier for residents to recycle more material. Additionally, wheeled carts allow for automated collection, improving the safety of collection workers and providing greater efficiency, both of which can benefit communities as they seek competitive bids for lower-cost recycling and waste-hauling services.

“Wheeled recycling carts often result in a 30 percent increase in the amount of recycling received from residents,” Kyle O’Keefe, director of innovation and programs at SWACO, says. “There are lots of reasons why they are considered a ‘best practice’ in the industry, and we’re very excited to partner with our local communities to help them move to a cart-based recycling system.”

SWACO says it will use a portion of the disposal fee collected at the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill to pay for the costs associated with purchasing the new carts.

Funding for this program is available to Franklin County communities that do not currently own wheeled recycling carts.

SWACO will initially provide the larger carts to five communities, which represent more than 38,000 households in Bexley, Blendon Township, Gahanna, Reynoldsburg and Westerville.

Thanks to additional funding SWACO secured through a grant provided by The Recycling Partnership, Falls Church, Virginia, these five communities will receive an even greater reduction in the cost to purchase the 65-gallon recycling carts. While the larger carts typically cost about $45 each, these communities will pay only $15.52 per cart, with SWACO and The Recycling Partnership contributing the rest. The grant was provided as part of the All In On Recycling challenge launched last summer by The Recycling Partnership and the PepsiCo Foundation.

“The city of Westerville is committed to leveraging this assistance from SWACO to help boost curbside recycling participation in our community,” Kevin Weaver, director of the Westerville Public Service Department, says. “We believe residents will appreciate the increased capacity and ease-of-use provided by the carts.”

“SWACO’s commitment to recycling in Franklin County is providing a powerful example of how communities can work together to grow recycling,” says Rob Taylor, director of grants and community development at The Recycling Partnership. “Recycling with carts creates convenience for citizens, improves the efficiency of collection and is proven to grow recovery of recyclable materials.”

He adds, “We are grateful to our funding partners, including PepsiCo Foundation, who enable us to offer this important cart grant work. When we improve recycling, we create jobs by protecting the planet.”

In addition to purchasing new carts, SWACO says it will use funds from The Recycling Partnership grant to provide recycling education materials to all residents around central Ohio. As part of SWACO’s ongoing “Recycle Right” program, these educational materials will include guidelines for what can and cannot be recycled in Franklin County to ensure residents are recycling effectively and efficiently.