Editor's notes: SWACO's recycling efforts serve as inspiration for the New Year
Katy Smith
Have you ever thought about what happens to your trash after you part ways?
Would you recognize a bag of your own trash from 10 years ago? Do you find it upsetting to know that it’s basically still around, somewhere in a landfill, smashed into oblivion?
Have you visited a landfill? I have. You can imagine the sick, sweet smell of mountains of garbage. Mountains so tall that I actually felt nervous as I was taken up to the top of one in a truck, the incline so steep it felt as if we might slide backward. That was the Franklin County landfill in 2009-ish. Just think how much more trash has gone to it since then!
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Perhaps more horrifying than the disposable, wasteful culture we have created—me too, for sure—is the fact that three quarters of what we throw away could actually be recycled. Let that sink in. The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio says 76 percent of what’s in the landfill is recyclable, and it has a goal to reduce the amount of material we send there by 75 percent in the coming years.
It has help from creative Columbus entrepreneurs who have founded businesses based on keeping things out of the landfill. The ideas featured in this month’s story by associate editor Jess Deyo are exciting—prosthetics crafted from recycled materials; an exchange connecting organizations looking to get rid of unwanted fabric with designers who desire it; a consultant getting to the bottom of food waste; refillable containers for self-care products; and a trash bin cleaning company.
New year, new consumer habits, new hope in the fight against climate change?
I think I’ll make a few resolutions of my own.