It's time to throw away your bad recycling habits, Worthington! We are partnering with SWACO to help you Recycle Right. Look for helpful tips to be shared on our social media platforms and register for the upcoming Recycle Right Webinar where you can get all your questions answered about how to recycle right. The Webinar is on Wednesday, December 8th at 6:30 p.m. Register here.
What you need to know and how you can help
We take recycling and sustainability very seriously here in Worthington. Our community has been focusing on ways to save energy and create a cleaner, greener environment for many years. You would think we’d be experts by now. Unfortunately, many people unknowingly toss items in their recycling carts that don’t belong and can actually contaminate the entire batch of materials or cause problems with processing other recyclables.
That’s why we’re working with SWACO to educate our residents on ways to recycle household waste more effectively, so it truly makes a difference and keeps recyclables out of the landfill.
The amount of waste generated by Franklin County is staggering. In fact, in 2020 alone, 2.5 million tons of waste were generated by residents and businesses – enough to fill Ohio Stadium four times. And even though over half of that material is being recycled or composted, a million tons of waste still finds its way to Franklin County’s landfill every year. Recycling has never been more important.
There are a number of items, like carry-out cups from restaurants or coffee shops, plastic and foam food containers, clamshell fruit or vegetable containers, plastic bags and wire hangers that many people think can be placed in their curbside recycling cart but cannot. Improper items can tangle up and shut down equipment, cause serious delays, contaminate valid recyclables and bring added time and expense to the recycling process.
Here are some basic facts to help you recycle right. In Worthington and all of Franklin County, five types of materials are accepted for recycling. Everything else should be reused, donated, composted or disposed of safely.
- Paper and Cardboard
- Plastic Bottles, Jugs and Tubs (this includes all yogurt containers)
- Glass Bottles and Jars
- Metal Cans
- Cartons
It’s also important that recyclable items are prepared correctly when putting them in your bin. Cardboard boxes should be broken down and flattened and recyclables should be kept loose in the bin. Never bag your recyclables. Here's a helpful tool to search for what and how certain items should be recycled.
Why does this matter? Proper recycling helps a lot more than the environment. Fewer resources earmarked for landfills means more resources available for the nearly 400 central Ohio businesses who rely on recyclables for their operations. Reusing and recycling materials also creates opportunities for new product innovations and technologies to start up in our region creating even more green jobs and local investments.
Worthington and SWACO want to make recycling right as easy as possible for you. We’re working together to get information and helpful recycling reminders in your hands. Watch for information to come in the mail soon. First, you will receive a cling sticker for your home with a comprehensive list of what can and cannot be recycled. Information will also be included in a mailing from Local Waste and included in an upcoming issue of the Village Talks newsletter mailed to every household in the City of Worthington. Also watch for helpful tips to be shared on our social media pages. All good reminders to help you recycle right at home and work.
There is also an opportunity to tune in for a Worthington – SWACO Recycle Right Webinar, scheduled for December 8th at 6:30p.m. The webinar is 100% virtual, free to attend, will cover what you need to know about recycling in Worthington and provide a chance for you to ask all your recycling questions. More details about how to register will be coming soon. You can find more information and stay updated at worthington.org/recycling. Together, we can recycle right, make a difference, and help improve our environment and community for years to come.
