COLUMBUS — Franklin County’s sanitary landfill, the destination for much of central Ohio’s trash, is expected to reach capacity in about 40 years — and the agency that runs it says residents can help push that deadline back.
The landfill sits in the far southwestern corner of Franklin County and rises roughly 200 feet above the surrounding ground, making it the highest man-made mound in the county. Trucks deliver waste from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m., and the flow keeps growing along with the Columbus region, which is adding population at about 1 percent a year, roughly twice the national rate.
According to the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio, known as SWACO, about three-fourths of what ends up in the landfill should not be there at all. Food waste and corrugated cardboard are the biggest culprits by weight, even though food can be composted and cardboard can be recycled.
SWACO says it works to make the alternatives easy and free, including its household hazardous waste disposal options for items that should never go in the trash. A spokesperson described the landfill as an asset the community should protect and prolong, which requires everyone using it to think the same way.
The message for households is straightforward: saving leftovers, composting food scraps, recycling cardboard and donating or scrapping heavy items all keep material out of the landfill.
Every load diverted extends the life of a site central Ohio will need for decades to come.
