SWACO
A banana peel here, leftovers gone bad there and as a final touch, a handful of coffee grounds. These small scraps don’t seem like much on their own, but when tossed into the trash, they tip the scale toward a much larger problem.
Franklin County sends more than one million tons of waste to the landfill each year, with every resident producing four to five pounds of trash per day – but about one third can be composted.
In Grove City, the City’s composting initiatives help build habits to keep organic material in circulation, getting those banana peels, leftovers and coffee grounds out of the trash and on to live a new life.
Turning scraps into resources
Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio
The Grove City Public Service Department maintains free food waste drop off locations that are supported in part by regional composting partners. These sites allow residents in homes, apartments and townhomes alike to participate, regardless of available space.
Education plays a key role as well. Through partnerships with the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO), Grove City residents can access clear guidance on what materials are accepted, how to sort them properly and where to take them.
SWACO’s Save More Than Food campaign – developed with the Central Ohio Food Waste Initiative – connects composting to broader environmental, economic and community health benefits.
“We hear often that composting is too complicated and the process is intimidating,” says Amy Densborn, programs manager at SWACO. “We try to remind folks that composting isn’t an exact science and there is room for error. Decomposition happens all around us and is flexible based on the environmental conditions.”
City of Grove City
Residents in Franklin County can take a short, free online course on backyard conservation and composting, with completion earning them access to a deeply discounted 82-gallon green compost bin to start composting affordably while supporting local sustainability efforts.
Grove City also partners with GoZero, which provides food waste drop off options for residents. Lime‑green GoZero containers accept standard food scraps such as fruit and vegetable trimmings, coffee grounds, eggshells and filters, offering a simple way for households to divert waste without committing to a backyard pile.
Love Food Hate Waste NZ
From personal lawn to community garden
Food scraps aren’t the only organic materials Grove City keeps out of the landfill.
The City has invested in sustainability for more than three decades, becoming an affiliate of Keep America Beautiful in 1991 and expanding its waste‑reduction programs ever since.
Yard‑waste composting is one of the City’s most established efforts, as the Trash and Yard Waste department of Local Waste Services provides weekly curbside pickup for leaves, grass clippings and small branches for every household.
Seasonal leaf collection, operated by the Grove City Street Department, typically runs from late October through mid‑December and has been offered for almost 10 years.
Residents can also visit Ohio Mulch at 2541 Harrisburg Pike for free yard‑waste drop off for larger loads.
Community gardens also contribute to Grove City’s composting ecosystem.
At Fryer Park, garden plot holders build healthier soil through small‑scale composting practices. The Gardens at Gantz Farm also offers volunteer opportunities and educational programming that often touches on composting and soil health, reinforcing the connection between waste diversion and local food systems.
Rose Whaley is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
