Right Now Downtown

There are lots of people downtown and they generate lots of waste. Unfortunately, not enough of that waste is recycled. Paper from businesses is the largest single source of waste in the United States, and downtown is the largest generator of waste paper in the area.

Landfill space in Columbus is at a premium, with 3300 tons of waste added daily and an estimated 25 years of life remaining. Recycling is an important element of reducing waste and saving landfill space. Therefore, Capital Crossroads Special Improvement District (CCSID) has joined with the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) and downtown property owners to develop a plan to facilitate recycling in the Capital Crossroads district downtown.

We know that many commercial and residential tenants want to recycle, but they don’t know how to start. Recycling downtown is trickier than in other parts of town because the 550 properties are served by many waste haulers; there is no coordinated recycling effort; multi-story buildings and narrow alleyways pose unique challenges; and the type of recycled material generated varies from building to building. Building in downtown vary. Some have loading docks and some do not.

A consortium of 35 downtown property owners, representing a variety of building types and solid waste streams, joined together to solve the recycling challenges in downtown. Working with the SID and with funding from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, City of Columbus, SWACO and the SID, they contracted with GT Environmental to conduct waste assessments to determine how much waste could be diverted from the landfill and recycled. GT developed a waste management plan for each building, showing how trash and recyclables could be collected, stored and removed.

The SID provided the information on all 35 properties to Eastman & Smith, a law firm specializing in solid waste law. Eastman & Smith contacted local service providers to negotiate contract terms on behalf of all consortium properties.

As the SID began developing its plan, the market for recycling commodities collapsed. Interest among service providers waned. Nevertheless, some companies stepped forward and offered to begin a pilot program. From this pilot, CCSID hopes to increase the willingness and capacity for private sector haulers to serve downtown and collect recyclable materials, with the goal of diverting at least 25% of all waste generated into the recycling stream.

“Because of the weak market for recycling commodoties, this project has progressed at a slower pace than we anticipated,” says Cleve Ricksecker, Executive Director of CCSID. “Nevertheless, we will stick with the program and work with the downtown community and service providers to recycle more and more as the price for recycled commodities improves and new markets emerge.

Over the next few weeks, preferred service providers will be announced and posted at downtowncolumbus.com. Details will be provided regarding the types of materials they recycle and how downtown properties can utilize their services. Because properties are logistically unique, the SID will need to work one-on-one with some properties in order for service to be possible. Therefore, downtown properties are encouraged to call the SID with any questions concerning the program and how they can start service.

The SID will continue to seek out progressive service providers and aims to expand its program until the recycling needs of all downtown properties are met.

RE-USE REFUGE

Recycling comes naturally to some people.  They keep a little basket for their rinsed-out Diet Coke cans… and two more baskets on their desks for the cardboard and plastic wrappers from Twinkies, respectively.  The recyclers will even rescue dead batteries and ink cartridges from colleagues’ trashcans.

Then there are those of us who accumulate piles of important papers – massive piles.  Eventually, the papers become less important, and we’ll think about recycling them.

But the trashcan is only three steps away.

Good news has arrived.  Soon the recycling receptacles will be just as close as the circular files…

Thirty-five property owners have banded together to institute a real recycling program downtown.  It’s not just one building; it’s an entire neighborhood working together.  A downtown audit’s projections say that together we can decrease waste production by almost half.

As the programs develop, you can take some early pro-active steps at SWACO’s (that stands for Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio) Web site.  You can learn more about waste and recycling… plus, the site’s got video games.

Folks who are successful at recycling will tell you that they enjoy the sorting process.  It’s a simple, satisfying task.  Putting something like plastic in the plastic bin is just as easy as putting it in the trash.

More importantly, it’s the right thing to do. 

For other recycling information, visit DowntownColumbus.com