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Organics Recycling Gateways
Building Composting Infrastructure:
How Drop-Off Stations Serve as Points of Collection and Education
About the Event
An educational session presenting tested and proven organic recycling collection concepts in Ohio.
We are bringing together stakeholders to raise awareness and create a space for networking.
Hear firsthand from planners, implementers, and operators and take the opportunity to ask questions.
The Ohio Organics Council believes it is important to create dialogue and showcase what’s working and how it can be implemented in your community.
Who should attend?
Municipalities
Recycling and Waste Educators
Zero Waste Researchers
State and local decision makers (Legislators, City Council Members, City Administrators)
Solid Waste Management Districts
Regulators (Ohio EPA and Health Department Inspectors, Zoning Officials)
Nonprofit Organizations in the sustainability sector
About the event
Diverting food waste from landfills to composting facilities starts at the source.
Proper, contamination-free collection is imperative for making good compost.
Starting a full-scale curbside collection program is often too early and “too much” for cities and municipalities. Using drop-off stations instead lays the groundwork for a curbside collection as a second or third phase.
Since organics recycling and composting aren’t familiar to many people yet, drop-off stations can also serve as educational touchpoints. Signage and displays can inform which items can be discarded and explain what will happen with these resources.
When residents understand the importance of separating organic waste, they are more likely to comply. Realizing that their waste can be recycled into valuable compost can actually bring joy in participating.
Building composting infrastructure can be challenging due to costs, regulations, and opposition. That’s why we’ve invited Ohio's pioneers to share their knowledge and experiences.
Our goal is to help you flatten your learning curve and provide shortcuts for building composting infrastructure in your community.
If you are interested in building composting infrastructure in your municipality, this event is for you. Network with fellow organics recycling and waste management professionals in Ohio.
Join us, make new friends, learn from experts, and have a wonderful time.
Event Details
⚠️ This event is in the past. ⚠️
Agenda:
Keynote Presentation: Insights on designing and implementing effective drop-off stations, backed by data collected in Central Ohio.
Interactive Panel Discussions: Engage with experts on best practices and challenges in composting infrastructure.
Q&A Sessions: Have your questions answered by industry leaders and innovators.
Networking Opportunities: Connect virtually with peers and professionals in the composting community. We will have breakout rooms to give everyone the opportunity to meet other professional peers. Building composting infrastructure is no easy feat and we are stronger together.
Watch the live event recording
Download The Slideshows Below
Our Event Sponsors
This event is partially funded by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.
About the Panelists:
Jane Boehm
Food Waste Programs Administrator, SWACO
Jane supports SWACO’s Food Waste Drop-Off Program as well as leading other food waste prevention, donation, and composting projects.
She has authored a best practice guide around Food Waste Drop-Off Programs and works hand in hand with communities to pilot drop-off stations.
SWACO has set an ambitious goal to reduce food waste by 50% in its region until 2030.
Nigel Deacon
Founder, metroSTOR Inc.
The metroSTOR team have been developing recycling infrastructure solutions for over a decade, helping municipalities and communities increase waste diversion with robust cart and dumpster enclosures that embrace established behaviour change principles – clear communication and user-friendly operation.
Nigel will share insights on how this approach can encourage resident participation in community organics drop-off programmes in a cost-effective way, while also protecting against contamination.
Kate Reese
City of Upper Arlington
Over the past few years, the City of Upper Arlington has been growing its food waste collection program. Starting with a few community drop-off locations in 2019, the City now offers three drop-off locations as well as a curbside collection program for its residents.
With over 1,200 active households in the curbside collection program, the City is diverting an average of 5 tons of food waste per week and maintains and 82% weekly set out rate.
Katy manages the city’s collection programs and will share her experience with starting and growing a food waste collection program.
Natalie S.
Drop-Off Logistics, Rust Belt Riders
Rust Belt Riders has successfully established over 37 food scrap Drop-Off locations in the Cleveland area, serving nearly 2,200 households. They are a great example of how private businesses can collaborate with and support local municipalities.
RBR recently partnered with Beachwood to make food scrap composting free for all residents, implementing the first city-wide, municipally-funded composting program in the area.
RBR is a worker-owned cooperative and functions using collective decision making and a non-hierarchical org. structure.
Natalie manages the day to day Drop-Off logistics and works with her fellow co-op mates to run the Residential program. She can speak from experience as an operator, coordinator, and community support specialist.
Tim Steckel
Founder, Compost Marketing Agency
Your moderator for the panel discussion and avid voice for the composting industry.
Tim works with the full bandwidth of stakeholders in the organics recycling industry and regularly publishes content to #makecompostmainstream
About the Organizers
The Ohio Organics Council
The Ohio Organics Council (OHOC) is the official Ohio State Chapter of the US Composting Council, advocating for organics recycling. Our mission is to increase the amount of organics recycled in Ohio by influencing legislation, training professionals, and facilitating dialogue among stakeholders. We offer membership opportunities for individuals interested in advancing organics recycling and provide financial support to gain influence.
Compost Marketing Agency
The event series is planned and executed by the Compost Marketing Agency. They are supporting organizations and businesses in the organics recycling industry. You can contact their event team ([email protected]) to request additional information, press kits or about sponsoring opportunities.
Reach out to [email protected] in case you have further questions.
An event series by the Ohio Organics Council
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