SWACO campaign prompts increased food waste diversion in central Ohio

The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) has released a study that was conducted in the spring and summer of 2021 to evaluate the effectiveness of the authority’s Save More Than Food campaign, as well as current attitudes, behaviors and barriers to diverting food waste from the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill.

The study, funded in part by a federal grant from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, was conducted in the city of Upper Arlington by The Ohio State University (OSU) as part of SWACO’s efforts to divert food waste from the landfill. The study gathered research from more than 1,600 participants.

According to SWACO, participants who received Save More Than Food materials reduced the amount of food waste they created by 21 percent. During the study period, Upper Arlington’s three food waste drop-off locations also experienced a 40 percent increase in use after households received information on the program.

“Not only is food waste the single largest source of material entering the county landfill, [but] it also presents one of the best opportunities to increase diversion and help slow climate change,” says Kyle O’Keefe, SWACO’s director of innovation and programs.

In addition to documenting a decrease in the amount of waste these households created, the study also documented the following:

• 57 percent of respondents believe Save More Than Food is effective at creating awareness of the prevalence of food waste in central Ohio; 
• 40 percent believe that the Save More Than Food campaign motivated them to act to reduce food waste; ad
• access to a curbside composting program was the top response for how to increase composting in the city. 

“The evidence collected in Upper Arlington suggests that community-based implementation of campaigns like Save More Than Food can move the needle on food waste reduction,” says Brian Roe, an OSU professor in the department of agriculture, environmental and developmental economics, who helped assess the effectiveness of the initiative.

“The results of the study were eye-opening for us. We learned that it takes more than just having a program in place to collect the food waste; the educational component is crucial to maintaining a successful program,” says Katy Rees, performance analyst with the city of Upper Arlington.

The city of Upper Arlington is using the results to inform decisions about how best to expand the program. This spring, the city will pilot a curbside food waste collection. Work is already underway in the cities of Gahanna and New Albany, which will be opening new food waste drop-off sites in the coming month, as well as implementing the Save More Than Food campaign in their communities. 

They join the cities of Bexley, Dublin, Grandview Heights, Grove City, Hilliard, Upper Arlington, Westerville and Worthington who all previously launched food waste drop-off locations in central Ohio with support from SWACO.

SWACO is currently evaluating ways to improve composting infrastructure in central Ohio which would help create opportunities for increased food waste composting and support curbside collection programs across Franklin County.

To see the full results of the study once finalized, visit www.savemorethanfood.org.