city of Columbus

Free Curbside Composting Pilot

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The Compost Exchange in Columbus will be launching a FREE pilot program for the Clintonville, Olde Towne East, Westrville, Powell, and Delaware Neighborhoods. The program includes free four week curbside pickup for composting material!

This program will run from Sept 22 through the week of Oct 27.

Service includes:

  • Weekly pickup at your service address.
  • One (1) 5-gallon container with airtight lid.
  • Fresh compostable liners provided each week.
  • Free compost for your garden each year.

Pilot details:

  • This is a free trial program starting on September 23rd, 2025 and lasting for four (4) weeks.
  • You will automatically be billed after the pilot ends on October 28th at the rate of $23/month.
  • You can cancel anytime during the pilot, and we will collect your bucket on the next service day.

The Compost Exchange will continue it’s program for drop-off through this pilot if you are not in one of these neighborhoods.

Sign up before Sept 21 for the Fall Pilot Programs in your neighborhood.

Volunteer Opportunities with the City of Columbus

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City of Columbus Recreation and Parks is looking for volunteers!

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Pollinator Field Day

Saturday, Aug 23

10 a.m. to noon

​Get your hands dirty for something that matters! Join us for Pollinator Field Day, one of our favorite volunteer events of the year! We’ll meet at the prairie at Whetstone Park. We’re looking for volunteers to help remove invasive species and maintain the pollinator habitat. We’ll provide supplies—you bring the energy. Register for your slot today!

Columbus ArborFest

Saturday, Aug 23

Noon to 5 p.m.

Happening at Whetstone Park, this event will include tours and tree ID walks; food trucks; exhibitors; live entertainment for all ages and more!

​Pollinator Documentation Program

Now through September; Virtual

 Learn how to track pollinator activity using the iNaturalist app. They will send you all the tools you need to get started when you register for the virtual training.

Sign Up for Columbus Pollinator Documentation Program

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Help document pollinator species using the iNaturalist app. Perfect for nature lovers! Sign Up for Virtual Training or attend in-person training on Aug. 6.

Data collected from the Pollinator Documentation Program helps assess the quality of pollinator habitats in our parks. Volunteers collect data on the plant and pollinator species in the habitats as well as general maintenance needs. This informs current and future maintenance, volunteer projects, and expansions.

Learn more and sign up.

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Volunteer Opportunities

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Grow the Good with Franklinton Farms!

Join Besa and Franklinton Farms to help increase access to local produce in our community! As a volunteer, you’ll be assisting with general stewardship and maintenance of the farm. Volunteers may also work indoors, either tending plants in our high tunnels or assisting with property maintenance, tool organization, and other various tasks.

  • Saturday, May 24 – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
  • Saturday, June 7 – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
  • Saturday, June 21 – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Learn more and Sign Up Here!

Garden with Friends of Goodale Park!

Join Besa and Friends of Goodale Park to help maintain Goodale Park! Volunteers will garden, assist with litter removal, and other tasks as needed. Volunteers of all ages are welcome!

  • Saturday, May 17 – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.
  • Saturday, June 21 – 9 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Learn more and Sign Up Here!

Garden at Central Community House!

Join Besa and Central Community House to maintain the Columbus Community Center’s gardens and flower beds! Volunteers will assist in general stewardship of the gardens to ensure the center is beautiful and welcoming to all!

  • Saturday, May 17 – 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.
  • Saturday, June 21 – 9:30 – 11:30 a.m.

Learn more and Sign Up Here!

Join a Community Clean Up in Milo-Grogan!

Join Besa and Cultivate for a community clean-up in the Milo-Grogan neighborhood! Cultivate works to strengthen the Milo-Grogan community through neighborhood-driven solutions. Volunteers will help with tasks like litter pickup to keep the area looking its best.

  • Saturday, May 17 – 10 a.m. – 12 p.m.

Learn more and Sign Up Here!

Post-Holiday Cleanup with City of Columbus Convenience Centers

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When it’s out with the old and in with the new after the holidays, residents can use the City of Columbus Waste and Reuse Convenience Centers as a one-stop solution for environmentally friendly cleanup, reuse and recycling.

Residents may drop off a variety of items at the Convenience Centers, at 2100 Alum Creek Dr. and 1550 Georgesville Rd., for reuse, recycling, composting and proper disposal. After the holidays, households may have more trash, including cardboard and gift wrap, old electronics, bulk items and food scraps that don’t fit, or shouldn’t be disposed of, in their city refuse and recycling containers.

The Convenience Centers accept these items and more, including string lights, donated bicycles and gently used clothing and furniture for reuse. The centers are operated by the city’s Division of Refuse Collection, and staff is available to assist residents with proper sorting when they drop off items.

The city service diverts the amount of trash tonnage taken to the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill to help extend its life and support Columbus Climate Action Plan goals.

The Convenience Centers are open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. but will be closed on Christmas, Dec. 25, and on New Year’s Day, Jan. 1. Get more information here.

Refuse Collection also offers seven drop-off sites for food scraps composting collection that Columbus residents can access seven days a week, 24 hours a day. The designated outdoor collection containers are located at these city Recreation and Parks sites:

  • Bill McDonald Athletic Complex, 4990 Olentangy River Rd., 43214
  • Dodge Park and Community Center, 667 Sullivant Ave., 43215
  • Scioto Southland Park, 3901 Parsons Ave., 43207
  • Beatty Park and Community Center – 247 N. Ohio Ave., 43203
  • Northeast Park and Howard Community Center – 2505 Cassady Ave., 43219
  • Linden Park and Community Center – 1350 Briarwood Ave., 43211
  • Carriage Place Community Center – 4900 Sawmill Rd., 43235

Get more information about what you can drop off at the food scraps collection sites here.

Get WastED With SWACO

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SWACO has launched WastED, a waste and recycling podcast to give voice to many of the innovative sustainability and recycling initiatives taking place across central Ohio. By sharing these stories with listeners, we demystify the recycling process and build confidence in the recycling system.

This month’s episode includes guests from Rumpke Waste & Recycling and Coca-Cola Consolidated chatting about Ohio’s circular economy and what, exactly, happens after families put their metal cans and plastic bottles into their recycling bin each week.  Join the conversation. Download the podcast below or listen wherever you stream.  

City of Columbus Opens Four More Food Waste Drop-Off Sites for Residents’ Use

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The City of Columbus has opened four more community locations where residents can take food scraps for composting.

The Division of Refuse Collection services offer residents convenient, sustainable disposal options to divert these materials from the Franklin County landfill. The four new food scraps drop-off sites feature marked collection containers in outdoor enclosures at these Recreation and Parks locations:

  • Beatty Park and Community Center – 247 N. Ohio Ave., 43203
  • Northeast Park and Howard Community Center – 2505 Cassady Ave., 43219
  • Linden Park and Community Center – 1350 Briarwood Ave., 43211
  • Carriage Place Community Center – 4900 Sawmill Rd., 43235

“We are excited to expand accessible drop-off services in more neighborhoods throughout Columbus as residents look for options to sustainably dispose of food waste and divert it from the landfill,” said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. “Expansion of residential services marks our commitment to meeting the city’s Climate Action Plan goals to reduce landfill waste and greenhouse gas emissions for a healthy, clean Columbus.”

The new drop-off sites build on the success of three food scraps locations launched in 2023 by Refuse Collection. Since then, residents’ usage at the Bill McDonald Athletic Complex, Dodge Park and Community Center, and Scioto Southland Park has diverted more than 100,000 pounds of food waste from the landfill.

Residents may also bring food scraps to Refuse Collection’s two drive-through Waste and Reuse Convenience Centers, at 2100 Alum Creek Dr., and the newly opened location at 1550 Georgesville Rd.

Visit columbus.gov/foodwaste to learn what food scraps items are accepted for drop-off.

*****To reduce contamination, pumpkins should not be dropped off at the city’s food waste sites.