Franklin County residents and businesses send nearly one million pounds of food waste to the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill every day. This is the equivalent of wasting 22 million gallons of gasoline, 41 billion gallons of water, and 160,000 acres of land per year. Furthermore, when businesses discard food which could have been donated, reused or rescued, they also discard their ability to profit from selling that food.

Fortunately, there are resources to help you ensure that your business prevents as much food waste as possible while also maximizing the good that your business can do for your community through safe food donation.

Save More Than Food is a hub for food waste education and prevention for Central Ohio, which will be launching in mid-2020. Developed by the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) and the Central Ohio Food Waste Initiative (COFWI), the collective impact collaborative is working to cut Central Ohio Food Waste in half by 2030.

The Save More Than Food resources and public awareness campaign aims to support businesses as well as consumers, schools, and other stakeholders in reducing their food waste. When available, the Save More Than Food “Food Business” page will contain resources ranging from guides to safe food donation in Central Ohio to local partners for compost, food rescue, customer engagement, and more.

Franklin County Public Health and Columbus Public Health have also partnered with SWACO and COFWI to develop a brief guide to donating prepared food items that includes information about how businesses can donate prepared foods while being protected from any liability issues. Reach out to SWACO ([email protected]) or the Central Ohio Food Waste Initiative (COFWI) with any additional questions about safe food donation.

Here are some additional resources related to food waste and food donation:

• Food Rescue US (Nonprofit) - Technology platform that facilitates the transfer of excess fresh food from grocers, restaurants, and other sources, to social service agencies that feed people who are food insecure
• Mid-Ohio Food Bank (Nonprofit) - Collects and distributes food through a network of emergency food locations in 20 Ohio counties, including Franklin County.
• SWACO’s Food Waste Audit Tool (Local Government) - Helps businesses identify current waste practices and opportunities for improvement
• Ohio EPA (State Government)
  • Composting - Information and resources related to composting rules and facilities
  • Market Development Grant (MDG) - Financial assistance to recycled material processors and product manufacturers operating within Ohio
  • Ohio Food Scraps Recovery Initiative - Resources and tips for food donation, home composting, and information about regulatory compliance
• OSU Food Waste Collaborative (Public University) - Collection of researchers, practitioners, and students working together to promote the reduction and redirection of food waste
• OSU Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center (OARDC) (Public University) - Ohio State research center focused on a wide range of agricultural issues, including recycling food waste
• OSU Ohio Composting and Manure Management (OCAMM) (Public University) - Research and development related to composting and waste
• The Compost Exchange (For Profit) - Commercial composting services for the Columbus area
• GoZERO (For Profit) - Commercial composting services for the Columbus area
• Innovative Organics Recycling (For Profit) - Commercial composting services for the Columbus area

Franklin County businesses discard nearly 600,000 tons of material at the county landfill each year. Surprisingly, a quarter of that material could have been recovered through common commercial recycling programs available today.

Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) provides all of the resources commercial partners need to start up a diversion program or improve an existing one. The SWACO Business Toolkit provides step-by-step instructions on analyzing your waste stream and engaging your waste and recycling service provider. The toolkit also includes guidance and best practices for educating employees, promoting your efforts to current and new customers and tracking your progress. For more information please contact SWACO.

• Direct Energy - Small Business - List of 50 energy saving tips for small businesses to help reduce energy use, cut emissions, and save money
• EnergyWorks Franklin County (Local Government) - Provides loan financing to Franklin County businesses and nonprofit organizations for cost-effective, energy efficiency improvements
• Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA) - Advanced Energy and Efficiency Programs (State Government) - Helps businesses reduce energy use and improve energy efficiency
• Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA) - Energy Loan Fund (State Government) - Low-interest financing and technical assistance for small businesses for energy efficiency improvements
• Ohio Treasurer - ReEnergize Ohio (State Government) - Assistance with financing related to renovating existing building, business expansion, equipment upgrades, and installing energy saving products
• National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) (Federal Government) - Information and resources on maximizing energy savings for small businesses
• US EPA - Green Power Partnership (GPP) (Federal Government) - Working to increase voluntary green power use by small businesses and advance the American market for green power and the development of those renewable electricity sources
• US Department of Energy - Energy Saver Guide (Federal Government) - Guide on saving energy

• Be the Change for Clean Water (Local Government) - Information and resources on protecting our water resources
• Ohio EPA - eBusiness Center (State Government) - Offers online business services, including submitting permit and grant applications and making payments
• ENERGY STAR - For Small Businesses (Federal Government) - Information, resources, and technical support for small businesses interested in energy efficiency and cutting energy costs
• US EPA - Resources for Small Businesses (Federal Government) - Resources and services for small businesses
• Fundera (For-Profit) - Information and resources on becoming an eco-friendly small business
• Small Business Trends (For-Profit) - 25 Green Business Certifications - A wide-ranging list of green business certifications for various types of businesses
• Green American - Certification for Green Businesses (Nonprofit) - Recognizes businesses that adopt principles, policies and practices that improve the quality of life for their customers, employees, communities, and the planet.
• Green America - Green Business Network (Nonprofit) - Opportunities to connect with green consumers and peer green businesses