Fashion designers and textile manufacturers are choosing Columbus and central Ohio as home. In fact, more designers live in Columbus than virtually any other city in the U.S. Only New York and L.A. have more! Brands like IKEA rely on central Ohioans at Fluvitex to make every synthetic fiber pillow and comforter sold in every store in America! It’s common for production processes to generate some waste and in particular textile waste is an emerging waste stream. In episode 5, SWACO welcomes the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency and Fluvitex to discuss the synergies between big brands, product manufacturers and the public sector agencies behind the Ohio Materials Marketplace. The Ohio Materials Marketplace (OMM) is a free online platform that allows Ohio businesses, manufacturers, non-profits, and other organizations to find reuse and recycling solutions for decommissioned, waste, byproduct, and surplus materials. (Check out more on the Ohio Materials Marketplace on Ohio EPA's website and stay up to date by following @OhioEPA for #MarketplaceMonday weekly features.)

So for manufacturers like Fluvitex, the Markeplace allows them to sell unused inventory or other products, that could otherwise head to the landfill, be re-purposed into useful products! This reduces textile waste, saves precious resources and creates new revenue streams for businesses too. Plus, Fluvitex has built relationships with local non-profits so mis-marked or irregular pillows and comforters that can't go to IKEA can go to places like the Ronald McDonald House and YMCA locations. As you're about to hear, they're looking for more non-profit partners too!

‘Tis the season to be merry and green! During our episode 4 conversation, an expert from the Toy Association shares how nearly half of parents shopping for gifts this holiday season are interested in purchasing more sustainable toys and SWACO explores the lengths toy manufacturers like Mattel, Lego and Fisher-Price are going to – even trying out cocoa beans -- to create the products consumers want. And it turns out, the Toy Association's Charlotte Hickcox is an Ohio Wesleyan graduate and used to work at the Ohio EPA with our other guest, Andrew Booker, SWACO's Programs Manager. So, we love this career reunion of sorts as Charlotte and Andrew bring a wealth of knowledge to the changing landscape of all things recyclable and reusable from toy manufacturing to Amazon packaging. Plus, Hanna and Joe also talk about the basics like what can and can't go in your trash and recycle bins given a lot of kids are getting battery powered toys this Christmas. So, from all of us at SWACO, have a healthy and safe holiday season and enjoy our last episode of 2024. But don't worry, we're already planning more great episodes for 2025!

It's a term you'll hear more about especially from those of us in recycle and reuse communities -- the circular economy. Love that crisp refreshing Coca-Cola or Diet Coke but still wonder where that recycled plastic bottle or aluminum can ends up? To put it simply, it ends up back on your store shelf and in some cases, in just a matter of weeks. November is National Recycling Month and recycling is growing in Central Ohio thanks to recent announcements by SWACO and Rumpke Waste & Recycling making it possible for residents to recycle even more plastic material. When families and residents choose to recycle plastics from their homes, they contribute to a cleaner, greener community and help to support businesses that rely on those recyclables to manufacture their goods and products. Joining Hanna and Joe for this month's episode are Amanda Pratt from RUMPKE and Todd Marty from Coca-Cola Consolidated. Both are leading the way and pushing Ohio to the forefront of the circular economy and at the same time, saving precious natural resources, diverting materials from landfills and creating jobs!