Holiday celebrations have ended for many central Ohio residents, leaving some with an excess of waste that needs to be disposed of.
The city of Columbus operates two convenience centers where residents can drop off trash, recycling and other items. Officials expect the days and weeks following Christmas to be particularly busy as people take down decorations and clean out their refrigerators.
“Over the holidays, we see about 25% more waste generated. It’s a lot of extra food waste, boxes and all kinds of things that people want to get rid of,” said Aryeh Alex, sustainability manager for the Columbus Department of Public Service.
Alex said most trash and recycling can be placed at the curb after the holidays.
“The biggest thing this time of year is that you can put your live Christmas tree out for yard waste collection,” Alex said.
For those who do not want to wait for the next curbside pickup, or who want to reduce environmental impact, Alex recommends bringing items to the city’s convenience centers.
“If you throw it all in your trash bin, it all goes to the landfill and sits there for hundreds of years. If you bring it here, we’re able to make sure it goes to the right place so it can either be reused or recycled, rather than going to the landfill,” Alex said.
The centers accept almost anything, with specific areas for harder-to-dispose-of items, including food scraps, cardboard boxes and Styrofoam.
“We see Christmas trees, which we send off to be composted. We see ugly sweaters and clothes people no longer want, which we can donate. Electronics, if you received new ones and want to dispose of the old ones,” Alex said.
Staff at both the Alum Creek Drive and Georgesville Road convenience centers are available to help residents sort and properly dispose of their items.
“If you just want to put everything in your car and bring it here, we can help you sort it and properly dispose of it,” Alex said.
Both convenience centers are open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. The centers do not accept household hazardous materials such as paint, cleaning supplies and explosives. Those items can be taken to a nearby SWACO facility.
