Matthys Visser

SWACO Synopsis

SWACO (an acronym for the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio) is the only

landfill any trash in Franklin County goes to. Here, ~16% of waste is recycled, ~17% is

composted, and ~67% is landfilled. The total MSW (municipal solid waste) generated in

the district equates to around 1.5 million tons a year. ~59% of said waste is commercial.

The rest is residential. Around 29.2% of the waste that ends up in the landfill is fibers

such as paper. These could all be recycled. SWACO gets 4,000+ tons of MSW a day.

3,000 of this is recyclable. Thats nearly 70% of the waste brought into the landfill that

could be recycled. It all is worth around $41 million. Franklin county currently has quite a

few waste diversion programs running to minimize unnecessary waste, including:

Yard waste

Household hazardous waste

Recycling drop-offs

Prescription drug disposal programs

E-waste

Litter/anti-dumping programs

Education programs

The landfill itself is split into sections which switch on and off in activity. Cells (the

pits where the trash will be stored) are 120 acres each and cost about $20 million to

make. The pit is dug 400 feet deep and can get up to 300 feet above ground according

to EPA standards. SWACO is currently around 210 feet tall. This landfill is sanitary to
prevent leachate from contaminating groundwater. The lining is made of a layer of clay

3-6 feet deep followed by plastic liner. Groundwater monitoring wells are used to ensure

no leaking has occurred. Sediment ponds are used to collect overflow. Geo liner is used

to filter the leachate before going into collector pipes installed with the trash. These

pipes used to take methane from the deteriorating trash to the smokestacks nearby

where it is to be burnt before reaching the atmosphere. But as of April 2015, a lot of the

collected gas is used at an energy facility with energy equivalent to 124 million gallons

of gasoline per year. Columbia Gas buys it, giving SWACO $1-3 million in profit a year.