Zeroing in on zero waste

Public outcry reinforced the city’s decision to extend a trash and recycling collection contract to Athens-Hocking Recycling Centers, which had hauled away county residents’ recycling since the 1980s. The city was considering another vendor, but the citizens weren’t having it.

“Ten years before that, nobody would have cared,” says Ed Newman, Zero Waste director for local nonprofit Rural Action and former recycling and refuse manager at Ohio University.

While it’s hard to quantify how many people in Southeast Ohio cared about waste 10 years ago, the actual numbers surrounding the waste itself are readily available: In 2010, Athens and Hocking Counties recycled only 8.9 percent of residential and commercial waste—that is, diverted it from the landfill—and commercial composting was practically unheard of outside of Ohio University’s campus efforts. Today, the two counties divert 36.8 percent of all waste from the landfill through recycling. And numerous waste-related businesses and activities have been launched.

How did the region get from there to here? It’s largely a story of relationships, one that begins with the Sugar Bush Foundation, a supporting organization of The Ohio University Foundation.

In 2010, Newman served on the board of Sugar Bush, which provides grant funding to programs that foster a sustainable environment and socioeconomic development. Leaders from Sugar Bush and Rural Action brainstormed the idea of a local zero-waste economy, and Newman knew a long-term commitment to such a project was essential. “We were exploring things we could do to be a more effective philanthropic organization,” Newman recalls. The board decided to practice “catalytic philanthropy” wherein the foundation would be the catalyst for what would become the Appalachia Ohio Zero Waste Initiative, serve as a partner in the program, and make a long-term commitment to it.

In the end, that meant a 10-year pledge and more than $1.2 million in grants. The project kicked off when Sugar Bush approached Rural Action and OHIO’s Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs to request a proposal for a zero-waste program.

“We have a value of joint design,” says Hylie Voss, president of the Sugar Bush Foundation and daughter of its founders, Don and Mary Anne Flournoy. “While we don’t interfere with the implementation of the projects, we do participate to some level in the design. We have a voice.”

One of the early steps was to create a zero waste action plan. Rural Action solicited input from 200-plus organizations while the Voinovich School provided supporting surveys, research and data analysis. “That zero waste action planning process brought a lot of people together—and legitimacy,” says Newman.

Out of the action plan came lots of action across campus and the community. Kyle O’Keefe, founding director of the Rural Action Zero Waste Program, wrote a successful grant proposal for the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District to purchase roll-off recycling containers that allowed rural recycling access to increase from a few hours a month to 24/7. Erin Sykes, the program’s second director, embedded herself at OhioHealth O’Bleness Hospital for a year before work began in earnest on a five-year sustainability plan for the hospital.

On campus, staff and students joined forces with units like Culinary Services, Facilities Management, and Sorority and Fraternity Life to institutionalize change in how events are managed sustainably. And in 2019, the Voinovich School helped secure grant funding to improve the collection and processing of organic waste on campus and for athletic events.

“We don’t use a problem-solving model. We use an asset-based model,” says Voss. “In an asset-based approach, you’re now thinking about this thing—waste—as an asset. You’d better think about how to make it an asset. That helped us direct our funding.”

Waste-as-asset projects that have emerged include the construction of a materials recovery facility at Athens-Hocking Recycling Centers (AHRC), helped in part with funds from Sugar Bush and a feasibility study from the Voinovich School. The AHRC collects and processes recyclable and compostable materials and now employs nearly 40 people.

At Ohio University experts are researching ways to use compost to clean up impacted soils and waterways, like those prevalent in Southeastern Ohio from historical mining practices. Waste from diverse sources such as brewery waste and sewage are also being explored for beneficial uses.

Zero Waste Event Productions was established within Rural Action’s Zero Waste Program. The enterprise honed its process at the local Nelsonville Music Festival—which has met its zero-waste goal of diverting at least 90 percent of its waste for the past six years—allowing it to gain both exposure and goodwill. It’s now an independent business serving festivals in 11 states and employing five full-time employees plus contractors who work the festivals.

“The real win-win-win is when you can reduce waste, or repurpose waste, and create jobs at the same time,” Voss says. She acknowledges that there is a long way to go, but she’s proud of what the region continues to accomplish, and of Sugar Bush’s long-term partnerships. “We’ve learned with all of our projects that we want to walk with them for an extended period. It’s been an amazing journey.”

Feature image by Steven Turville