“ZERO-WASTE PLAN”
Earns Grant in Public Service Department
The City of Westerville was recently awarded a $30,000 grant that infuses funding for continued progress in developing a Westerville “zero-waste plan,” a multi-phase program designed to over time implement, measure and promote zero-waste practices in the community. The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) awarded the grant to offset costs for waste diversion strategies, like the pilot food composting program that was wildly successful in 2020. “Westerville’s zero-waste plan will be a collection of strategies we can use to reduce both our initial impact on the environment and the amount of material that ultimately lands in the regional landfill,” said Kevin Weaver, Public Service Director. “We’re going to pair programs with educational resources and an implementation timeline to move toward zero waste. It’s ambitious but intentional in the same way that Westerville pursues programs that matter.” The plan will be conducted with partners, like SWACO, community stakeholders, contractors and importantly, residents. Weaver says residents embraced the food composting program, leading the pilot to smash
expectations. By the end of 2020, Westerville residents had composted more than 66,000 lbs of food, which is food diverted from the landfill and made into soilenriching reusable material. “We had so much success with this program,” said Weaver. “We ran out of program-branded buckets, but residents used their own buckets and still came. We started with two carts at each location and we currently have seven at one location and six at another with planned expansion to additional locations. It really showed us a strong commitment in this community to reduce, reuse and recycle, and all of that is moving forward with the development of this plan.” The grant reduces the burden on the refuse/recycling enterprise fund, which is funded by monthly fees paid by residents for trash, recycling and yard waste collection. By obtaining the grant, 80% of the cost of developing the zero-waste plan is not passed on to residents. For more information, or to learn about the food composting site, please visit www.westerville.org/service.
WESTERVILLE EARNS AUDITOR OF STATE AWARD WITH DISTINCTION The City of Westerville has earned the Auditor of State Award with Distinction for excellent financial record keeping and reporting. It is the highest award offered by the Auditor of State’s office, presented to local governments and school districts upon the completion of a financial audit. Entities that receive the award meet certain criteria of a “clean” audit report. City of Westerville Finance Director Lee Ann Shortland says the recognition affirms the core principles of Westerville’s fiscal management. “The management of our financial resources combined with detailed, accurate reporting is a priority and responsibility we take seriously in Westerville,” said Shortland. “It shows the City meets financial standards that only about 20 percent of municipalities in the state of Ohio achieve.” The Auditor of State’s office, one of five independently elected offices in Ohio, is responsible for auditing more than 5,600 state and local government agencies. The office provides financial services to local governments, investigates and prevents fraud in public agencies and promotes transparency in government. For more information, visit www.ohioauditor.gov.
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