Columbus officials say the food scraps drop-off site at Dodge Community Center, 667 Sullivant Ave., has returned to full capacity following repairs to an enclosure damaged by fire. The interim site set up during the closure has been taken down, and additional containers were placed there.
According to the city, drop-off locations also operate at Bill McDonald Athletic Complex, Scioto Southland Park, Beatty Park, Howard Recreation Center, Linden Community Center and Carriage Place Community Center. The Waste and Reuse Convenience Centers on Alum Creek Drive and Georgesville Road accept food scraps Tuesday through Saturday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The city reports that an Ohio EPA grant paid for its first dedicated food waste collection vehicle. Officials say the truck lets city employees handle all drop-off sites directly, replacing an outside contract, which they say will cut costs and allow more frequent servicing. Collections that began Sept. 1 had totaled 15,720 pounds as of the bulletin.
Keep Columbus Beautiful, in its third year of participating in the Columbus Foundation's The Big Table, is partnering with Columbus Food Rescue for a Sept. 29 conversation on preventing food waste, scheduled noon to 1:30 p.m. The city designates Sept. 28 through Oct. 4, 2026, as Food Waste Prevention Week. Its Climate Action Plan calls for cutting organic material sent to landfills by 90% by 2050.