It's a term you'll hear more about especially from those of us in recycle and reuse communities -- the circular economy. Love that crisp refreshing Coca-Cola or Diet Coke but still wonder where that recycled plastic bottle or aluminum can ends up? To put it simply, it ends up back on your store shelf and in some cases, in just a matter of weeks. November is National Recycling Month and recycling is growing in Central Ohio thanks to recent announcements by SWACO and Rumpke Waste & Recycling making it possible for residents to recycle even more plastic material. When families and residents choose to recycle plastics from their homes, they contribute to a cleaner, greener community and help to support businesses that rely on those recyclables to manufacture their goods and products. Joining Hanna and Joe for this month's episode are Amanda Pratt from RUMPKE and Todd Marty from Coca-Cola Consolidated. Both are leading the way and pushing Ohio to the forefront of the circular economy and at the same time, saving precious natural resources, diverting materials from landfills and creating jobs!

Here at SWACO, we're all about partnerships and learning from our neighbors new ways to recycle and reuse. So, this month is the perfect time to meet our friends at Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Ohio. Did you know we're home to THE largest Ronald McDonald house in the world? In fact, our local house just completed a big renovation which cements their worldwide status. Joining Hanna and Joe is Ronald McDonald House Charities Communications Director, Maddie Knostman. She highlights several big initiatives like their 'Pop Tab Challenge', chef's garden, and various ways you can volunteer. But for this episode, we start the conversation with Maddie on how easy it is to drop off your leftover Halloween candy. It's a great way to avoid food waste at home plus you're providing sweet treats to families and kids who likely could use a pick-me-up. Plus, if you're wondering where to take your pumpkins after Halloween, Joe and Hanna have the complete list of cities and towns in Central Ohio that'll compost them for you.

Did you know the vast, vast majority of cans and bottles discarded at an Ohio State Buckeyes home football game never end up in landfill? And that's a great thing! Ohio Stadium is doing many dynamic things on game day that keep fans dialed into the X's and O's while keeping their composting and recycling efforts scoring big too! But it's not just football season. The Greater Columbus Sports Commission brings all kinds of events to our city week-in, week-out and it's constantly managing recycling, reusing and upcycling signage, bottles, cans and even t-shirts. Two leading executives join SWACO's Joe Lombardi and Hanna Greer-Brown to make history on this *Episode 1* of WasteED.