The final show of the year brings the whole journey into focus: a million pounds of food headed to the landfill each day, plastics evolving from confusion to circular products, and a community that keeps asking sharper questions about what belongs in the bin. Joe and Hanna revisit our most-played episodes: food waste work with local partners, a behind-the-scenes tour at Columbus Zoo, and transforming plastics into new life as countertops and store-ready products. It all adds up to what those downloads reveal about what matters most to Central Ohio.

Hanna and Joe also open the door to the real work of making a podcast: booking guests, aligning calendars, and choosing the right name were more than logistics, they were exercises in clarity. WastEd stuck because education is the thread: practical steps residents can take today, and system-level changes cities and businesses can implement too.

Looking ahead, we outline 2026 Greenprint priorities: more support for schools and multi-unit housing, targeted help for businesses, new grants to lower the barrier for composting and reuse, and stronger ties with public services, construction and logistics teams. Expect deeper work on hard-to-recycle materials, cleaner curbside lists, and more on-the-road stories that show circularity in action. If you care about reducing waste, saving money, and building a healthier region, there’s a place for you in this effort. Subscribe, share this episode with a neighbor, and leave a review with one question you want answered next year. Happy holidays and keep listening in 2026!

A national spotlight landed in Columbus, and we were ready for it. Hosting a major recycling and waste management conference downtown gave us the perfect backdrop to show how practical changes—like weekly curbside recycling, free convenience centers, and expanded food scrap drop-offs—are helping residents waste less while strengthening our local economy. Hanna and Joe sit down with Mayor Andrew Ginther to dig into the city’s climate action targets, the momentum behind youth education, and why most recyclables collected here stay in Ohio.

We talk through the results of moving to weekly recycling, including a double-digit participation boost, more than 34,000 tons collected, and a reduction in trash headed to the landfill. From there, we tackle food waste. Central Ohio discards over a million pounds of food scraps each day, so the city’s drop-off sites and event rescues at festivals like Jazz and Rib Fest are turning surplus into meals and scraps into compost. That cuts methane and supports our neighbors. You’ll also hear how convenience centers accept styrofoam, furniture, clothing, and electronics at no cost, thanks to partnerships with us at SWACO, Goodwill, the Furniture Bank, and local refurbishers that keep materials moving in a circular loop.

Myth busting gets its due too in this episde. Yes, empty pizza boxes with a little grease are recyclable. We connect the dots between accessible services, clear education, and a thriving circular economy that creates thousands of jobs while protecting limited landfill space. If you care about real results, local impact, and practical steps you can use during the holidays and beyond, this conversation will give you the playbook.

If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a friend who’s skeptical about recycling, and leave a quick review to help more listeners find WastED!

What if a city made recycling the easiest option everywhere you go—at school, at the park, at festivals, and even at your desk? We sat down with Reynoldsburg Mayor Joe Begeny to trace a practical roadmap to less waste and more reuse, powered by clear rules, smart SWACO grants, and community pride. The story begins in classrooms, where the Slate Ridge Elementary green team turned sorting into second nature. It continues at public events, where portable recycling stations draw crowds who want the right bin within reach.

We dig into how 30 park containers cut litter and protected waterways, and how City Hall flipped behavior by pairing big blue recycling bins with tiny waste baskets. Six years after rolling out 65‑gallon curbside recycling carts, many homes now set out fuller recycling bins than trash bins —proof that simple, consistent guidance works.

Beyond the basics, Reynoldsburg keeps adding convenient ways to divert materials. Year‑round e‑waste collection takes the guesswork out of disposing of TVs, computers, and phones. A standout program transforms single‑use plastic film—grocery bags and shrink wrap—into sturdy park benches!

Seasonal efforts include leaf pickup which begins in October, a pumpkin drop after Halloween, a creative costume swap, and holiday string lights recycling to handle those strands that never seem to survive another season.

Public safety and stewardship meet at the prescription drug take‑back, coordinated with the Reynoldsburg Police Department near Earth Day, alongside paper shredding, bike donations, and respectful flag retirement. We wrap it all up with the mayor’s historian lens (he's a former teacher) on World War II and the sweeping changes of the 1960s, reminding us that culture shifts fast when people pull in the same direction.

If you care about building a cleaner, smarter city with tools that actually get used, this conversation is your playbook. Subscribe, share with a neighbor, and leave a review with the one idea you want your city or town to try next.