Grant from SWACO Empowers OhioHealth’s Sustainability Efforts

OhioHealth has been awarded a grant from the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) to purchase a digester, advancing the organization’s commitment to sustainability and community health by reducing methane emissions from food waste. The digester will be installed at OhioHealth Doctors Hospital.

“Our commitment to both patient well-being and environmental responsibility continues to drive innovation at our hospital,” said Lindsey Osting, president of OhioHealth Doctors Hospital. “We are proud to take this important step in reducing waste and supporting a healthier community.”

The digester will be located in the dishwasher room at Doctors Hospital and managed by the Food and Nutrition team. OhioHealth is currently in the process of selecting a vendor for the digester.

“SWACO is a wonderful partner to collaborate with to combat waste reduction,” said Terri Scannell, OhioHealth principal advisor of sustainability. “At OhioHealth, we know rotting food waste is the largest source of methane, so that’s why to ensure the safety of our patients and community, we have partnered with SWACO to try to divert organic waste out of our landfill.”

“What occurs with a digester system is it’s not a composting piece of equipment, it will break down the food waste into grey water and that will then be digested, and it will not go into the atmosphere,” Darren Renz, OhioHealth manager of operations said. “So, the digesters really help with our overall mission to protect public safety and to reduce methane gas.”

By lowering local methane emissions, OhioHealth aims to alleviate air pollution and decrease the risks of chronic health conditions, including pulmonary and cardiac diseases. OhioHealth already has composting efforts at each care- site, but the switch from composting to digestion also reduces physical strain for associates, improves safety and reduces workflow challenges.

“The digester does help kind of reducing from a safety standpoint, staff having to carry potentially 15 pounds of food waste,” Renz said. “Being a high reliability organization, we take safety very seriously, it is a high priority for us so we want to make sure we’re preventing any potential injuries or concerns we might have.”

Partnerships and advancements like this help push OhioHealth forward in its commitment to sustainability and overall mission to create a healthier community.

“I want to thank SWACO for its support, for being a great partner and having that infrastructure within the community that we can rely on,” Scannell said. “Maintaining the goal of 0 ounces of food waste from OhioHealth kitchen gives OhioHealth a way to protect our patients and our communities, as well as our future without asking folks to sacrifice safety or care.”

“I want to thank Doctors Hospital for allowing us to install this technology along with partnering with SWACO,” Renz said. “Installing this technology is really going to help us reduce the methane gas within the environment, which is which we know food waste is the highest cause of methane gas when it hits our landfill. This is going to be a really good technology for our associates as we will see a huge impact of waste going to landfill and we'll also be able to help prevent any safety issues as well with potential lifting of food waste into garbage bags and will really protect our associates moving forward.”

As part of OhioHealth’s broader sustainability strategy, digesters will be introduced at more care sites over time to support its mission of protecting public health and safety.

For more on OhioHealth's sustainability efforts, click here.