Timothy Guyton appointed to SWACO board of trustees
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| GUYTON |
Timothy Guyton, a Franklin Township trustee, has been active in the cleanup of the Westside. Now, his focus has expanded to include central Ohio.
The Franklin County Township Association (FCTA) appointed Guyton to the Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio (SWACO) board of trustees in early January.
SWACO Director Ron Mills said Guyton’s six-terms of local government experience are invaluable to the board.
“Tim understands the pressure on government to deliver services to taxpayers while keeping costs in check,” Mills said.
Throughout 2010, Guyton worked with SWACO to form a consortium along with around a dozen other communities in Franklin County to create a single hauler program for trash pickup.
The program, launched in 2011, reduced the cost of trash pickup and added services including unlimited trash removal, recycling and free bulk pickup.
Guyton proposed the idea as a remedy for the illegal dumping that plagued the township. Statistics from Franklin County Public Health illustrated the township had one of the highest number of nuisance calls related to illegal dumping activities in the county.
According to Guyton, the nuisance calls for the township dropped dramatically in 2011.
“I am pleased to say that most everyone in our township is happy with our single hauler contract. I canvassed the entire township this past fall during my re-election campaign, and people told me they appreciate the reduced price from what they were paying, and like the additional services they receive,” Guyton said.
Mills said Guyton’s participation in clean-up efforts with the Westside makes him a perfect fit for SWACO’s Environmental Crimes Task Force of Central Ohio.
“Managing the waste stream for central Ohio obviously is an important task. I have always prided myself on thinking outside the box to come up with workable solutions for ever changing conditions,” Guyton said.
Guyton said SWACO has found innovative ways to transform the landfill into an economic tool, while keeping quality services.
“I look forward to working with my fellow board members to build on that reputation,” Guyton said.
Over the next five years Guyton hopes to see new facilities and processes in place, all privately owned and funded. He believes this will extract a large amount of recycling from the waste stream adding to the landfill.
“Not only will this process extend the useful life of our landfill, it will also bring revenue into SWACO. This added revenue from this process, and others being developed, will lessen the chance of tipping fees going up in the near future,” Guyton said.
The SWACO Board of Trustees is made up of nine community members, including representatives appointed by the Franklin County Commissioners, city of Columbus, Franklin County Public Health, the FCTA and local industries.