Waste-Free Dayton builds a greener Dayton through community action

Waste-Free Dayton, a non-profit that evolved from a Facebook group in 2020, encourages people to take simple actions to support the environment.

**Brett Bogan, interim executive director of Waste-Free Dayton. CONTRIBUTED**

For Dayton native and interim executive director Brett Bogan, it was a way to turn his ideals into real-world impact.

“Until I discovered the existence of Waste-Free Dayton, I hadn’t really thought much about what I could do to have a more positive impact on the world around me when it comes to sustainability or the environment,” Bogan said.

Fittingly, Waste-Free Dayton has grown organically over the years. Bogan got to know the organization’s founder, Natalie Warrick, as a customer while she was working at a coffee shop.

“[We were] talking more about the things that matter to us and what we can do and how we can care for our neighbors, either here around us or our neighbors around the other side of the planet,” he said. “We just started to think about, ‘Okay, what would this look like if we were going to turn this into something more official?”

After organizing the group’s first litter clean-up in March 2021, Bogan said he and Warrick “dove right in,” forgoing a formal business plan or knowing how they would raise money.

“It was like, we think this is the right thing to do, so let’s do it,” he said.

Now, Waste-Free Dayton is run by a team of volunteers including digital content creators and a grant developer.

Since its inception, the organization has participated in Plastic-Free July, an international effort to educate and reduce plastic pollution. They share resources and hold events throughout the month to help Daytonians cut down on the widespread pollutant.

Bogan said the group started Sustainable September to keep this momentum going through the second half of the year. Last year, the month carried weekly themes such as food, urbanism and climate solutions.

Throughout the month, Bogan wants to encourage people to consider different aspects of what sustainability means. He said that getting outside and connecting with nature is a simple way to incorporate these ideals into everyday life.

**Monthly coffee chats invite community members to share ideas. CONTRIBUTED**

The group holds monthly “coffee chats” where interested community members can learn more and talk about issues that matter to them. The August meeting marked a milestone as the three-year anniversary of these chats.

To date, Waste-Free Dayton has hosted about 75 litter clean-ups. As part of its community-led growth, they also opened two compost drop-off stations in downtown Dayton in 2024.

In the future, Bogan wants to see advocacy become a bigger part of the organization.

He noted that spreading the word about environmental policies and projects, as well as contacting representatives, is something anyone can do from home regardless of their level of ability.

For those interested in becoming waste-free, Bogan said it can be useful to create a “waste audit” to get a sense of how much one is using or throwing away. He said bringing one’s own reusable cup and using washable cloth napkins can be a simple place to start seeing tangible change.

“We tell people that it’s not about being perfect,” he said. “But what are some of the things that you can do?”

Hannah Kichline, Executive editor

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