Trash Day Swap, White Hall Stands Up

Top of Mind

Taking Out the Trash: Columbus Switches Pickup Days

Half of Columbus is about to experience the biggest household shake-up since recycling bins became mandatory: trash day is moving. Starting September 2, about 50% of the city will wake up to find their green bins belong on the curb on a different day of the week, and with a brand-new “route color” to memorize. Congratulations, your garbage just got rebranded.

The Division of Refuse Collection is calling this a “rebalancing” to improve efficiency and customer service. Translation: your banana peels are getting picked up in a way that looks better on a spreadsheet. Which half of the city is affected? The city won’t say; you’ll need to check for yourself.

Here are your options:

• Download the PickUp CBUS app (because nothing says cutting-edge technology like push notifications for when to drag your trash to the curb).
  

• Visit the city’s Refuse Collection website, punch in your address, and discover your new collection day and “route color.”
  

• Print out the Rotating Color Calendar and hang it on your fridge like it’s a school lunch menu.

Or, because this is Columbus, call your color. Yes, if your route is Gold, you can dial 614-645-GOLD for automated trash wisdom.

For the record, this only changes trash pickup. Recycling stays the same, except during Labor Day week, when the entire schedule slides one day forward. No trash or recycling will be collected on Labor Day itself, September 1.

Scarlet Letter Trivia

Question: How many tons of trash does Franklin County landfill receive each day?
A. 4,500 tons
B. 6,000 tons
C. 2,000 tons
D. 3,700 tons

The Hot Box Heats Up Gameday

Columbus, meet The Hot Box, Smoked on High’s brand-new BBQ food truck, rolling out with enough smoked meat to turn every sidewalk into a tailgate. Think of it as their Brewery District pit master magic, now on wheels and headed straight for your neighborhood.

The Hot Box is making its big debut on Saturday, August 30, serving up Low n’ Slo BBQ for the Ohio State vs. Texas showdown. They’re teaming up with their neighbors at Service Bar and Middle West Spirits for a game-day feast: smoked meats, craft cocktails, and every down projected live so you won’t miss a snap.

From pop-ups to private parties, The Hot Box is built to bring the smoke anywhere, but this weekend, the streets belong to barbecue.

Whitehall Bans Conversion Therapy, Expands LGBTQ+ Protections

Whitehall just made a big move for equality. On August 19, City Council passed an ordinance banning conversion therapy for minors and expanding nondiscrimination protections for LGBTQ+ residents in housing, employment, and public spaces. That makes Whitehall the 14th Ohio city to outlaw the discredited practice—while the Statehouse continues to sit on its hands.

The ordinance prohibits licensed mental health professionals from subjecting minors to conversion therapy, a range of pseudoscientific “treatments” aimed at changing someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity. Every major medical organization in the U.S., from the American Psychological Association to the American Academy of Pediatrics, has condemned the practice as ineffective and deeply harmful. Research shows that LGBTQ+ youth subjected to it face far higher rates of depression, anxiety, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation.

Whitehall’s ordinance builds on the city’s earlier “safe haven” resolution, which rejected Ohio’s House Bill 68 (the state’s ban on gender-affirming care for minors) and pledged to protect LGBTQ+ residents. Local advocates say these measures are vital in the absence of statewide protections. “At least between Columbus and Whitehall, no longer will I have this bizarre patchwork of having rights there, but not here,” said Equality Ohio organizer Joseph Soza.

Across Ohio, cities are stepping in where state lawmakers won’t. Columbus, Cincinnati, Dayton, Toledo, Westerville, and now Whitehall have all taken action, with more bans in the works. As Jen Kuhn of Kaleidoscope Youth Center put it: “Anytime a community has the power to protect the most vulnerable, they should do it…you’re safe here with us.”

Whitehall may not make headlines often, but this move puts the city squarely on the map as a place where LGBTQ+ residents don’t have to question if they’re protected.

ReSlice: A Pizza Night with Purpose

Columbus’s favorite excuse to eat too much pizza is back, this time with a new name and a new location. ReSlice, a reimagined take on the classic Slice of Columbus event, will take over COhatch Polaris on Wednesday, September 18, from 6–9 p.m.

13 local pizza shops will be serving up their best slices, from tried-and-true classics to creative toppings that spark debates stronger than pineapple ever did. Attendees get to sample them all while supporting the Development Board of Nationwide Children’s Hospital.

It’s part competition, part community gathering, and all about good pizza for a good cause.

Get Tickets HERE

No Service: Ohio Schools Ban Cellphones

Ohio lawmakers have finally done what parents, teachers, and principals couldn’t agree on for years: they’ve taken phones out of students’ hands. Starting September 30, 2025, every public school, community school, and STEM school in Ohio will have to enforce a classroom cellphone ban. Districts must adopt a formal policy by January 1, 2026.

Gov. Mike DeWine, who’s been pushing for this change since last year, says it’s about focus. “Just having a phone nearby means students are receiving constant notifications all day long. Those notifications make it nearly impossible for students to focus and to learn,” he said. State Sen. Jane Timken put it even more bluntly: the “instructional day” means bell-to-bell, no scrolling.

The law isn’t airtight. Phones can still be used for learning, health reasons with a doctor’s note, or as part of an IEP or 504 plan. Schools are also required to include phones in their emergency management plans, so in an active threat, students may still be allowed to use them.

Plenty of districts have already tested the waters. South Western City Schools launched a #BePresent campaign last year, asking students to keep phones silenced and in backpacks, reporting better engagement and even rising grades. Cincinnati Public Schools adopted Yondr pouches, locking phones away during the day, and say they’ve seen “strong” results.

But not everyone’s convinced. Columbus teachers’ union president John Coneglio questioned how enforcement will work: “If you can smuggle a cellphone into a prison, you can smuggle a cellphone into a school.” Parents like Diamond Robinson-Lacy worry about safety, asking what happens if their kids need to reach them during an emergency.

Ohio joins 35 other states that have passed restrictions on phones in schools, part of a bipartisan push fueled by concerns about student mental health, classroom distraction, and social media addiction. Still, as every teacher knows, banning phones on paper doesn’t make them disappear. The real test will be whether schools can enforce the new rules, or whether students simply invent the next clever workaround.

Trivia Answer

A) 4,500. That’s 1.5 million tons a year, most of it is commercial, but still, golly, that’s a lot of trash!