We are excited to announce our food scrap drop-off pilot program has arrived in Hyde Park & Oakley! Queen City Commons is partnering with OES to bring this long-awaited program to Hyde Park & Oakley. This is an expansion of the program launched in Northside a couple of months ago. 

The food scrap drop-off program includes:  

• Access to up to a dozen Queen City Commons collection bins 24/7, allowing you to drop off at a time and place that works for you.  
• The opportunity to reduce your carbon footprint by keeping your vegetative food scraps out of the landfill.  
• A FREE kitchen countertop food scrap collection container!  

You can sign up for 3 months free with the coupon code HydeParkOakley. Anyone can sign up for this program, you don’t have to live in these neighborhoods.  

Begin turning your fruit and vegetable scraps into soil today! This pilot program is made possible by the USDA Composting and Food Waste Reduction Grant awarded to OES and partners.  

The City of Cincinnati is making recycling more convenient! A new community recycling drop-off site is now open at Madisonville Recreation Center 5320 Stewart Ave, Cincinnati, OH 45227. Open 7 days a week, 6:00 AM – 9:00 PM 

This site is designed to support residents and businesses who may not have curbside recycling access—or for those times when holiday overflow creates more recyclables than usual. 

Looking for a site closer to home? View the full list of public drop-off sites.

Before You Visit 

• Empty and rinse all items 
• Make sure all recyclables are loose (no bags, please!) 
• Check the list of accepted items 

Do not leave material next to the container. If the container is overflowing or needs attention, please call 311 to report.  

The Environmental Advisory Board (EAB) serves as a resource for the City in its ongoing commitment to enact policies, practices, and procedures, that combat climate change, improve the health and well-being of our citizens and our environment, and position Cincinnati to be a leader in sustainability policy and city-level climate change initiatives. EAB member terms are 3 years, beginning in January. 

Interested in being a member of the Environmental Advisory Board (EAB)? Submit an application by Friday November 14, 2025 for the term beginning in January 2026. 

Energy Audits at City Facilities

OES has begun work with Go Sustainable Energy (Go) to study the energy systems and performance of City facilities and to plan for facility decarbonization. Thanks to a grant from the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Block Grant (EECBG) program, Go is conducting energy audits of 65 City facilities over the next several months, focusing on buildings with the highest energy use intensity (EUI) and highest overall energy use impact. Go’s portfolio of energy audits will culminate in a decarbonization plan, which will guide the City’s short-term and long-term facility planning towards using increasingly renewable electricity in city facilities. 

The pilot phase of this project has just been completed and a lot was learned. During the pilot, Go audited Cincy Parks Administrative Building, Lincoln Recreation Center, Fire Station 3, Price Hill Health Center, and Centennial II.  OES is excited to continue this work in the coming months and to leverage the audit reports to improve the energy efficiency of City facilities for years to come.  

BREATHE Summit Recap

Last month, OES co-hosted the first BREATHE Summit (Bridging Research Equity and Asthma Through Healthy Environments) with partners at the Cincinnati Health Department, Cincinnati Children’s, and MadTree. The Summit convened researchers, community groups, public services, and Cincinnatians who are working to make air quality improvements and reduce health burdens.  

Participants explored critical connections between the Green Cincinnati Plan and local air quality initiatives, examining how air pollution impacts health and how strategic tree planting and greenspace development can create cleaner air. The Summit also highlighted the powerful advocacy work of residents fighting for better environmental and health conditions in their neighborhoods. 

The Summit was the first convening of these groups and all involved intend to continue the collaboration to share research, progress on projects, and opportunities to learn together. 

If you are interested in learning more about BREATHE or attending a future meeting, contact Amanda Testerman at Amanda.Testerman@cincinnati-oh.gov.

Want to learn more about air quality in Cincinnati? Check out Cincy Air Watch.

Youth Voices in the Regional Climate Action Plan

The Thrive Together team hosted workshops at local schools to listen to students’ thoughts on regional climate action planning. 110 students participated during the eight workshops throughout the engagement process. Based on these convenings, the Thrive Together team was able to identify topics of highest concern for young people, which solutions have the most support, and common barriers that young people face when it comes to activating change in their community. These findings are included in the Thrive Together Youth Engagement Report, along with suggestions for schools, municipalities, and youth-serving organizations interested in engaging young people in environmental work. 

OES Partner Highlight – Working In Neighborhoods

This month, OES is proud to highlight Working In Neighborhoods (WIN) for their transformative work in neighborhood empowerment. For 46 years, WIN has strengthened communities through homeownership programs, financial literacy training, and leadership development that meets residents where they are. 

WIN's collaborative approach addresses systemic challenges head-on. Through partnerships like the Beekman Corridor Coalition, they tackle housing access, economic development, and traffic safety. Community-led initiatives—from summer camps and community gardens to green infrastructure projects and traffic calming measures—have transformed the Corridor. 

Their impact is remarkable: 172 homes built for low-to-moderate-income families since 1983, and over 11,000 families guided toward homeownership by WIN's HUD-certified housing counselors. Their Near-Net-Zero Urban Village brings sustainable housing to underserved communities, while partnerships with local banks provide essential home repair support. 

Thank you, WIN, for your commitment to building stronger, more resilient communities for our residents. 

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