A warehouse on Columbus's west side that once served as a donation drop-off point officially reopened Saturday as the Climate Justice Lab, a youth-built thrift store and environmental hub designed to keep usable goods out of the Franklin County landfill. The project, located at 4004 Fondorf Drive, was the work of New Albany High School students who spent more than 2,000 hours over the past year converting the warehouse space into a functioning storefront and community gathering point.
The lab launched at a space known as MY Deah's Warehouse, which MY Project USA originally established to collect clothing and household donation bins placed throughout Central Ohio. As reported by NBC4 WCMH-TV, what began as a project for a handful of high schoolers grew into a broader mission focused on repurposing, recycling, and community action. The thrift store now aims to offset unnecessary waste that would otherwise end up in the Franklin County landfill.
Students Warn Local Landfills Are Running Out of Room
Kian Haq, a senior at New Albany High School, said Columbus-area landfills are expected to be completely full within the next 30 to 40 years, according to the same NBC4 report. Haq added that once that happens, trash generated locally would need to be shipped to another state or county entirely — a logistical and financial burden organizers hope initiatives like the Climate Justice Lab can help delay.
Those warnings track with regional waste data. The Solid Waste Authority of Central Ohio has reported that more than 1 million tons of municipal solid waste flow into the Franklin County Sanitary Landfill every year from residents and businesses across the region, per SWACO. A SWACO waste characterization study further found that up to 76% of everything sent to that landfill could actually be recycled or composted, with food scraps making up 15% of the waste stream and corrugated cardboard another 10%.
A Hub for Youth-Led Climate Work
Organizers describe the Climate Justice Lab as more than a retail space. According to the NBC4 report, it acts as a hub where students can continue creative and productive work on climate issues, with the thrift store doubling as an educational tool meant to teach the public how to fold recycling into everyday life. MY Project USA opened the lab as part of a broader push to support recycling and other environmental efforts across Columbus.
Zerqa Abid, executive director of MY Project USA, said the young people involved demonstrated potential, leadership, unconventional thinking and resourcefulness throughout the project, per NBC4's coverage. MY Project USA has long focused on fostering and empowering young lead ers across different fields, and the organization considers climate justice one of the central areas it wants young people to pursue. Founded in 2014 out of a home kitchen with a mission to protect youth from human trafficking and gang violence, the nonprofit has since grown into Ohio's largest Muslim social services organization, with more than 50 employees and $2.5 million in revenue by 2026, according to Welcome.US. Abid also ran for Ohio's 15th Congressional District against incumbent U.S. Rep. Mike Carey while continuing to lead the nonprofit, according to Ballotpedia.
Judicial Support and Regional Waste Goals
The ribbon-cutting drew Presiding Judge Stephanie Mingo of the Franklin County Municipal Court Environmental Division as a special guest, according to a MY Project USA announcement. Formed in 1991, the Environmental Division is one of only a few dedicated environmental courts in the country, holding exclusive jurisdiction over local building, zoning, illegal dumping and environmental cases, per the Franklin County Municipal Court. Mingo became the fourth judge, and first woman, elected to lead the division back in 2019.
The lab's mission also lines up with SWACO's regional targets. The agency recorded a 51% waste diversion rate across Central Ohio in 2021 and has set a community goal of reaching 75% diversion by 2032. SWACO research has also found that Central Ohio supports nearly 400 recycling-reliant businesses, generating more than 5,000 local jobs and $1.3 billion in annual regional economic activity.
MY Project USA's youth climate programming, including summits that predate the Climate Justice Lab, has drawn grant support from regional funders such as the Ohio Climate Justice Fund, the ADAMH Board of Franklin County and the City of Columbus. For the students who spent a year turning a donation warehouse into a working thrift shop, the opening marks the transition from a school project into what organizers now describe as an ongoing community mission.
