Holiday Recycling and Trash Collection

Trash and recycling collection may be altered during the weeks in which City-observed holidays fall. For minor holidays, trash and recycling collection will be on their normal schedules.

Please download our CoMo Recycle and Trash app to get reminders for your collection day. The calendar on this app is adjusted for the holidays.

The residential curbside collection (RCC) schedule will be altered on the following dates in 2023-24 (subject to change) due to City holidays:

  • Memorial Day 2024: RCC service delayed one day this week
    • No RCC Monday, May 27
    • Mon – Fri collection provided Tue – Sat
  • Juneteenth Day 2024: RCC service delayed one day this week
    • No RCC Wednesday, June 19
    • Wed – Fri collection provided Thurs – Sat
  • Independence Day 2024: RCC service for Thurs & Fri routes delayed one day this week
    • No RCC Thursday, July 4
    • Thu – Fri collection provided Fri – Sat
  • Labor Day 2024: RCC service delayed one day this week
    • No RCC Monday, Sept. 2
    • Mon – Fri collection provided Tue – Sat
  • Veterans Day 2024: RCC service delayed one day this week
    • No RCC Monday, Nov. 11
    • Mon – Fri collection provided Tue – Sat
  • Thanksgiving Day 2024: RCC service for Thurs & Fri routes delayed one day this week
    • No RCC Thursday, Nov. 28
    • Thu – Fri collection provided Fri – Sat
  • Christmas Day 2024: RCC service for Wed – Fri routes delayed one day this week
    • No RCC Wednesday, Dec. 25
    • Wed – Fri collection provided Thurs – Sat
  • New Year’s Day 2025: RCC service for Wed – Fri routes delayed one day this week
    • No RCC Wednesday, Jan. 1
    • Wed – Fri collection provided Thurs – Sat
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2024: RCC service delayed one day this week
    • No RCC Monday, Jan. 20
    • Mon – Fri collection provided Tue – Sat

Christmas tree disposal

Several options exist for Columbia residents to recycle/dispose of live Christmas trees:

Curbside pick-up (landfill)

Between December 26 and January 31, you can set the tree curbside on your normally scheduled pickup day. During this period, the tree will not count as a bulky item.

The tree does not need to be cut and does not need to be stripped of decorations. The trees will go directly into the landfill, where the tree will decompose and will assist in the generation of methane gas used to generate electricity. 

After January 31, the tree must be cut to fit inside a roll cart.

While you may leave decorations on the tree if it is set out for curbside pickup, we urge you to consider recycling, donating or selling any unwanted decorations. Ornaments and tinsel that are not repurposed should be disposed of in your roll cart for curbside collection. Find out if there is a way to recycle your holiday decorations by searching the item on our phone app, COMO Recycle and Trash. The Waste Wizard search engine also is available on our main Solid Waste webpage.

Recycling drop-off (compost)

You may recycle your natural tree at either of the Yard Waste Drop-off Centers: Parkside Drive or Capen Park. Please ensure that no decorations or tree stands are dropped off at these sites. The trees will be shredded into mulch and used in the City’s Compost Operation. The remaining mulch is free to the public for landscaping or backyard composting.

You may also recycle your tree by transporting it directly to the City’s Compost Operation at 5700 Peabody Road (near the Landfill).

There is no charge for dropping off your tree at the yard waste or composting areas. The tree, or any other yard waste, can be taken to these locations any time throughout the year.

Artificial trees and wreaths which have met the end of their lifespan should be disposed of in your normal trash collection. These are not recyclable.

Wrapping paper recycling

Wrapping paper is not recyclable unless the packaging clearly says that it can be recycled. Most of the wrapping paper that you find in stores is not recyclable because manufacturers add foil and other compounds that cannot be removed from the paper material. However, if you do some searching, there are a few companies that still make wrapping paper entirely of paper. Those products can be recycled as mixed fiber, but we mainly encourage the reuse of wrapping paper, when possible.