Commercial Recycling Services

The City of Columbia offers commercial (non-residential) recycling services. Businesses can receive dumpsters or roll carts to store recyclable material behind their building and the container(s) would be emptied by a Solid Waste Utility vehicle. The monthly rates are based on material type, container size and collection frequency (see tables below). For example, mixed fiber recycling can be disposed using a 95-gallon roll cart that is emptied one time per week and the cost would be $22.19/month. If you want the roll cart emptied three times per week, it would cost $49.81/month. The cost for recycling is less than the trash rates, so you can save money on your utility bill by adding recycling services and reducing your trash services. Please contact us for help, if needed. 

Businesses who do not already have Solid Waste services by the City of Columbia should complete a Property Damage Waiver (sign, print, return).

What we collect 

***Commercial recycling rates are added to the monthly utility bill. When you add recycling, please consider reducing trash services!

opens in a new windowCommercial Recycling Services – 2019                   opens in a new windowCommercial Recycling Incentive-2019

 mixed-containers

Mixed Container Collection:

  • All Plastics (#1-7), except Styrofoam and plastic film/bags
  • Aluminum Cans
  • Glass Bottles and Jars
  • Metal Food Cans   

 

Mixed Container Monthly Rates

CUBIC YARDS 1X PER WK 2X PER WK 3X PER WK 4X PER WK 5X PER WK 6X PER WK EXTRA COLLECTION
2 $88.73 $138.54 $199.22 $270.77 $353.18 $446.46 $93.50
4 $99.69 $175.01 $268.45 $380.00 $509.67 $657.44 $147.05
6 $116.08 $220.82 $352.72 $511.79 $698.04 $911.46 $213.35
8 $129.71 $261.80 $430.11 $634.65 $875.43 $1,152.44 $277.95
ROLL CART $22.19 $34.64 $49.81 $67.69 $88.30 $111.61 $23.80

 

Mixed Fiber Collection:mixed-fiber

  • Cardboard
  • Office Paper
  • Newspaper and Inserts
  • Catalogs and Magazines
  • Phone Books
  • Brown Paper Bags
  • Boxboard and Chipboard

Mixed Fiber Monthly Rates

CUBIC YARDS 1X PER WK 2X PER WK 3X PER WK 4X PER WK 5X PER WK 6X PER WK EXTRA COLLECTION
2 $88.73 $138.54 $199.22 $270.77 $353.18 $446.46 $93.50
4 $99.69 $175.01 $268.45 $380.00 $509.67 $657.44 $147.05
6 $116.08 $220.82 $352.72 $511.79 $698.04 $911.46 $213.35
8 $129.71 $261.80 $430.11 $634.65 $875.43 $1,152.44 $277.95
ROLL CART $22.19 $34.64 $49.81 $67.69 $88.30 $111.61 $23.80

 

Cardboard-only Collection:cardboard

  • > 90% Cardboard
  • < 10% Mixed Fibers
 

Cardboard-only  Monthly Rates   

CUBIC YARDS 1X PER WK 2X PER WK 3X PER WK 4X PER WK 5X PER WK 6X PER WK EXTRA COLLECTION
2 $83.51 $130.39 $187.50 $254.84 $332.40 $420.20 $88
4 $93.82 $164.71 $252.66 $357.65 $479.69 $618.77 $138.40
6 $109.26 $207.83 $331.98 $481.68 $656.98 $857.84 $200.80
8 $122.08 $246.40 $404.81 $597.32 $823.94 $1,084.65 $261.60
ROLL CART $20.88 $32.60 $46.88 $63.71 $83.10 $105.05 $22.40

 

Food Waste Collection:food-waste

  • Fruits and Vegetables
  • Bread and Grains
  • Coffee Grounds and Tea Bags
  • Meat Products
  • Eggs and Dairy
  • Garden and Yard Waste
   Food Waste Monthly Rates
CUBIC YARDS 1X PER WK 2X PER WK 3X PER WK EXTRA COLLECTION
2 $88.73 $138.54 $199.22 $93.50
4 $99.69 $175.01 $268.54 $147.05
ROLL CART $22.19 $34.64 $49.81 $23.80

***Only food waste (no compostable or biodegradable napkins, plates, cups, etc.)

 

Commercial Recycling FAQ

Yes. --The commercial recycling services cost 15-20% less than commercial trash services. When a business adds recycling, they are reducing the amount of waste entering their trash dumpster. Therefore, they can reduce the size of the trash dumpster or the number of collects per week to offset the cost of recycling. A business can even save money on their solid waste bill if most of their waste generated is recyclable. Please call the Contact Center for more information: (573) 874-6291.
The most common recycling service that businesses choose is cardboard-only. This dumpster can include some office paper and newspapers, but > 90% of the material should be cardboard. This service costs less than other types of recycling because the material is mostly pre-sorted. The mixed container recycling is popular for restaurants and bars, and food waste recycling is a new option that we are promoting. Please keep in mind that you can always change the dumpster size or collection frequency at no cost. Some businesses experiment with different recycling options for 1-2 weeks before deciding on a more permanent service.
No. --The City of Columbia recycles all plastics except Styrofoam and plastic film/ bags. This means that if you can identify those two exceptions, it does not matter what type of plastic you are trying to recycle.
The caps or lids on glass bottles/ jars are made of metal. These are not recyclable and should be disposed as trash. This is different from plastic bottles, where the caps should be left on the container to recycle both items. The plastic bottle and cap are often different types of plastic, but they can now be separated mechanically at the processing facility. --The labels can remain attached to glass or plastic containers.