Recycling Drop-off Centers

  • Columbia College (Dulany Hall) – near 8th Street and Hickman Ave
  • Columbia College – near 7th Street and Hickman Ave.
  • Downtown (The Armory) – along Park Ave, between 7th and 8th Street
  • Downtown (10th and Cherry) – south side of 10th & Cherry Parking Garage
  • South Providence – 3601 S Providence Road, on the outer road
  • State Farm Parkway – near the Grindstone north of E. Nifong Blvd
  • Parks Management Center – at Cosmo Park (East Side), 1403 Business Loop 70 W
  • University of Missouri (East Campus Plant Growth Facility) – near East Campus Road and Ashland Rd

View the Interactive map.

See our recycling and trash guidelinesopens PDF file for what can and cannot be recycled. 

Do I need to use blue recycling bags at recycling drop-off centers?

No. In fact, you do not need to use any bags when using a recycling or trash dumpster in Columbia. The blue recycling bags that are used in curbside collection help our workers identify recycling from trash. When residents use a recycling dumpster, we expect all material in that dumpster to be recyclable.

Please keep in mind that plastic bags are not recyclable, so we encourage using a cardboard box or reusable plastic tub to help transport your material to these locations. If you decide that plastic bags are more convenient, you can still throw the bag of recycled material in the dumpster. Our workers will then break open the bag at our Material Recovery Facility and recycle the contents.

Do I need to separate recyclables by material type?

No. You only need to separate materials by two categories: mixed fibers and mixed containers. The mixed fiber recycling includes cardboard, office paper, newspaper, magazines, and any other paper material. The mixed container category includes aluminum cans, glass bottles, metal food cans, and all types of plastic (except Styrofoam and plastic film/bags). You do not need to separate different colors of glass or numbered plastics.

Do I need to live within the City of Columbia to use recycling and yard waste drop-off centers?

No. The Recycling and Yard Waste Drop-off Centers are available to any residential property, regardless of your location.

Commercial customers with large volumes of recyclables should call the Contact Center at 573.874.2489opens phone dialer to start recycling services. The cost for this service is based on container size and frequency of collections. More information can be found on the Commercial Recycling Services page.