Plans uncertain for large item, recycling pickup in Columbia next week
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
There are no set plans for what the City of Columbia's curbside trash collection and recycling pick up will look like next week.
City spokesman Brian Adkisson said Wednesday that what happens next with the pickup services is unknown.
This week is the second straight without curbside recycling and large item pickup in Columbia after the city said several sanitation workers tested positive for COVID-19.
Adkisson said with limited staff the city had to take all of their resources and focus on the core trash collection because that is a health and safety concern for the entire community.
Adkisson said the city is closely monitoring the situation, daily and as soon as they have more information and better projections, then they can make a decision on how next week will look.
The city continues to pick up refuse, though.
Commercial recycling will be collected as staffing permits.
The City of Columbia has encouraged residential customers to use any of the 11 recycling drop-off points in the city.
“We encourage individuals to take the recycling materials to those locations," Adkisson said. "Or if they're not able to do that and we understand with the pandemic and sometimes just the ability to get out and about in the community that they hold those materials and when we are able to resume curbside residential recycling that we will pick those items up.”
Paula Zerrer a Columbia resident said she disappointed the city has paused the curbside services because it is so convenient.
Zerrer said she is worried this will have a large impact on recycling in Columbia as some of the city’s recycle center bins are already overflowing.
Even though there are 11 recycle centers available in Columbia, Zerrer believes people may stop recycling if the curbside services are no longer available.
"If we don't have the curbside recycling," Zerrer said. "We may have to just put it in the garbage if you don't really want to take it out somewhere or don't have the ability or the time, so you will have a lot more garbage, to put in a landfill if we aren't able to have the convenience of curbside.”
