Columbia recycling center use jumps, leading to overflows

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Recycling center drop-off locations across Columbia continue to have overflowing issues. 

Even though the city has 11 drop-off locations, recycle bins can be seen overflowing with items on the ground.

Solid Waste Utility Manager Steve Hunt said the department empties the cardboard containers four times a day, seven days a week and the other containers all get emptied twice a day seven days a week.

He said the department is working to combat the overflow issue at drop-off locations but it will take time.

"We are looking at additional sites on city owned property where we could add more sites," Hunt said.

He said in the meantime the department is looking at options to implement that can alleviate some of the issues at sites.

Records obtained from the city show the amount of recycling picked up at the centers has increased, peaking last month at 522.62 tons. June and July also saw increases in recycle drop-off. 

He said the increase could be from college students returning or people holding on to their recyclable materials in hopes that they would return to residential curbside recycling.

Columbia resident Patty Herman said the weekends are the worst time to recycle because they are always overfilled. She said she there is an easy solution to the problem though.

"I am all for roll carts and I would like to see that happen in the near future," Herman said. "I think that’s our solution."

The city of Columbia suspended residential curbside recycling in July because of a shortage of sanitation workers, especially commercial driver’s license operators.

The city cited an ongoing struggle keeping full staff in the department.

Hunt said that once the departments staffing allows them to go back to residential pick-up they will resume.

"Out of the 28 positions in residential collections, right now we have 14 vacancies, " Hunt said.

He said he does not have a time frame for when the positions will be filled.

According to the City of Columbia Solid Waste, the fee of solid waste will not go down even though residential recycling is suspended. Solid Waste said this is because the utility is still doing the same amount of work but that work is distributed differently. 

Hunt said any money the department generates from recyclable materials goes back into the recycle program.

"Unfortunately the market for recyclable materials is down," Hunt said. "Everything from cardboard, to office paper, to aluminum and plastics. The amount of we are able to sell those materials for across the board is down anywhere from 15% to 40%."

The city posted a job listing for a commercial driver on its Facebook page Tuesday.

The 11 recycle drop-off locations in Columbia are:

• Columbia College Dulany Hall (near Eighth Street and Hickman Avenue)
• Columbia College Wrightman Building (south end of Pannell Street)
• The Armory (north parking lot at Seventh Street and Park Avenue)
• 10th Street and Cherry Street (south side of the Cherry Street Parking Structure)
• Home Depot (3215 Clark Lane)
• Moser’s on Keene (900 N. Keene St.)
• Moser’s Supermarket (705 Business Loop 70 W.)
• 3601 South Providence Road (outer road north of Nifong Boulevard)
• State Farm Parkway (on Nifong just east of Grindstone Parkway)
• University of Missouri (Bluford Hall on Kentucky Avenue)
• University of Missouri (Shurz Hall on Ashland Road east of College Avenue)