Recommendations for Columbia City Council include ending city logo trash-bag program next year

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Columbia City Council will meet Monday to discuss recommendations for trash pickup in the city. 

Under one recommendation, the city is considering eliminating the logo trash bag program on Jan. 2, 2023, and to stop providing those black bags for trash. Any changes would have to go through the city council for a vote.

The city says residents have complained about defective bags, bags not being available in stores and some believe the cost of the bag is too pricey. 

Customers currently receive two vouchers for 26-count rolls of black refuse bags and two vouchers for 18-count rolls of blue recycling bags. If needed, residents can purchase additional black refuse bags in rolls of five for $10. The charge for the additional bags acts as a usage fee. The $2-per-bag fee covers extra costs, including the landfill disposal fee, employee salaries, and vehicle maintenance.

If council members agree on the recommendation, officials claim it could save the city more than $1 million. The city also recommends no longer providing blue bags for recycling, which would allegedly save the city close to $400,000 annually. 

In place of the current curbside trash system, council members are considering converting to an automated collection system, which the city believes will help with current staffing issues and improve safety conditions for truck drivers. 

For residents, this means the city could provide a single-sized cart to all customers, which would be either 65-gallon or 95-gallon carts. Customers who need an additional cart would pay an additional monthly fee. This fee ranges from $8-$12 a month depending on the size of the cart.

Solid waste expects it to cost more than $2 million to buy all the carts.

A representative for the Solid Waste Division declined to comment.