Christmas season leaves people scrambling to ditch the trash

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Whether it's getting rid of old things to make room for the new, or tossing out the piles of cardboard gift boxes, in the week between Christmas and New Year's Day, Americans produce 25% more trash than the rest of the year.

"We get calls starting Christmas morning, honestly. And it goes follows all the way through until the first of the year," said Dax Rozell, owner of Mr. Junk waste removal company. "They're ready to get their new stuff, so they've got more stuff to get rid of."

Rozell said Thursday that his company sees an influx of appliances, furniture and clothes post-Christmas. He also said he keeps enough staff year-round to tackle the increase in calls.

First Christmas for carts

This is the first Christmas season that the City of Columbia has had roll-away trash carts.

"We have the roll cart, so what fits in the roll cart is what's going to be picked up," said Matt Nestor a spokesman for Columbia Utilities.

Nestor said that to maximize your roll cart space, people should recycle as much as possible -- things like cardboard boxes and cans.

"If you have a live tree you need to get rid of, you can either cut it down and fit it inside your old cart, or you can take it to one of our yard waste drop-off centers," Nestor said. "Remove all the decorations, that kind of stuff. Because obviously, we want that to be natural. We cannot pick up the trees curbside."

To find the nearest yard waste drop-off center, visit the City of Columbia's website.