The city is resuming interim recycling operations this month while working to rebuild its Material Recovery Facility after an EF1 tornado destroyed it last spring.
Columbia has scheduled a recycling drop-off event Saturday and will begin to collect weekly curbside recycling trash on June 15.
Recycling pickup had been limited to every other week during and after the pandemic because of staffing shortages. Changes in staffing and equipment have made it possible to return to weekly service, Utilities Outreach Specialist Jason West said.
“Now whatever your trash day is, that will also be recycling day every week,” West said.
The recycling drop-off event will take place from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday at the Grissom Building, 1313 Lakeview Ave. Residents can drive through the parking lot west of the building and drop off recyclable materials, with staff available to help sort items into the proper containers.
The drop-off was created in response to requests from residents living outside the city limits who had relied on the city’s recycling services.
“We wanted to have the opportunity to provide an event for those that don’t live in Columbia, but still relied on or used Columbia for their recycling,” West said.
Residents will be able to bring a variety of materials, including cardboard, paper, plastics and glass. There is currently no permanent drop-off recycling center in Columbia.
After the tornado in April 2025, Columbia began collecting recyclables as trash, according to a city news release. In July 2025, Columbia reached an agreement with Federal Waste and Solutions, so clean steel and aluminum cans and plastic bottles and jugs without lids could be picked up in blue recycling bins and taken to Jefferson City.
The facility has continued accepting recyclable materials from Columbia residents, said Lydia Stuenkel, an employee at Federal Recycling and Waste Solutions.
In November 2025, through a contract with Midland Davis in Moline, Ill, the city was able to begin taking mixed fibers, including cardboard, for recycling.
The city is also moving forward with plans to rebuild its recycling center. Bids for the new facility were due May 19, and city officials are currently reviewing proposals. West said the city is not only looking to replace the destroyed facility but is also looking to expand it.
