Paper and cardboard products will again be accepted for recycling by the city of Columbia Solid Waste Utility.
Tuesday’s announcement is part of the utility’s effort to rebuild Columbia’s recycling program after an EF1 tornado destroyed its Material Recovery Facility in April.
The city is now encouraging residents to put paper and cardboard products in a separate container when they set out their recycling. Jason West, communication and outreach supervisor for the utility, recommends putting the materials in a paper bag or cardboard box. The materials that will be accepted include office paper, newspaper, cardboard, magazines and any other paper material.
West noted that the city will not be providing a receptacle for residents.
The Solid Waste Utility announced in July that certain plastic and aluminum containers could be picked up in blue bags to be sent to a recycling center in Jefferson City. The blue bags used for plastic and aluminum containers are not meant for mixed fiber products, West said.
The city asks residents to continue using blue recycling bags for the following materials:
- Plastic bottles (such as soft drink, water or soda bottles)
- Plastic containers (such as detergent, milk or shampoo bottles)
- Aluminum beverage cans
- Metal food cans
According to the Solid Waste Utility’s website, “a cost-effective recycling program relies on the quality of the materials received at the recycling facility. Trash and glass contaminate the recycling stream, causing costly damage to processing equipment and reducing the value of materials transferred outside the City.”
The city still asks residents to exclude the following materials from their recycling:
- Glass bottles
- Glass jars
- Yogurt cups
- Clamshell produce containers
- Dairy product tubs
- Black plastics or takeout containers
- Styrofoam containers
- Packaging material
- Plastic bags
- Trash
West said the city is working with surviving or repaired equipment from the April tornado’s destruction to sort and bale recycling materials. But the process is at the mercy of Mother Nature without a structure to house the equipment. On particularly windy or rainy days, West said the process can halt entirely.
Residents’ mixed fiber products will be diverted to Midland Davis, a recycling corporation based in Illinois, under the existing contract negotiated before the tornado.
The city is currently surveying residents about their perspectives on recycling “to understand better how the city can help customers to recycle more and understand the possible barriers to recycling.” The survey is available on the Solid Waste Utility website.
