City of Columbia Launches Recycling Bin Pilot

Curbside Recycling Bin Pilot ended February 25, 2011. Letters and surveys were mailed to the 1,850 homes in the pilot area. Residents were asked to complete a survey and return by April 30, 2011. The pilot recycling program collected over 500,000 pounds of recyclables, almost a 50% increase from the year before.

About the program: The City of Columbia conducted a one year pilot program from March 2010 to February 2011 to determine if residents would recycle more with reusable bins than they did with blue bags. Although Columbia’s population continues to grow, residential recycling has not grown in recent years.   

Under the pilot program, curbside recycling service changed from the use of blue bags to the use of two 18-gallon bins. These bins were purchased with grant funding from the Mid-Missouri Solid Waste Management District and the Missouri Department of Natural Resources.

The pilot area included two Friday recycling routes north of Interstate 70. The two routes are next to each other, and each contains areas of both high and low recycling participation. These factors will help measure whether reusable plastic bins affect the amount of recycling in the area. Each of the approximately 1,800 homes participating in the pilot program received a blue bin for beverage containers and a green bin for paper products.

The blue bins were for the collection of recyclable food and beverage containers instead of the blue bags. The green bins were for the collection of recyclable paper items. The material accepted for recycling did not change, only the container used to collect the material. 

Upon completion of the pilot, city staff will evaluate the change in recycling in the pilot area and report this information to the City Council. Ultimately, the Council will determine whether to change the curbside collection method from bags to reusable containers citywide.

Map of Pilot Test Area