Holiday trash and recycling tips

According to the opens in a new windowEnvironmental Protection Agency, Americans produce 25% more trash during the Thanksgiving-to-New Year's Day holiday period than any other time of year.

Help make this holiday season the most wonderful time! City of Columbia Utilities would like to offer our customers some tips for proper festive waste disposal.

Tips for Proper Material Handling

When putting your boxes on the curb for collection, please remember to break down the cardboard to a flattened state. You don't need to remove tape or shipping labels, but please remove packing materials such as packing peanuts, bubble wrap and Styrofoam.

Wrapping paper is not recyclable unless the packaging clearly says that it is. Most of the wrapping paper that you find in stores is not recyclable. Manufacturers add foil and other compounds that cannot be removed from the paper material. However, there are a few companies that make wrapping paper entirely of paper. Residents can recycle those products as mixed fiber.

We do not accept items such as string lights, ribbons and tinsel in your recycling, as they can cause problems with the equipment at our recycling facility. Residents can recycle holiday lights at Mid-MO Recycling, Lowe's, Home Depot and Ace Hardware. Ribbons and tinsel that cannot be reused or donated should be disposed of in the garbage.

Cooking a big meal? Pouring grease and cooking oils down the drain can lead to blocked pipes and/or cause blockages in our sewer systems. Please let grease cool and solidify in a disposable container and throw it in the garbage.

Remember that aluminum products such as foil, baking dishes and pie plates and paper products like plates, cups and napkins cannot be recycled at our facilities.

Christmas Trees

Collection crews will not pick up natural Christmas trees left at the curb. Customers can cut their trees into pieces that fit inside their roll carts or take their natural trees to one of the City's Yard Waste Drop-Off centers.

You can schedule artificial trees for collection as a bulky item. Package trees in a box or tree storage bag (not a trash bag). All pieces must be in bundles no bigger than 2 feet around and no longer than 4 feet. To schedule a bulky item pickup, complete the online form on the CoMo Recycle and Trash App or call 573.874.CITYopens phone dialer (2489).

Customers who need their cart emptied and cannot wait until their next scheduled collection day can request an appointment for an additional cart collection. Call 573.874.CITYopens phone dialer (2489) or email [email protected]create new email.

The COMO Recycle and Trash App will give you updates on how the holidays affect your curbside collection schedule. It also features a WasteWizard search engine. This engine will tell you if a material is recyclable and how to go about that process. It is free to download on Android and Apple devices and is available on our homepage at CoMo.gov/utilities/solidwaste.