Columbia, MO Trash Pickup Schedule
Collection days, holiday changes, recycling rules, and drop-off options for Columbia, Missouri — in one page, with sources.
Trash pickup in Columbia, MO is assigned by zone or street — Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday. Match your area in the trash schedule table below.
Trash Bulk Recycle
When is each service collected?
Recurring schedule for Columbia services.
| Service | When | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Trash | Depends on your zone | Depends on your zone — check the zone list |
| Recycling | Monday · Tuesday · Wednesday · Thursday · Friday | Depends on your zone — check the Recycling zone list |
| Bulk | Monday · Tuesday · Wednesday · Thursday · Friday | Depends on your zone — check the Bulk zone list |
Which zone is my street in?
Collection day by zone. Confirm at the edges with the city.
| Zone | Day | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Trash — Monday | Monday | 1 zone(s): Monday trash |
| Trash — Tuesday | Tuesday | 1 zone(s): Tuesday trash |
| Trash — Wednesday | Wednesday | 1 zone(s): Wednesday trash |
| Trash — Thursday | Thursday | 1 zone(s): Thursday trash |
| Trash — Friday | Friday | 1 zone(s): Friday trash |
When is recycling collected?
Recycling day by zone — recycling runs on its own schedule, which can differ from trash. Confirm at the edges with the city.
| Zone | Day | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Recycling — Monday | Monday | 1 zone(s): Monday recycling |
| Recycling — Tuesday | Tuesday | 1 zone(s): Tuesday recycling |
| Recycling — Wednesday | Wednesday | 1 zone(s): Wednesday recycling |
| Recycling — Thursday | Thursday | 1 zone(s): Thursday recycling |
| Recycling — Friday | Friday | 2 zone(s): Friday recycling, Friday recycling Blue Circle |
Bulk collection days by zone
Use the zone list with the city’s current schedule.
| Zone | Day | Covers |
|---|---|---|
| Bulky — Monday | Monday | 1 zone(s): Monday-bulky |
| Bulky — Tuesday | Tuesday | 1 zone(s): Tuesday-bulky |
| Bulky — Wednesday | Wednesday | 1 zone(s): Wednesday-bulky |
| Bulky — Thursday | Thursday | 1 zone(s): Thursday-bulky |
| Bulky — Friday | Friday | 1 zone(s): Friday-bulky |
Service days by zone
The city publishes service-specific zone or cycle details rather than one shared date calendar.
Which bin does it go in?
Search the material, follow the color: green chip recycles, red goes to trash.
| Material | Where it goes |
|---|---|
| cadence | Recycle Every other week on the regular weekly refuse day (curbside recycling returned Mar 18, 2024) |
| materials | Recycle Mixed containers and mixed fibers |
| fiber_prep | Recycle Post-April 2025 tornado (MRF destroyed): mixed fiber must be bundled in a box or paper bag at curb; baling resumed November |
| not_accepted | Recycle |
What about bulky or special items?
Mattresses, appliances, storm debris — the rules before you set them out.
- Blue Circle recycling group — A distinct 'Friday recycling Blue Circle' zone exists alongside plain weekday recycling zones - a named collection group (likely an every-other-week circle). Meaning to confirm with Public Works.
- Bulky coverage — Only Monday-bulky and Tuesday-bulky zones are published; Wednesday-Friday addresses need the lookup for their bulky arrangement.
- Automated rollout — City transitioned to automated roll-cart collection March 4, 2024 (carts from Rehrig Pacific; distribution from Jan 29, 2024). Carts are assigned to a collection day, not a time; some routes ran temporarily manual during the fleet transition.
- Holiday delay — Residential refuse and curbside recycling collection delayed one day for the remainder of the week after holidays.
More details: bulk & yard waste page.
Who collects what?
The provider for each service and how to reach them.
| Service | Provider | Contact |
|---|---|---|
| Trash | City of Columbia Public Works (city-collected) | |
| Recycling | City of Columbia Public Works (city-collected) | |
| Bulk | City of Columbia Public Works (city-collected) |
Common questions
The things Columbia residents ask most.
What day is trash pickup in Columbia MO?
Weekly Monday-Friday - trash and recycling are separate weekday zones ('Monday trash', 'Tuesday recycling',...). The city's lookup ('COMO Recycle and Trash' app) returns both.
When did Columbia MO start automated trash collection?
March 4, 2024 - city-issued roll carts (Rehrig Pacific), collections assigned to a day rather than a time.
How often is recycling collected in Columbia, MO?
Every other week on your regular refuse day. After the April 2025 tornado destroyed the MRF, mixed fiber must be set out in a box or paper bag.
What changed recently?
Every update to this page, newest first.
- Record created from the city's official ReCollect lookup zone list (ColumbiaMO) (24 zones: separate trash and recycling weekdays, Blue Circle recycling group, Mon/Tue bulky)
- QA: population corrected to Census Vintage 2023 estimate (Columbia city: 129,330; prior estimate 126880).
- Added agent-captured facts (scan/nat78/recollect-six-facts.md): weekly automated roll-cart collection began 2024-03-04 (Rehrig Pacific carts; day assigned to address); recycling every-other-week on the regular refuse day since 2024-03-18, routes unchanged (MRF destroyed Apr 2025 tornado, mixed fiber rebalanced Nov, fibers bagged in box/paper bag at curb); setout by 6:30 a.m., lid closed, no side-of-cart extras; on-demand bulky pickup $7.70/$12.20/$16.70 by cart size; carts 35/65(default)/95-gal at $12.87/$17.37/$22.50 per month, extra 95-gal $13.50/mo, one free exchange in first 120 days then $25; house collection with health-provider certification. Named holiday list still unverified (one-day-delay rule only) - no holiday_rules added.
- Enriched: 2024 automated rollout timeline, EOW recycling return + post-tornado fiber prep rules, holiday slide rule (flagged).
Population 129,330 · Sources: City of Columbia official ReCollect lookup (area ColumbiaMO, service …, Columbia Solid Waste Utility (fetched 2026-10-08) · Summarized from municipal, hauler, and public-data records; schedules change without notice.