Columbia upgrades recycling program with new large carts for residents

The city of Columbia is upgrading its recycling program by replacing residents’ 18-gallon bins with 95-gallon roll carts.

The new carts will give residents five times the recycling capacity compared with the bins. City residents currently average 75 pounds of recycled materials per year, according to the city.

The city hopes the larger carts will not only increase the amount of waste recycled but also decrease the amount of garbage going into landfills.

Carts will start being delivered Monday. The delivery process will take about two weeks. Residents can keep their current blue bins or recycle them in their new carts.

A $300,000 grant from Recycling Partnership, a public-private partnership that aids local governments, helped make the new roll carts possible.

Recycling will now be collected twice per month. Garbage and yard waste will remain on a weekly collection schedule.

Sarah Ellis

This story was originally published July 14, 2015 at 4:54 PM.