Columbus revises recycling trailer rules after vendor rejects contaminated load

Columbus city staff told the City Council on May 5 that the city is changing how its recycling trailer at the transfer station operates after a vendor rejected a contaminated load.

City Public Works staff said the city had collected mixed cardboard and paper in a single receiving area for about two months before a Norfolk vendor refused the first full load because of tape, food residue (pizza boxes), unflattened boxes and plastics. “They gave us the wonderful news that they would reject the load because of the tape on the cardboard and some other miscellaneous items in there,” the staff member said.

The city will pilot a tote system that separates cardboard and paper fibers into different containers so a single contaminated tote can be removed or cleaned without rejecting an entire semi load. Officials said the new schedule will be Tuesday 8 a.m.–noon and Wednesday and Thursday 2–6 p.m. for now. Keep Columbus Beautiful volunteers or staffers will be on site for about a month to help educate users and point them to signs outlining acceptable materials.

Council members asked whether community-service workers could help sort the materials; staff said that would require constant supervision. Staff emphasized rules users must follow: flatten boxes, remove adhesive tape, limit cardboard size to about 2 by 4 feet, and do not place pizza boxes, food-soiled containers, plastics or cans in the cardboard stream. If a tote is contaminated the city can remove or dispose of only that tote rather than an entire load.

City staff said they temporarily shut the trailer while finding a different vendor and located an Omaha recycler that would accept the mixed load. The change is being treated as a pilot, and staff said they will monitor the new hours and tote system and adjust operations if necessary.

The Council did not take formal additional action during the meeting beyond hearing the update.