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Columbia County updates solid-waste services, plans mattress recycling and reuse pilot
Summary
Public Works reported steady hazardous-waste collection (about 32 tons annually), nearly 2,400 tons of recycling collected so far in 2025, a new mattress-recycling pilot with the Mattress Recycling Council, and a reuse pilot at the transfer station using converted shipping containers.
Public Works Director Mike Russell delivered the county’s annual solid-waste update on Sept. 10, reporting that Columbia County’s seven household hazardous-waste events served more than 1,000 vehicles and collected roughly 32 tons of hazardous materials at a cost of about $116,000. “We served over a thousand vehicles, collected over 32 tons of hazardous waste materials, and for a total cost of a $116,000,” Russell said.
Russell said recycling volumes remain strong: “In 2025, so far, we’ve collected a little under 2,400 tons of recycling,” he said, noting that commingled household recyclables, cardboard and glass make up more than 90% of the county’s recycling stream. He described preparations to work with the Circular Action Alliance to expand accepted materials under the Recycling Modernization Act, including potential collection of Styrofoam and other packaging as producers and regulators phase in new systems. Russell cautioned that producer-fee legal questions are still being tracked by staff.
On service expansions, Russell said the county will pilot mattress recycling after the Mattress Recycling Council offered to handle collection and processing; the first mattress event is planned for September. He also outlined a new reuse pilot at the transfer station using converted shipping containers and a dedicated attendant to evaluate items brought in for possible reuse.
Operational changes at the transfer station include new signage and revised fluorescent-tube processing; Russell said the county will build covered space on the transfer-station side to handle electronics and paint recycling rather than processing those items on the tipping floor. The county’s transfer-station operator, Hudson Garbage Service, is assigned to help streamline those operations.
The board did not take formal action on solid-waste programs during the update, but commissioners asked staff to continue outreach and to provide event details for residents in affected neighborhoods.
