Half of Columbus Households to Get a New Trash Collection Day Starting the First Week of September

Division of Refuse Collection Route Changes Will Add More Efficiencies and Manage the City's Growth

Approximately one-half of Columbus households that get weekly city trash pickup will be assigned a new collection day and associated route color starting Tuesday, Sept. 2, as the Division of Refuse Collection adjusts the number of routes its trash trucks service each day.

The route rebalancing will enhance customer service and create greater efficiencies to manage the city’s growth in households. Refuse Collection trucks service approximately 360,000 households each week. That equals more than 18 million collection stops made annually by the division’s fleet.

The adjusted routes will better balance the number of households served by each of Refuse Collection’s three transfer stations where its trash trucks are based. The trash collection schedule for city-observed holidays will continue to rotate one day forward after each holiday.

Residents should continue to set out your trash for your current pickup day until the new routes take effect the first week of September. There is no city trash collection on Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 1.

“Customer service is a consistent focus of our Refuse Collection Division, even as our drivers complete weekly pickups at more households each year,” said Public Service Director Kelly Scocco. “Rebalancing the collection routes to manage growth supports excellent service delivery while decreasing operational costs and our fleet’s climate impacts.”

Residents may learn if your household collection day and color will change effective the first week of September by using one of these options:

• Download the free PickUp CBUS smartphone app on the App Store or Google Play now to get your trash collection day and color, recycling and yard waste collection schedules and convenient reminder notifications.
• Visit the Refuse Collection website at https://www.columbus.gov/trash to enter your address and sign up for reminders using the Collection Day Lookup tool. Starting Sept. 1, you will be able to check this website tool to see if you have a new collection day and color.
• Or use the website’s Rotating Color Calendar tool to download and print the annual trash collection schedule for your address’s color. Nearly all households have a color designated with your collection day—Gold, Gray, Navy, Pink or Ruby. To find your color, enter your address using the PickUp CBUS app or the Collection Day Lookup tools.
• Residents may also call their color to get automated information about your pickup day. For example, if your collection day color is Gold, call 614-645-GOLD (4653).

“Refuse Collection has embraced this opportunity to enhance service delivery for residents as Columbus grows,” said Administrator Tim Swauger. “To ensure a smooth transition for households that are moving to a new collection day but missed setting out their container on the new day, we will dedicate extra trucks to make those pickups for the first two weeks. Residents should report a missed collection to the 311 Service Center.”

The city’s residential recycling and yard waste collection service is not affected by the rebalancing. Residents should still follow your regular pickup day, but note that recycling and yard waste will not be collected on Labor Day. Collection will be delayed by one day during the week of the holiday, with Friday’s collection occurring on Saturday.

Other service changes by Public Service for the Labor Day holiday include:

• Parking payment at city kiosks and meters will not be enforced on Monday, Sept. 1. Parking restriction signage at some meters will be enforced, including but not limited to morning and evening rush hours and zones marked for valets, taxis, loading, handicapped-only and residential parking permit areas.
• Department offices, including the Parking Violations Bureau and the Right-of-Way Permits Office, will be closed on Monday, Sept. 1. Permits may be filed online at https://ca.columbus.gov/ca/.

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