Columbia trash rates could increase after cost-of-service study
COLUMBIA — Columbia residents who use city trash services might see a slight increase in their monthly bills later following a cost-of-service study for the city’s Solid Waste Utility.
The city hired Stantec Consulting to begin the study in early February.
Jason West, communications and outreach supervisor for Columbia Utilities, said the city expects to have results back by late April.
However, the final result will be shared at a Columbia City Council meeting May 18. The firm will examine what it costs to maintain solid waste services for a city of more than 130,000 people — from truck maintenance to worker salaries — and whether current rates cover those expenses.
West said if rate changes are recommended and approved by the City Council, they would go into effect at the start of the next fiscal year, which begins in October.
A rate increase is not guaranteed. West said current rates could already be in line with what they need to be.
“It could be that our rates are right where they need to be,” West said. “So it’s not guaranteed there will be a rate increase, but that is something to keep in mind as the prices of everything continue to go up, from parts for trucks to new trucks themselves.”
Columbia residents currently pay between $12.87 and $22.50 per month for curbside trash collection depending on their roll cart size. Adam White, the city’s landfill superintendent, said it has been several years since Columbia last adjusted its solid waste rates.
The last cost of service study for solid waste was in December 2021. There was a recommended increase at that time, which equated to an average increase of 63 cents per residential customer. Once the roll carts were implemented in 2024, the monthly rate changed to be dependent on the size of the roll cart the customer requested.
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West said the study is meant to ensure the Solid Waste Utility is financially sustainable.
“At the end of that study, there is the possibility for rates to increase slightly,” West said.
White said even routine upkeep on the fleet drives costs. Something as simple as an oil change or new brakes on a collection truck is part of the daily expense of keeping the operation running.
West emphasized the review is routine, not a cash grab. The city conducted the same type of study for its electric and water utilities last year.
“City utilities are providing services as inexpensively and as reliably as possible,” West said. “We are not just raking up dollars and adjusting rates to make money. These adjustments are just because this is how much it costs to provide this service and keep up with maintenance of trucks and the salary of workers.”
The study covers the full scope of Solid Waste operations, which includes residential and commercial trash collection, recycling routes and the city’s landfill, the first bioreactor landfill in Missouri. Before a tornado destroyed the Material Recovery Facility in April 2025, the landfill alone took in approximately 220,000 tons of material. West said maintenance costs across all of those operations are wide-ranging.
“There’s maintenance on the trucks that pick up recyclable waste, commercial trucks that pick up dumpsters at businesses, and maintenance on the landfill itself,” West said. “Our landfill is a bioreactor. There’s special equipment there to produce energy, and that equipment requires maintenance. On the recycling side, there’s the Material Recovery Facility that is currently being rebuilt, and once that gets built, the equipment there will need to be updated and maintained periodically.”
For residents concerned about affordability, the city of Columbia offers utility assistance to eligible customers through its Social Services page. West said the city is mindful of the effect any increase could have on lower-income families and is not looking to simply raise prices without cause.