Columbus, GA Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

Columbus, Georgia Code of Ordinances Section 13-167.2(1) requires the owner, agent or occupant of every single-family household, business, industry and institution, and the owner or lessor of multifamily units, to provide a sufficient number of approved solid waste containers, as specified by the Department of Public Works, to store all solid waste properly until it is removed by the department or another certified agency. The Columbus Consolidated Government and its employees are authorized to enter private property at the owner's request to collect garbage contained in receptacles or bulk containers required by the sanitation division, and the owner releases the consolidated government from damage claims arising from that entry.

Section 13-167.2(2) ties the type of container to the property: single-family, two-family and three-family houses use disposable or nondisposable containers and volume-reducing equipment; townhouses and condominiums add bulk containers; buildings with four to ten units must use nondisposable or bulk containers; buildings with 11 or more units are required to use bulk containers and volume-reducing equipment unless the Department of Public Works grants an exemption. Residential service costs $24.00 per month under Section 13-169.1(a)(1), covering curbside or right-of-way collection, with a one-time $55.00 cart fee for each additional container and a 25-percent monthly rate offset for households that meet federal poverty-income guidelines. Containers and related facilities must sit off the public right-of-way and no closer than 20 feet to a corner right-of-way line under Section 13-167.2(14). Unpaid charges trigger a written notice from the department and a show-cause hearing before the Board of Public Services, which can lead to water and sewer disconnection until the balance is paid in full.