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

Section 8.24.030 of the Columbus Municipal Code sets the basic collection rhythm for the City of Columbus in Bartholomew County, Indiana. The city services manager, working through rules the Board of Public Works and Safety adopts, fixes the dates and schedules for public collection in the various sections of the city. Under § 8.24.020B the Board also fixes the hours or days of the week for collections.

The city collects solid waste from residential dwellings and mobile home parks one time per week, and the material must be out for collection by 7:00 a.m. on the designated day. Each month, under rules the Board adopts, the city runs one free special trash pickup outside the regular schedule. Any other special pickup or additional collection requested by the owner of a residential premises carries a fee set by the Board.

Who gets city service is narrow. Section 8.24.300 says curbside collection is available to residential units, and that city collection is not available for commercial structures or non-qualifying residential dwellings. The code defines residential premises as single-family dwellings and multiple-family dwellings up to and including four separate living units per parcel. Apartment complexes, commercial and industrial establishments, and residents on private streets in for-profit residential establishments arrange special pickups through a private hauler of their choice, and excess waste at those establishments is disposed of at the establishment's expense. Contractors must remove or recycle waste they generate at a private dwelling.

Container timing is separate. Section 8.24.090 allows city-owned and city-approved containers at the curb no earlier than twenty-four hours before the scheduled collection and requires removal within twenty-four hours after pickup. Beyond the first container, § 8.24.310 charges a monthly fee of nine dollars for each additional ninety-six gallon container, seven dollars for each sixty-four gallon container and five dollars for each forty-eight gallon container.