Columbia, MO Trash & Recycling: Illegal Dumping (2026)

City Code § 22-158(b)(7) prohibits disposing of refuse by depositing it in any public alley, street, roadway, vacant lot or other property, or in any stream or body of water, anywhere within the City of Columbia, Missouri. Open burning of garbage is likewise unlawful except inside a building-enclosed incinerator that meets state law. Waste found through investigation creates a rebuttable presumption under § 22-158(c) that the identified person committed the violation, and both the person who dumped it and the property's account holder can be held responsible. A violation is a misdemeanor punishable under § 16-31.