Columbus, IN Trash & Recycling: Recycling Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Covered materials
- Corrugated cardboard and office paper
- Covered generators
- Apartment complexes and commercial establishments
- Container size
- Minimum one and one-half, maximum three cubic yards
- Cardboard
- Flattened and free of any debris
- Office paper
- Sorted by grade, in durable, clear, plastic bags
- Non-compliance
- Private hauler disposal at the responsible party's expense
Summary
In the City of Columbus, Indiana, corrugated cardboard and office paper from apartment complexes and commercial establishments go in a city container of one and one-half to three cubic yards. Cardboard must be flattened, and non-compliance means private hauling at the responsible party's cost.
Corrugated cardboard and office paper will be collected from apartment complexes and commercial establishments as needed. These recyclable items shall be placed in a minimum one and one-half cubic yard, maximum three cubic yard city-owned or city-approved container that is in accordance with the regulations of Sections 8.24.070D and 8.24.080. Cardboard must be flattened and free of any debris. Office paper, pre-approved by the Columbus- Bartholomew recycling center, must be separated according to its grade and placed in durable, clear, plastic bags. Any other waste is prohibited in these bags and city-owned or city-approved containers. Failure to comply with these rules and regulations will result in disposal by a private hauler at the expense of the responsible party.
Full Breakdown
Columbus Municipal Code § 8.24.240 is the recycling rule in the City of Columbus, Indiana. Corrugated cardboard and office paper are collected from apartment complexes and commercial establishments as needed. They must go in a city-owned or city-approved container of at least one and one-half cubic yard and at most three cubic yard, and the container has to follow the regulations of §§ 8.24.070D and 8.24.080.
Preparation rules are specific. Cardboard must be flattened and free of any debris. Office paper must be pre-approved by the Columbus-Bartholomew recycling center, separated according to its grade, and placed in durable, clear, plastic bags. Any other waste is prohibited in these bags and in the containers.
The consequence is printed in the section: failure to comply with these rules and regulations results in disposal by a private hauler at the expense of the responsible party. Section 8.24.010 defines a responsible party as the person or persons held accountable for the illegal placement of waste in recycling or city-owned or city-approved containers.
Several related sections extend the rule. Under § 8.24.050, the Bartholomew Consolidated School Corporation and the Columbus Housing Authority, which the city can serve by separate agreement, must separate all corrugated and office paper from solid waste and recycle it as provided in § 8.24.240. Section 8.24.280D bars anyone from removing waste or recyclables that have been set out in city containers near a public street, sidewalk or alley, and from removing materials set out on private premises without the consent of the owner or lessee.
The code also routes some items to recycling centers rather than the cart: tires under § 8.24.150 and lead acid batteries under § 8.24.180, both of which city services will not collect. Industrial process waste must be disposed of or recycled by the generator at its own expense under § 8.24.230. Residential premises means single-family dwellings and multiple-family dwellings up to four living units per parcel.
Violations & Fines
Non-compliant cardboard or paper is disposed of by a private hauler at the responsible party's expense under § 8.24.240. Removing set-out recyclables violates § 8.24.280D, and improper disposal draws a twenty-four hour notice, then a clean-up fee between fifty and two hundred fifty dollars, with repeat violations within twelve months rising in fifty dollar increments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which businesses must recycle cardboard in Columbus, Indiana?
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Sources & Official References
Other rules in Columbus
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