Trash collection for the City of Columbus is operated by the Department of Public Service, Division of Refuse Collection. The City collects trash from more than 326,000 households. The City uses trucks with mechanical arms to collect trash from 98% of residents. This makes trash collection safer for collectors, faster for residents and more cost effective for the City.

How to determine your collection day

• Depending on where you live, you have been assigned either a collection color (pink, ruby, gold, gray or navy) or a specified collection day (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday)
• To look up your designated color or day, click here.
• If you know your assigned color and would like to know your current collection day, you may use either the Monthly Collection Calendar or the annual Rotating Holiday Schedule.
• You may call 645-[your color].  {Example: 645-NAVY}
• Collection day information is printed daily in The Columbus Dispatch Metro section.
• You may contact our 311 Service Center at 645-3111.

How the schedule works

• There are no collections on the following holidays observed by the City of Columbus: New Year's Day, Martin Luther King Day, President's Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas.
  NOTE: Veteran's Day and Good Friday are not city-observed holidays.
• The collection day for all residents who have an assigned color rotates forward one day following each City-observed holiday. You remain on the new day until the next holiday, when your day will rotate once again.
• The collection day for all residents who have an assigned day, will rotate forward one day ONLY if it follows the holiday.  You will return to your assigned day the following week.
  

Apartment Dumpsters

• Do not block access to the Dumpster with cars or other objects.
• Do not place bulk items in the dumpster. See your resident manager or the property owner to make arrangements for disposal of these items.
• Report damaged dumpsters to your resident manager or property owner so that your service is not interrupted. Damaged dumpsters cannot be emptied.

300-Gallon Containers

These instructions are for people who share a 300-gallon container with neighbors.

• Only put normal household trash in the container. Bag the trash to keep the container and the area around it clean.
• Do not place large items in the container.
• Do not move the container from its assigned location.
• Do not block the container. Cars and other objects must be at least 10 feet from the container.

Individual Containers

These instructions are for people who use a City-provided 90-gallon or 60-gallon container.

• Yard waste cannot be thrown away with regular trash.
  See Choices for Yard Waste for more information.
• Please schedule a special collection for bulk items like furniture and appliances.
  See Disposal of Bulk Items for more information.

TIME

• Put your container at your designated collection point before 6:00 am.
• Remove container from the collection point no more than 24 hours after collection and keep it in a safe place.

POSITION The arrow on the lid of 90-gallon containers must point toward the street The wheels and handle should face your home.

CONTENTS

Put only normal household trash in the container. Use trash bags to help keep your container clean. Do not put trash around the outside of the container. Only trash inside can be collected.

For repair of 90-gallon containers, follow these instructions:

• If your City-provided trash container is lost, stolen, vandalized or defaced, please notify the City at 645-3111. You may need to pay for a lost or stolen container because the City only provides one per household.
• If your container is damaged in the collection process or from normal wear and tear, it will be replaced at no cost to you.
• One container per household remains the property of the City of Columbus and is printed with the address of the home. If you move, leave the container on the property in a secure place.

Dead Animal Collection

• Call 645-5966 to arrange for the collection of a dead animal from a city roadway or right of way.
• We DO NOT collect pets or animals on private property.  For removal of these animals, you can contact either Varment Guard (794-8169) or Critter Control (291-4400).
• You may also take dead animals or pets to the Capital Area Humane Society (777-7387).   They are located at 3015 Scioto-Darby Executive Ct.
• For the collection of dead animals on county roads or highways, contact the Franklin County Dept. of Highway Maintenance ((614)462-3072).

Division of Refuse Collection Site Map

Updated: October 10, 2008