Junk removal costs in Columbia

An old armchair rides with the yard trash in the City of Columbia. The Public Works department lumps bulk items such as furniture, clothing and rigid plastics in with grass clippings, leaves and sticks as "yard trimmings," collected separately from your roll cart. Your cart is for household garbage only, so nothing bulky goes inside it. Branches need to be under 6 feet long. Bricks, concrete and other building materials have to sit apart from the yard pile, and the city charges to take them.

Richland County runs its own bulk pickup for the homes it serves, and it works differently. It's by appointment only, booked through the county's Solid Waste app or by phone, with up to four approved items each time. Furniture, mattresses, water heaters, push mowers with the gas and oil drained, metal grills without the propane tank, and big appliances with the door off all qualify. Electronics, sporting equipment, medical equipment, fencing, sheds and construction debris don't. Wait for the confirmation call or email before anything goes to the curb. Then put out only the scheduled items, by 7 a.m., at least 6 feet from carts and mailboxes. Anything that doesn't follow the rules gets tagged and left behind.

All those city leaves and branches don't go to waste, either. Columbia composts them at its facility on Humane Lane, off Shop Road, and residents can pick up the finished compost for the garden.