City seeks feedback to update trash and recycling codes

The city of Springfield held its first public input session yesterday as officials prepare to update the portion of city code dealing with trash and recycling services.

Chapter 94 is the solid waste section of the code, and it covers disposal facility policies, rules for haulers, acceptance of waste from outside of the city and all aspects of waste storage and disposal.

Key goals of the Chapter 94 code review are enhanced clarity and consistency, according to the website of the city’s Environmental Services department.

The department reports that more than 40% of material sent to the city’s Noble Hill Sanitary Landfill could be recycled and that landfill use is on the rise. At the same time, the website states, residents are calling for improved recycling access and bulky item collection, as well as cleaner neighborhoods overall.

The department is looking to improve the following areas of trash and recycling services:

• More consistent residential collection hours

• Requiring minimum levels of trash and recycling services for city residents

• Clarifying communication between haulers and residents

• Simplifying permitting for haulers

• Working toward standardized equipment and vehicles

• Improving waste management system efficiency

Proposed changes are expected to be presented to Springfield City Council in late 2026.

Last night’s event, held 6-8 p.m. at the Greene County Election Center Training Room, was the first of three public input sessions scheduled, with other drop-in sessions slated for 6-8 p.m. March 16 at the Schweitzer Brentwood Branch Library and March 24 at the Springfield-Greene County Botanical Center.

At the first session, community members browsed stand-up displays asking them to weigh in on issues like the noise generated by waste pickup and the hours of operation of haulers.

Peppered through the displays were data points, like the fact that in fiscal 2024, there were 93 illegal dumping sites within the city limits.

The landfill’s average daily tonnage is on the rise, according to the data presented. In 2013, 650 tons per day was the average, but in 2024, that figure nearly doubled to 1,311 tons. It’s an impact that could be lessened by increased recycling, and sticky notes were provided for participants to offer their thoughts. Many of the responses demonstrated concern about affordability, with notes like “More curbside recycling but most people can’t afford it” or “Not sure how it would impact my trash bill.” Another response: “I would love to see curbside recycling at no additional expense.”

Many neighboring communities provide bundled services for trash and recycling at a single set price, according to another display. For example, Nixa offers weekly trash and biweekly recycling collection and allows one bulky item per week at a cost of $14.95 per month, while Ozark offers both weekly trash and recycling collection at $20.04 per month.

In Battlefield, $15.80 per month gets residents weekly trash and recycling collection, and in Strafford, the same services are $16.35 per month with reduced prices for the elderly, according to Environmental Services department figures.

Expense was reported to be the main barrier to recycling, cited by 34% of respondents to a department survey. Other barriers reported were awareness of availability, 18%; disbelief that the material is actually being recycled, 16%; lack of convenience, 9%; not caring, 4%; and a range of other factors, including lack of availability of services in apartment buildings, use of drop-off sites, no service offered by haulers and challenging bin types.

The city has considered removing the recycling requirement from individual haulers and instead exploring alternative options, among them a citywide contract for curbside recycling, according to the exhibit.

Ashley Krug, the city’s market development coordinator, said most of the large section of code devoted to solid waste has not been updated since about 1980.

“We know that our code is not operating in the same way that our haulers actually operate and do business, and we want to make sure that we are aligning things like complaints we receive with the ability to address that in code,” she said.

Krug said her office received a slight decrease in complaints about illegal dumping in 2025, though some sites are still observed around the city, particularly on properties where evictions have occurred. Availability of trash service may be a factor, she said.

“One of the questions that we’re asking is just about quality of service, and one of them is actually saying, ‘Should we require every household in our community to actually have trash service?’ because our code currently doesn’t actually require it,” she said.

Krug said residents who have curbside recycling are more apt to be recyclers.

“Some people don’t want to drive it, and some people can’t drive it to a recycling site,” she said.

Participants are also being asked if they want additional services, like disposal options for bulky items, food waste or yard waste, and if they want the code to increase or decrease its current requirement that haulers offer recycling pickup biweekly. Opinions on preferences for recycling containers are also sought.

Krug said the department has also met with waste haulers for feedback to guide the revision. She said eight or nine of the city’s 15-17 haulers participated.

“It’s really important when we ask any of these things to go to the haulers, who are impacted more than anybody,” she said.

The haulers are the right people to consult about issues with the permitting process or about requirements for standardized equipment, she said.

“Well take all of that information and use it to direct what those redlines are going to look like for Chapter 94,” Krug said, referring to draft code revisions.

Krug said the conversation is also partly about raising awareness among city residents, because city code does not apply only to haulers.

“This is conversation of just how our system works and how we can make it work better for all of us,” she said.