With recycling halted, Columbia weighs costly recovery, future plans
Mitchell Kaminski
COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)
City of Columbia officials are still assessing the total damage to its recycling operations after an EF-1 tornado tore through the northeast part of the city Sunday evening, destroying the city’s recycling facility and prompting a disaster declaration.
The city announced on Sunday that curbside recycling pickup would be paused and drop-off locations around the city would close. Boone County also suspended drop-off recycling operations, as much of the county uses Columbia’s facility.
Jason West, from Columbia’s Risk Management Office, said the city is in the process of determining the replacement value of the destroyed facility and settling the insurance claim. While officials have been meeting with insurance adjusters, West noted that media access to those meetings is restricted.
A feasibility study conducted before the storm estimated that building a new, upgraded recycling facility could cost more than $22 million. The original facility, known as the Columbia Material Recovery Facility, was built in 2002. A 2023 evaluation found the aging plant was inefficient, costing the city revenue from recyclable materials. Between 2019 and 2023, Columbia generated an average of $1.044 million annually from recycling sales.
The city had originally planned to build a new recycling center by 2027 or 2028, but City Manager De’Carlon Seewood said this week that the storm may accelerate that timeline. Officials are also exploring temporary solutions, including hiring an outside service to manage recycling collection during the recovery period.
West told ABC 17 News that the city’s top priority was getting operations back up and running, but it will take time and careful planning. The city has not yet determined the final insurance settlement or the full cost of replacing the facility.
City crews have been working around the clock to restore electricity and fiber connections to the landfill site, where the recycling center once stood. At least 1,200 Columbia Water and Light customers were without power on Sunday, and thousands were without power in Boone County. On Wednesday evening, outages in Columbia were limited to 17 customers in northeastern Columbia, with a restoration time not yet determined.
The National Weather Service confirmed winds peaked at 110 miles per hour on Sunday when the tornado hit the facility around 5:23 p.m., as part of a brief but powerful storm that lasted just 7 minutes.
At 5:18 p.m., winds reaching 76 mph began snapping tree limbs and uprooting trees. By 5:22 p.m., gusts had intensified to 96 mph, damaging electric transmission lines and breaking wooden utility poles. A minute later, 110 mph winds struck the city’s recycling facility, causing severe damage. Although winds subsided to 70 mph by 5:25 p.m., they continued to fell trees across northeast Columbia.
Check back for updates.