Residential Solid Waste Routes
The City of Cape Girardeau provides residential trash service to over 10,000 households and trucks pick up over 269,000 pounds of solid waste per week. The tan cart you received is for your trash and must be placed at the curb by 6:00 a.m. on your trash day. A trash and recycling route map is available so you can see what day the trash and recycling trucks are in your neighborhood. Regulations including container placement and what can and cannot be placed in the cart are available in the Trash and Recycling Handbook which was delivered with your cart. A copy is also available online for your convenience (this is a large file, so please be patient if downloading).

Dumpster Service
Residential 6 cubic yard container (dumpster) service can be scheduled by appointment. These are scheduled on a first come first serve basis so plan ahead. They are set on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays except during holiday weeks. The charge for this service is $46.

Wednesday Special Pickups
Wednesday Special Pickups can be scheduled by appointment. This service is provided for large, bulky items, including garage and basement debris. The charge is dependent on the type of items you have. Generally, what one person can pick up in 5 minutes is a $5 charge. If you have heavy items that require 2 people to lift; the charge is $10 for a 10 minute pickup. Each appliance is an additional $10 fee. Call Public Works at (573) 339-6351 for an appointment and exact rate. Cut off time for scheduling special pickups is 3:00 on Tuesday, so be sure to call before then. One free solid waste Wednesday special pickup per year is allowed for each residential customer. We have a limited amount available, so please schedule in advance.

Leaf Pickup
Each Fall, the City provides curbside leaf pickup for Cape Girardeau citizens. We are introducing a new program in 2012 with the purchase of an automated leaf pickup truck.  More information on curbside pickup and other options for leaf removal are available in our Leaf Pickup Brochure, or on or Leaf Program page.

Yard Waste Program
NOTE:  Yard waste and limb pickup and drop off had been temporarily suspended until the river level receeded.  Compost drop off containers at the recycling center will resume Thursday, May 16th and Wednesday special collection service of compost bags, bundled limbs and brush will resume Wednesday May 22nd.  The Transfer Station is still accepting limbs and brush at a cost of $52.25, plus the weekly fuel surcharge rate. 

City Yard Waste Bags can be purchased at Schnucks, Food Giant, City Hall, and Public Works (5 for $6.25). After purchasing your City yard waste bags, call Public Works to schedule a Wednesday pickup. There is no charge for the pickup. Be sure to purchase the City yard waste bags - they are the ones with the bright green stickers.

You can also take your yard waste items (leaves and twigs with 1/4" diameter or smaller) to the Recycling Center at 2007 Southern Expressway for no charge. The yard waste is ground into mulch and made available to the public in the southeast corner of Arena Park (where the animals are during the Fair) on a first come first serve basis.  Our mulch pile is currently low, we will replenish it when ground yard waste is available.

Transfer Station
The City of Cape Girardeau Transfer Station is located in the 2500 block of South Sprigg Street. They are open weekdays from 7:00 AM until 3:45 PM and are closed on weekends and City holidays. The tonnage rate at the Transfer Station effective May 27, 2013 is $54.30 a ton which includes a $52.25 disposal fee plus a fuel surcharge of $2.05.  The fuel surcharge is recalculated every week so the total rate will change every Monday.  There is a minimum charge of $1.00.  The charge for each appliance is $7.50. An unsecured load fee of $25.00 is charged for all loads brought into the transfer station that are not properly covered or secured as required by Missouri Revised Statutes 307.010 and City Ordinance Sec.26-220. For tips on how to secure a load, view our brochure. Please Email or call Public Works at (573) 339-6351 if you have questions or want to know the current Transfer Station rate.

Recycling
Recyclables can either be set out for curbside collection or taken to the City Recycling Center Drop-Off Facility at 2007 Southern Expressway, on weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Recycling Center is closed on City holidays. Recyclables should be placed in your dark green cart and at the curb before 6:00 am on your recycling day. The Public Works Department collects an average of 168 tons of recyclables monthly.   Email or call the Public Works Department at (573) 339-6351 for more information. Recyclables can be placed in your dark green recycling cart. No need to separate items (except glass).

To help keep light weight items from blowing when your cart is dumped, bag newspaper wrappers, plastic sacks and loose paper before placing it in your cart.

Newspaper, Magazines, Junk mail and Residential Paper: Envelopes (window envelopes also acceptable), stationery, copy paper (all colors), computer paper, notebook paper and typing paper are accepted. We also accept gift wrap and brown paper (grocery) bags.

Corrugated Cardboard, Grayboard and Chipboard: Includes cereal type boxes, soda cases, shoe boxes etc. Pizza delivery boxes can not be accepted because of food contamination, but frozen pizza boxes are acceptable. If you break down the boxes and flatten them they will fit better in your recycling cart.

Plastic: Household containers labeled with the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or 7 including shopping bags (#2) and newspaper wrappers (#4) are acceptable as well as bread wrappers. Just rinse containers and place them in your recycling cart. It is not necessary to remove plastic lids or labels.

Aluminum, Steel and Tin Cans: The general guideline states that if food or beverages came in the can it is recyclable. Rinse the can well to remove excess food. Lids and labels do not need to be removed.

Unacceptable Items for the Recycling Carts: Foil lined items like cookie and potato chip bags, plastic wrap or waxed paper, hardbound books, hazardous waste and pesticide containers, packing peanuts or bubble wrap, paper plates, cups, towels, napkins, tissues, diapers or toilet paper, pet food bags, photographs, plastic utensils, paper milk/juice containers, cereal bags, aerosol cans, plastic labeled "PLA", Styrofoam, take out food containers and glass. 

Glass Recycling
Glass cannot be picked up curbside in your recycling cart due to breakage and contamination. The City encourages you to recycle your glass food and beverage containers by providing several convenient drop off locations throughout the City. Fire Station No. 1 - 1 South Sprigg, Fire Station No. 2 - 378 S. Mt. Auburn Rd., Fire Station No. 3 - 1974 N Sprigg St, Fire Station No. 4 1459 Kurre Ln, Public Works Recycling Drop Off - 2007 Southern Expressway, Osage Community Centre - 1625 N Kingshighway, A.C. Brase Arena - 410 Kiwanis Drive

Only glass bottles and jars are accepted at these locations. No broken glass, window panes, auto glass, or household china or glassware can be accepted. Please remove lids, metal rings and caps and rinse items clean. Metal lids and rings can be recycled with your curbside pickup. Labels do not need to be removed.

Electronics Recycling
The City of Cape Girardeau has partnered with Midwest Recycling Center (MRC) to offer electronics recycling at the Recycling Center facility. A MRC staff member will be on hand at 2007 Southern Expressway weekdays from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM to answer questions and help unload. Most items are recycled FREE, but there is a $15 charge to recycle tube televisions under 27" and a $35 fee to recycle console and tube TV's over 27".  Projection TV's and other big screens that are not LCD or Plasma are $35.  MRC also offers hard drive destruction for a fee of $5. More information can be found on the MRC flyer or by calling MRC at 335-2020.

Used Motor Oil Disposal
The City of Cape Girardeau now accepts used motor oil from citizens.  Used motor oil generated by farming operations will also be accepted; however, no business or commercially generated used motor oil can be accepted in accordance with Missouri Department of Natural Resources regulations and guidelines.  Oil is accepted at the Public Works Department 2007 Southern Expressway in the southeast corner of the fleet maintenance shop area Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.  Please do not mix solvents, water, gasoline, antifreeze or other types of oil with your used motor oil.  A test may be performed on the oil to certify that it is strictly motor oil.  Citizens must sign a log sheet and no contaminated oil will be accepted.  The motor oil is used to heat the City's fleet maintenance area and the recycling processing facility. 

Paint Disposal
Never put liquid paint in the trash or pour it down the drain, into the sewer, on the ground or into a waterway.  Paint disposed of this way can contaminate our soil and groundwater.  When working with paint, plan your projects wisely and only buy as much as you think you will need.  Left over paint can be used for crafts or to beautify a dog or play house.  Theater groups, friends and neighbors may also provide outlets for excess paint.  Use technology to offer paint for free on your facebook page or list it on a giveaway site such as freecycle.  The Cape Girardeau ReStore will accept new, unopened sealed paint.  Please contact them at 651-9080 or restore@capeareahabitat.org for verification.  Light colored paint could be taken to a paint store and remixed for a new look or used as a base coat when repainting with a darker color. 

If you cannot find anyone who can use it, latex paint can be disposed in your trash cart or with a special pickup after it has been solidified.  To solidify paint, mix a solvent such as cat litter with the paint using 2 parts cat litter to 1 part paint and let it dry completely.  If placing in your cart, please bag and seal the solidified paint container.  When using a special pickup, place the paint to the side of your other items with the lid removed so the hauler can see that it is solidified.

Oil based paint is considered a hazardous waste and must be disposed of through a hazardous waste collection.  

Household Hazardous Waste Collection
The City of Cape Girardeau periodically offers an event where residents can drop off household hazardous waste items for free.  This program helps residents dispose of items not accepted in their weekly trash service and is dependant on a grant from the Department of Natural Resources Solid Waste Management District Grant Program.  The City contracts with a hazardous material disposal company to collect and dispose of items brought in.  The last event was held in October of 2011.  Unfortunately funding for the next collection has not yet been secured.   

Recycling Presentations
If your classroom, church group, scout troop or civic organization would like an educational presentation of the City's Recycling Program please contact the Public Works Department at (573) 339-6351.