St. Louis Resident Launched Recycling Pickup Service

Following the end of city alleyway pickups in August 2025, a new subscription service now fills the local gap.

Updated on Sept. 28, 2026 in Remote Work

Bold vector editorial illustration of a single blue recycling bin on a curb, representing a new local subscription service. — St. Louis resident Erik Kozlowski launched a subscription-based recycling pickup service this spring to fill the void left by discontinued city collections. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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Would you pay for a private service to handle recycling if your city stopped pickup?

In spring 2026, Erik Kozlowski launched Recycle With Me, a subscription-based home recycling pickup service in St. Louis. The venture provides an alternative for residents after the city discontinued alleyway recycling services in August 2025.

Why it matters

The service emerged to address a logistical gap for local residents who no longer receive doorstep recycling collection. Kozlowski started the business to support the community following his retirement.

Recycle With Me charges $45 per month for bi-weekly pickups and $58 for weekly service, with plastic bag recycling available for an additional $5. The business currently manages more than 25 clients.

The players

Erik Kozlowski

He is the founder of the St. Louis recycling pickup service who started the business following his retirement.

City of St. Louis

This municipal government authority operates 40 residential recycling drop-off locations across the city.

The details

Kozlowski collects recyclables directly from customer homes on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays, then transports the materials to city-maintained drop-off containers. Clients can schedule these services through text, email, or phone calls.

The City of St. Louis ended alleyway recycling in August 2025.
Kozlowski launched Recycle With Me in spring 2026.
Pickups are performed every Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Market Landscape

The emergence of this service reflects a broader shift toward private solutions for municipal infrastructure gaps. It follows the City of St. Louis' 2025 transition to residential drop-off recycling, marking a departure from traditional public-funded collection models.

Residents can choose between bi-weekly or weekly pickup plans to avoid hauling recyclables to one of the 40 city-run drop-off sites themselves. Customers must pay a monthly fee starting at $45, with additional costs for specific materials like plastic bags.

The takeaway

Private collection services offer a convenient alternative for households adapting to the city's shift away from alleyway recycling. Residents should weigh the monthly subscription costs against the time and effort required to utilize the city's 40 public drop-off locations.