Sign up for the free Billings This Week newsletter and stay in the loop on Billings city government, public school meetings, business news and upcoming entertainment and events. Sign up 09/11/2026 Hi, everyone. This is Phoebe Tollefson, the new Billings reporter for Montana Free Press. Welcome to the first edition of our weekly newsletter, Billings This Week.  I’d like to give a shoutout to former Billings Gazette Editor Steve Prosinski for his beautiful Rims shot that serves as our banner photo.  In this issue, we have news about the city’s interim police chief, a spotlight on some fun events and a volunteer river cleanup on Saturday. In our top story, the city is ending its cardboard recycling program and cracking down on overfilled bins.  And because it’s 9/11, I’ll note that City College is hosting a remembrance ceremony at 8:30 a.m. for the nearly 3,000 Americans killed in the terrorist attacks 25 years ago.  But first, a weather preview ☀️ If you are a glass-half-full kind of person, the weather looks good this weekend. The forecast shows overnight lows in the 40s and daytime highs in the 60s. Saturday looks cloudy, and there’s a 50% chance of rain Sunday.  City cites low usage — just 10% of households — as reason to end program   The city of Billings is discontinuing its cardboard pickup program, citing low usage and increasing costs. The last collection day will be Sept. 24.  The program, launched in 2023, allowed residential garbage customers to set out used cardboard with the trash on a specified day each month for the city to collect and recycle.  My neighborhood has cardboard pickup on the second Tuesday of the month, so this was our last week. Shucks. We go through a lot of cardboard.  City officials launched the program to slow the fill rate at the Billings Regional Landfill, the state’s largest landfill. Currently, the city expects it to fill up in 70 years. That lifespan could be stretched with increased recycling, the city has said.  Only 10% of households participated in the program, according to the Public Works Department. That, and the increasing cost of fuel, equipment and labor, led the City Council to vote to end the program at its regular meeting Aug. 10. The vote was 10-1, with Councilor Bill Kennedy voting no.  The city will save $312,000 a year by ending the program.  At the same time the city stops collecting cardboard, it will start enforcing a rule against filling your trash bins past capacity. Any bin with a lid that cannot close will be tagged with an orange sticker and skipped.  The city has apparently gotten a lot of questions about whether the wind blowing a lid open puts you in violation of the rule.  “We live in Eastern Montana. It’s going to happen,” said Solid Waste Supervisor Jake Barnhart in a public service announcement video. “But as long as we can see that your garbage is bagged, tied and not overfilled, we are going to dump it.”  Local recycling company Earth First Aid will take cardboard recycling for free at 458 Charles St.  To report a broken or missing trash bin or other non-emergency complaints to Public Works, you can use an online interactive mapping tool called Problem Citizen Reporter. It’s pretty nifty: You can see all complaints submitted on the portal, photos illustrating the problem and whether the issue has been resolved.  There’s a new police chief in town  The Billings Police Department this week named Assistant Chief of Police Shawn Mayo as interim chief, starting Oct. 1. Chief Rich St. John is retiring and will clock his last day Sept. 30.  Mayo has worked for the department for 25 years, according to the Facebook post announcing his new role. Sgt. Jeff Stovall, the public relations sergeant, made the announcement.  “Throughout his career, he has earned the respect of his fellow officers through his leadership, experience, and commitment to the department and the community we serve,” Stovall wrote. “Chief Mayo’s extensive knowledge of the department, combined with his established relationships throughout the organization and community, will provide stability and continuity during this transition.” St. John announced his retirement in July. He spent 21 years in the top job and another 24 before that in various positions, including patrol, detective and SWAT commander.  The city will likely begin the search for a permanent chief later this fall, once it has hired a new fire chief, according to Interim City Administrator Kevin Iffland. Fire Chief Matt Hoppel retired in August. Iffland said the police chief position will be open to all applicants, and not just those within the Billings Police Department.  In Case You Missed It ↩️ Yellowstone County residents again this week asked county commissioners to use a legal option called interim zoning to rein in a major data center project planned outside of Broadview. While Missoula County did exactly this in July, officials in Yellowstone County say it’s a no-go due to a recent change in the law. You can read my story here. About Town 🚶 The annual team jigsaw championships are at the Billings Public Library, Friday evening at 5:30. Teams of up to six people are assigned a puzzle, and the first team to finish wins. Registration is required. You can find more information on the library’s website. Last year, 165 volunteers removed more than 87,000 pounds of trash from the Yellowstone River. Organizers hope to top that amount during the river cleanup that begins Saturday. Pre-registration is required by emailing [email protected]. See Yellowstone River Research Center for more details. Public Notice 🧐 Council to consider funds for Babcock Theater renovations 🗓️ Monday, Sept. 14⏰ 5:30 p.m.  📍 316 N. 26th St., on the fifth floor.ℹ️ The Billings City Council will vote on whether to approve up to $553,000 in downtown TIF funds for renovations at Babcock Theater. The money would pay for asbestos abatement, structural upgrades, and fire alarm, electrical and plumbing work, among other projects. The council will vote on funds for the historic building at its regular business meeting.  Game of the Week 🏆 The West High Bears look to continue their undefeated football season Friday night against  Great Falls High at the new Sam McDonald Stadium at Daylis. Kickoff is at 7 p.m. Glad You Asked, Billings 🙋 Got a question about something Billings-related? Drop us a line, and we will try to find an answer. Topics can include infrastructure, government, events or just something weird that caught your eye.  The post Billings’ cardboard recycling program is a goner appeared first on Montana Free Press. ...read more read less