Trash & Recycling in Bloomington, IN (2026)
10 verified trash & recycling rules for Bloomington, Indiana, sourced directly from the municipal code and official government pages.
Verified from official government sources
Pickup Rules & Schedules
In the City of Bloomington, the department of public works collects solid waste, recycling and yard waste on each address's assigned day under rules the board of public works sets. Carts must sit at the curb, lids closed and facing the street, no later than 5 a.m. on collection day, and crews work only between 5 a.m. and 9 p.m.
Bloomington Curbside Trash Cart Placement Rules
Some RestrictionsBloomington Municipal Code § 6.04.080
(a)Collection of solid waste, recycling, yard waste, large items and appliances shall be made at least once each week or more often as may be ordered by the board of public works. Collection schedules shall be established and published by the board. ... (c)Collection shall be made from curbs or, where there are no curbs, the property line immediately adjacent to the public thoroughfare. In orde...
Bin Placement Rules
In the City of Bloomington, carts must go at the curb by 5:00 a.m. on collection day, clear of overhead lines, trees, mailboxes and fire hydrants by at least four feet and parked cars by ten feet, under Bloomington Municipal Code § 6.04.080(c). Carts cannot sit visible from the street more than 24 hours before pickup and must come back in the same day, per § 6.04.110.
Bloomington cart placement and set-out times
Some RestrictionsBloomington Municipal Code §§ 6.04.080, 6.04.110
(c)Collection shall be made from curbs or, where there are no curbs, the property line immediately adjacent to the public thoroughfare.( ... 1)All residents except those approved for special assistance for a person with a disability, illness or infirmity shall place their solid waste and recycling carts and yard waste containers at curbside or at the edge of the street no later than five a.m. o...
Bulk Item Disposal
In the City of Bloomington, large items other than appliances can be set at the curb on your assigned collection day for a fee, but you must call the sanitation division at least one business day ahead under Bloomington Municipal Code § 6.04.060. Appliances go out only on Fridays after a call by noon Thursday, at $35 each versus $25 for a large item, under § 6.04.070.
Bloomington large item and appliance pickup rules
Some RestrictionsBloomington Municipal Code §§ 6.04.060, 6.04.070, 6.04.090
Large items, other than appliances, may be placed at the curb on the customer's assigned collection day for an additional cost as stated in Section 6.04.090. The department of public works, upon approval by the board of public works, shall prepare and promulgate annually a list of what types of items are considered large items. For the purposes of route optimization, customers are required to c...
Recycling Requirements
In the City of Bloomington, every address that gets city solid-waste collection also gets weekly curbside recycling on its assigned day under Bloomington Municipal Code § 6.04.040. Items must go loose into the city-provided cart, never bagged, and solid waste can never be mixed in; a cart that violates either rule is left uncollected and the resident can be fined under § 6.04.100.
Bloomington curbside recycling collection rules
Some RestrictionsBloomington Municipal Code § 6.04.040
(a)Recycling collection is provided to recipients of solid waste collection. Collection occurs every week on the customer's assigned collection day.(b)Recyclable items must be placed loosely, and not bagged, into the recycling cart provided by the City of Bloomington. Solid waste items should never be placed in recycling carts. Failure to comply with these provisions will result in non-collecti...
Holiday Pickup Schedule
The Bloomington board of public works can move a resident's collection day when a holiday or bad weather disrupts the normal route, and Bloomington Municipal Code § 6.04.090 bars the City of Bloomington Utilities from charging any extra fee just because the day shifted.
Bloomington Holiday Trash Collection Schedule Shifts
Light RestrictionsBloomington Municipal Code §§ 6.04.020, 6.04.090
The board shall have the authority to make regulations concerning the days of collection, type and location of carts and containers, and such other matters pertaining to the collection, conveyance and disposal as it finds necessary, and to change and modify the same, provided that such regulations are not contrary to the provisions of this chapter. ... Additional fees will not be charged if the...
Illegal Dumping
It is unlawful in the City of Bloomington to throw, place or scatter garbage, recyclable material or yard waste on any street, alley or premises, public or private. HAND treats every violation as a public nuisance and escalates the fine from $50 to $150 within a year.
Bloomington Illegal Dumping Ban and Fines
Significant RestrictionsBloomington Municipal Code §§ 6.06.020, 6.06.110
It is unlawful for any person to throw, place, or scatter any garbage, recyclable materials or yard waste over or upon any premises, street, alley, either public or private, or to suffer or permit any garbage, recyclable materials or yard waste to be placed or deposited on the premises owned, occupied or controlled by such person either with or without the intent to later remove, cover, or burn...
Yard Waste Collection
In the City of Bloomington, grass, leaves and garden waste must go into a watertight thirty-five gallon container or biodegradable paper bag, each under forty pounds, kept separate from trash and recycling, for weekly pickup on the assigned collection day under Bloomington Municipal Code § 6.04.050. Brush and tree trimmings must be cut to four feet or less and bundled no thicker than two feet.
Bloomington yard waste collection requirements
Some RestrictionsBloomington Municipal Code § 6.04.050
(a)All grass, weeds, leaves and other similar yard and garden materials shall be placed in appropriate watertight thirty-five gallon or less container or two-ply biodegradable wet strength paper bag with each weighing less than forty pounds separate from solid waste and recycling and shall not be mixed with any other substances. ... Yard waste will be collected weekly on the customer's assigned...
Dumpster Rules
Bloomington Municipal Code Chapter 6.05 requires every business and institution on commercial refuse collection to keep its dumpster covered and sanitary at all times, limits collection to 5 a.m. through 9 p.m., and fines violators between ten and one hundred dollars per day.
Bloomington Commercial Dumpster Cover Requirement
Some RestrictionsBloomington Municipal Code §§ 6.05.010, 6.05.020, 6.05.030
All establishments and institutions which are served by commercial refuse collection services shall keep their containers covered and sanitary at all times. ... Collection shall be made only during the hours of 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. ... Any person, firm, or corporation who violates any of the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to a fine of not less than ten dollars and not more than ...
Collection Schedule
In the City of Bloomington, the City of Bloomington Utilities-billed sanitation division collects solid waste at least once a week from a city-provided cart on each household's assigned day, under Bloomington Municipal Code § 6.04.030. The board of public works sets and publishes the collection schedule, and crews only work between 5:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m. under § 6.04.080.
Bloomington weekly trash collection schedule
Some RestrictionsBloomington Municipal Code §§ 6.04.030, 6.04.080
(a)Solid waste carts shall be provided by the City of Bloomington. ... (b)Solid waste will only be collected from the cart provided by the city on the customer's assigned collection day unless the owner or occupant arranges for an additional pickup on another day with the sanitation division in accordance with board of public works policies . Items outside of the cart will not be collected. Res...
Recycling Rules
In the City of Bloomington, recyclables must stay separated from trash and yard waste at the curb, and only materials on the department of public works' annually published list, cleaned and prepared as Bloomington Municipal Code § 6.04.040(d) requires, count as recyclable. Mixed or contaminated carts are left uncollected under §§ 6.04.020 and 6.04.100.
Bloomington rules on what can be recycled
Some RestrictionsBloomington Municipal Code §§ 6.04.020, 6.04.040
Yard waste, recyclables and other solid waste must be separated from one another when placed at the curb for collection. It is a violation of this chapter to mix these items, subject to fines as set forth in Section 6.04.100 of this chapter. The sanitation division will not collect these items if they are mixed together. ... (d)The department of public works, upon approval by the board of publi...