Bloomington, IN Trash & Recycling: Bin Placement Rules (2026)

Section 6.04.080(c) requires collection to be made from curbs, or from the property line where there is no curb, and every cart, yard waste container and other item must be placed adjacent to the curb, facing the street, and positioned for automated collection. Except for residents approved for the city's special assistance program for a disability, illness or infirmity, everyone must have their solid waste, recycling and yard waste containers at curbside or the edge of the street no later than 5:00 a.m. on their collection day; residents who need assisted service contact the sanitation division for the necessary paperwork. Carts and containers must sit clear of overhead power lines and tree branches, at least four feet from any tree, pole, mailbox or fire hydrant, and at least ten feet from any vehicle parked in the street, and a cart cannot be painted, mutilated, altered or modified in any way (§ 6.04.080(c)(2)-(3)).

Section 6.04.110 adds the bookend rules: carts, containers and other articles cannot be set out visible from the street more than 24 hours before their scheduled collection, and they must be brought back in from the street or sidewalk the same day collection happens, so the public right-of-way stays passable. Items infested with vermin such as bedbugs, cockroaches or rodents are refused outright, and diapers, animal feces and cat litter must be sealed in durable plastic bags before going in the refuse cart (§ 6.04.080(e), (h)). No one may remove material from another resident's cart; everything placed in a city cart becomes city property (§ 6.04.080(f)).