Bloomington, IL Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)

City Code § 21-305 sets the base collection frequency for the City of Bloomington's refuse program: garbage is collected once per week on a route schedule the Director of Public Works establishes, and yard debris such as brush, limbs and leaves is collected every other week on its own schedule. The only frequency exception is seasonal: no brush or tree debris from White Ash, Green Ash or Blue Ash trees is collected between April 30 and September 1 in any year McLean County is under an Emerald Ash Borer quarantine, a rule the City uses to keep infested ash wood from moving through the collection system.

Under § 21-302, the City collects all refuse a residential occupant produces once it is properly placed in an approved container, plus any additional refuse prepared as the chapter requires; there is no separate per-bag cap stated for the regular weekly garbage set-out. Collection is made curbside from the street under § 21-303 for most of the City, but § 21-304 designates four paved alleys for garbage pickup instead, including the alley between White Place and the Illinois Central Railroad right-of-way running from Empire to Emerson, and the alley between Indianapolis Street and McClun Street running from Oakland Avenue to Bell Street. Downtown Service Area residents follow a separate collection day and placement window set out in § 21-301(C), rather than the standard citywide route schedule.