Bloomington, IN Trash & Recycling: Dumpster Rules (2026)
Key Facts
- Container standard
- Covered and sanitary at all times
- Permitted collection hours
- 5 a.m. to 9 p.m.
- Fine range
- $10 to $100 per violation
- Continuing violation
- Each day is a separate violation
- Applies to
- Businesses/institutions on commercial hauling
Summary
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.
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 one hundred dollars for each violation. Each day that a violation continues shall constitute a separate violation.
Full Breakdown
04. window that applies to residential pickup, so haulers cannot run routes overnight. 080, which bars anyone from removing materials from another business's dumpster and bars disposing of paint, hazardous liquids or flammable material in any refuse cart or dumpster picked up by the city; a business placing a dumpster or roll-off within the public right-of-way for a move, construction project or seasonal cleanup also needs board of public works approval for that placement. 030 if the container sits uncovered, is not kept sanitary, or if collection happens outside the permitted hours.
05 dates to Ordinance 79-1 from 1979 and was updated by Ordinance 23-14 in 2023, the covered-and-sanitary standard and the collection-hours limit remain the operative citywide rule for every dumpster serving a commercial account.
Violations & Fines
Section 6.05.030 sets the fine at not less than ten dollars and not more than one hundred dollars for each violation of the chapter, whether the violation is an uncovered or unsanitary container or collection outside the 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. window. Each day the violation continues counts as a separate violation, so an uncovered dumpster left unaddressed accrues a new fine daily until it is corrected.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Bloomington require commercial dumpsters to stay covered?
What hours can a commercial hauler empty a dumpster in Bloomington?
What's the penalty for an uncovered commercial dumpster?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in Bloomington
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