Bloomington, IL Trash & Recycling: Pickup Rules & Schedules (2026)

City Code § 21-301 limits City of Bloomington refuse collection to single-family residential buildings and multifamily buildings with six or fewer units, and only for refuse the occupants themselves generate; refuse from a business or from another premises is never collected. An owner of a multifamily property with two or more units can decline City service entirely and hire a private hauler once written notice is filed with the Public Works Department. Mobile homes qualify for pickup only inside a City-licensed mobile home park, only on a street that meets the § 21-204 definition, and only after the park owner signs a written agreement holding the City harmless for damage from the weight of collection trucks under § 21-301(B).

Collection is made from the street in front of residential buildings under § 21-303, except on four paved alleys the code names by cross street in § 21-304, including the alley between White Place and the Illinois Central Railroad right-of-way. Every dwelling unit that actually receives service is billed a monthly refuse fee set by cart size in the City's Schedule of Fees under § 21-316, escalating each May 1 under a CPI-based index. Residents can buy a $3 pay-as-you-throw sticker under § 21-317 for overflow bags left outside the automated cart, and income-qualified households pay a reduced $16-per-month rate under § 21-318.