Sanitation Services

The City of Bloomington provides weekly curbside service collections of trash and recycling (plus bi-weekly yard waste collection from April to December) to residences within the city limits.  All commercial properties, including businesses, apartment complexes, housing developments with privately owned streets and apartment complexes, apartment houses with more than four (4) units in them are exempt from this service. 

If you have questions or are having issues with your trash, recycling or yard waste services, please call the Sanitation Division at (812) 349-3443, or send an email at sanitation@bloomington.in.gov. 

Find Your Pickup Day

You can find your weekly trash and bi-weekly yard waste collection days by searching for your address in our myBloomington tool.  Your recycling collection will occur on the same day as your trash collection day.  

View the interactive Sanitation Services Map to view citywide collection information.

2024 Holiday Delays: 

• There will be a one day delay in Sanitation services on the following holidays only: Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, 11/28/2024), Christmas Day (Wednesday, 12/25/2024) and New Year's Day (Wednesday, 1/1/2025). 
• Sanitation customers should place their waste and recycling carts on the curb by 5:00 a.m. one day after these holidays. 
• Normal trash and recycling operations are in place with no service delays for ALL other 2024 federal and city holidays (i.e. MLK Day, Memorial Day, Independence Day/4th of July, Presidents Day, Juneteenth, Labor Day, Election Day and Veterans Day).

Solid Waste Collection

The City of Bloomington Sanitation Division issues one solid waste cart (for a monthly fee, depending on the size you select) and one recycling cart (which has no fee, regardless of the size you choose) per household. 

Monthly fees are assessed based on the size of your solid waste cart.  Again, there is no fee for your recycling cart, regardless of the size of recycling cart you choose.

Fees for solid waste carts are the following: 

• 35 gallon (19" wide/23.75" deep/37.5" high): $8.75 per month
• 64 gallon (24" wide/27" deep/41.5" high):: $16.00 per month
• 96 gallon (26" wide/34.5" deep/46" high):: $24.00 per month

 

Questions about what items should be placed in the trash container and those that can be recycled?  Click here to learn more or scan the QR code below with a smartphone’s camera:

Billing for Sanitation Services

All Sanitation costs are included in your monthly City of Bloomington Utilities (CBU) statement. Through the current CBU billing options, residents can elect to set up automatic monthly payments, pay online, by mail or in person at the CBU service center located at 600 E. Miller Drive.

Placement of Carts

The placement of the carts is very important. 

• Carts must be placed at the curb by 5:00 a.m. on your day of pickup in order to guarantee service***
• Carts must be 4 feet away from any obstacles, including mailboxes, other carts, overhead wires, trees, etc. 
• Carts must also be 10 feet away from vehicles
• All cart lids need to be fully closed.  
• Failure to comply with these guidelines could result in a missed pickup! 

***Please note: after pickup, carts must be removed from the curb on the same day of pickup.

Cart Storage

Please store your carts in a covered area such as a garage or shed. If this is not possible, store them outdoors on the side or rear of your housing structure.

Non-Collection Notices

In the event that City Sanitation crews do not collect your trash or recycling, a non-collection notice will be left explaining the problem.  To ensure collection of your trash and recycling, please follow these guidelines:

• Set carts near the street
• Point front of carts toward the street
• Set carts 4 feet apart, 4 feet away from other objects and 10 feet away from vehicles
• Close lids completely
• Bag all solid waste
• Do NOT bag recyclable materials
• Place all solid waste and recycling INSIDE the container

Stolen, Misplaced or Damaged Trash/Recycling Containers  

The carts have RFID (radio frequency identification) tracking system technology embedded to identify them with their assigned household. City staff will be responsible for making repairs to damaged carts and will work with residents when carts are stolen or misplaced.  If a cart sustains damage caused by City services, the City will cover the cost of replacement. All other damages to the cart, such as vandalism or mutilation, will result in a $50 charge to the resident for a full cart replacement.

Large Item and Appliance Collection  

The charge for pickup of any large item $25 or appliance is $35 (per item). Please contact the Sanitation Division at (812) 349-3443, or complete this on-line form, to schedule a collection time for these items. Large items will be picked up on your regular trash day, and appliances will be picked up on Thursdays. All charges will be automatically added to your monthly CBU statement.     

You must schedule an appointment with Sanitation in order for large items or appliances to be picked up by crews! 

Examples of large items and appliances:

• Furniture (couches, chairs, tables, etc.)
• Mattresses
• Refrigerators
• Dishwashers
• Grills

Additional Weekly Pick-Up Requests (Optional) 

The Sanitation Division will provide additional pickups on request for missing collection due to forgetting to place your carts out by 5:00 AM on pickup day, or for overflow trash from an unusually large amount of trash during a particular week.  There is an extra charge associated with these requests, depending on the size of your cart, which will be added to your monthly CBU statement (see below for charges):

• 35 gallon cart additional weekly pickup fee: $2.54
• 64 gallon cart additional weekly pickup fee: $4.65
• 96 gallon cart additional weekly pickup fee: $6.98

 

You must contact the Sanitation Division or complete this on-line form to schedule these additional weekly pickups (they are collected on Fridays).   

A note on using commercial dumpsters: if a resident is using a dumpster for a significant amount of trash or has a need for the occasional removal of bulk trash associated with construction, moving, or seasonal cleaning, there is not a required authorization to utilize a commercial enterprise, other than for approval of dumpsters within the City's right-of-way.  Call the Engineering Department at (812) 349-3913 for more information about obtaining these right-of-way approvals for dumpsters.

Yard Waste Information

Yard waste will be collected every other week between April and December only (to find your specific yard waste collection days, please see your trash magnet or visit the myBloomington site.)  Billing for yard waste is also directly included in the customer’s CBU bill. The fee is $1 per bag or container. Please note that bagged leaves or leaves placed in yard waste containers will be collected at no cost to residents during the month of November, 2024. 

Acceptable yard waste for collection includes:

• Brown paper bags (available for purchase at either local grocery or hardware stores)
• Plastic or metal waste containers (35 gallon maximum)
• Sticks bundled 48 inches by 24 inches or less
• All packaged yard waste must weigh less than 40 pounds

 

Yard waste should be placed at the curb without placing it into a trash or recycling cart (provided that it's placed into paper bags or bundles, as mentioned above).  Additionally, the City always encourages residents to compost their yard waste. 

Yard Waste Carts Available for Purchase (Optional) 

A 64-gallon cart dedicated to residential yard waste collection is an available option to any resident.  It is exactly like a normal 64 gallon trash or recycling cart (same dimensions, has wheels and a green lid) and can be purchased upon request for a one-time charge of $70, which includes Indiana sales tax.  

Although not required for yard waste collection, the new cart option has several benefits for residents.  It eliminates the need to purchase brown paper yard bags or to bundle up sticks, brush, or limbs.  At nearly double the capacity of the 35-gallon plastic or metal waste containers currently allowed for yard waste collection, the wheeled 64-gallon carts can make yard cleanup more efficient.

There is no weight limit on the carts; the only requirement is that the lid be fully closed when the cart is placed at the curb. The cost per pickup of the cart will remain $1 for each collection and that charge will automatically be placed on the resident’s CBU bill.  

If you are interested in purchasing a yard waste cart, please contact the Sanitation Division at (812) 349-3443.

Sharps & Medication Disposal

See more details and learn information concerning proper local disposal options from the Monroe County Health Department.

Items with Bedbugs

Items that have bedbugs will not be collected in order to protect City of Bloomington Sanitation Division personnel.

Prohibited Trash Items

The items that the Sanitation Division will not collect include the following:

• Gasoline
• Antifreeze
• Used motor oil and/or oil filters
• Tires and any other automobile parts
• Batteries
• Paint
• Mercury
• Pesticides
• Items with bedbugs
• Fluorescent bulbs
• Medications
• Cleaners
• Ballasts and herbicides
• Electronics (televisions, computers, computer parts, etc.)
• Construction debris

 

The Monroe County Solid Waste District operates a Hazardous Materials Facility (located at 3400 S. Walnut St.) that will accept the following items, year-round: medications, cleaning supplies, batteries, automotive products, propane tanks, Freon appliances, electronics, acids and bases, flammable liquids, some paints, and garden supplies.  Please note that some fees may apply for appliances, electronics and other items.  Please contact the District at (812) 349-2020 for more information regarding hazardous materials collection and any applicable fees.

The South Walnut Street facility is open Tuesday-Saturday from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM.  Additionally, the Monroe County Solid Waste District also operates several Rural Recycling Centers that also accept household and automotive batteries, used motor oil, antifreeze, oil filters, and electronics.  Please visit the Monroe County Solid Waste District's website or contact them for more information and hours of operations for these Rural Recycling Centers.  

Options for Addresses that Don't Receive City Recycling Services

If you reside outside City limits, or are not eligible for City trash service, you may take your trash in orange bags to any of the Monroe County Solid Waste District's four Rural Recycling Centers for free year-round disposal. Orange bags may be purchased at major grocery or hardware stores. Call the Monroe County Solid Waste District at (812) 349-2020 for information about this program.