Mayor Kerry Thomson

Page last updated on September 25, 2024 at 10:22 am

2024 City Leaf Collection and Management Options

Icon of vacuum collection truck in a red circle with red line through it indicating that vacuum leaf collection is discontinued starting in 2023

NO CURBSIDE VACUUM LEAF COLLECTION!

2023 was the first year the City of Bloomington no longer offered curbside vacuum leaf collection. This decision was made after two years of study and interaction with thousands of residents indicating that the combination of mulching and composting as much as possible in one's yard, and bagging the rest for collection by the City's yard waste program, is preferable. Vacuum leaf collection is inefficient, environmentally wasteful, expensive and difficult to staff. 

 

The City will instead support the management of your leaves via the following options that are listed below.

recycle symbolMULCHING AND COMPOSTING IN YOUR OWN YARD IS THE BEST OPTION

Recycling your leaves by mow mulching and/or composting in your own yard is the greenest way to manage your leaves and create useful fertilizer for your yard. It's natural and less work than raking. Not sure how to mulch or compost? No problem, we can help!                      

 

Green yard waste binUSE YARD WASTE CARTS OR PAPER BAGS FOR LEAF COLLECTION (FREE in NOVEMBER!)

If you still want leaves taken off of your property, you can fill brown paper yard waste bags (available at grocery and hardware stores, plus other retailers) or a City of Bloomington yard waste cart and set them out at the curb on your regular yard waste collection day.

There will be no collection charge for bagged leaves or leaves placed in yard waste carts during the month of November (typically $1 per collection of leaf bag or yard waste cart; collection fees will resume in December).   

Brown paper leaf bags will again be made available to the public at no cost, beginning in October. Please check back here for more information.

If you are interested in purchasing a yard waste cart, please contact the Sanitation Division at (812) 349-3443. You can find your regular bi-weekly yard waste collection days by searching for your address in our myBloomington tool. 

  • Please do not compact your leaves so tightly into the carts that they become heavy and difficult to wheel to the curb. 
  • Remember: if it is too heavy for you to roll, it will be too heavy for us to roll!
  • Residents will be charged a fee if their yard waste carts or paper bags are filled with anything other than dried leaves.
  • The yard waste crew will not collect leaves in plastic bags.

 

For any other questions about leaf collection, please contact the Sanitation office at 812-349-3443 between the hours of 6:00am and 4:00pm Monday through Thursday (Sanitation is closed on Fridays).