The City of Bloomington plans to resume regular bulk waste pickup following complaints that the city’s bulk waste drop-off site was being exploited, mostly by landlords and contractors.
The city council will vote Monday on a request to resume free, every-other-week curbside bulk waste pickup starting in January. Additional bulk waste would cost an extra $30 per bucket.
The Citizen Convenience Center would only accept yard waste and electronics and would close each January through March.
According to a city staff memo to the city council, the city had hoped the Citizen Convenience Center would streamline bulk waste operations when the site opened in 2018, south of the Bloomington Public Library.
The city then moved to a $25-per bucket charge for bulk waste pickup, along with free citywide collections each spring and fall.
“This should reduce piles of waste sitting in yards waiting for the biannual pickup," the memo stated.
Staff said the operation was inefficient because public workers crews would need to send a separate loader and truck for each collection.
With curbside service, the first bucket of waste would be free, and any subsequent bucket would be $30 each. Staff told council members they "believe this would greatly reduce contractor and landlord misuse of the curbside service."
“While bulk waste handling has consistently been a net deficit operation, the abuse and inefficiencies have led staff to recommend changes to increase efficiency and deter abuse of the service,” the memo said.
Staff said the change would also benefit senior citizens, people with disabilities and residents without transportation who were unable to bring waste to the Convenience Center.
The council is scheduled to meet at 6 p.m. at the Government Center.
