Fall leaf collection could look different in Bloomington

Posted on June 24, 2021
Bloomington City Council member Jamie Mathy says he and other council members are looking for public input. (WJBC file photo)

 

By Neil Doyle

BLOOMINGTON – The City of Bloomington is exploring different ways to handle leaf collection in the fall.

Currently, the city uses a truck with a vacuum, but a different idea was brought to the table during the city council meeting this week. Ward 1 Alderman Jamie Mathy spoke with WJBC’s Scott Miller.

“Our process right now is very time consuming with three man teams around town trying to operate the machinery,” Mathy said. “One of the proposals that has been brought forward, is it more effective to move to a solution where residents are required to bag the leaves and put the lawn waste bags on the curb so it is quicker and faster for the city to pick those up. It’s pretty common and they do that in most of the suburbs around Chicago.”

Mathy says the bagging method would reduce leaf teams by one person, and speed up the entire collection process, reducing costs on the city side. He says the downside for residents is it would increase time and costs as bags would have to be purchased at the store.

Mathy and other council members are looking for public input.

Neil Doyle can be reached at [email protected]

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