The City of Bloomington will begin its annual fall leaf collection on October 19. This year, the collection will run on a rotating A and B schedule, or every other week.

Residents should place their leaves on the curb in either brown paper waste bags, trash cans with handles, or city-issued green-lid yard waste carts. Residents who want to purchase a city-issued cart can do so through the Sanitation Department.

The city asks residents to remove all dirt from leaves and avoid placing bags near trash cans, which could be punctured by the truck’s mechanical arms.

Director of Sanitation Lazarus Sears says the leaf collection program is important to keep the streets and sewers clean and gives some tips for residents to make collection easier.

“If you know it's going to rain, some citizens put tarps over their bags and then our crews know to put the tarp back nice and neat,” Sears says. “That prevents the bag from ripping and tearing and making a mess.”

The city asks for bags not to weigh more than 40 pounds and not to be taped shut.

For more information on instructions for leaf collections, scheduling, and alerts, residents can visit the City of Bloomington's website.