Crews to start curbside storm debris pickup in Monroe County

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (WISH) — Recovery from late June storms takes a step forward starting Sunday in Monroe County. Local leaders have set dates and times for debris pickup.

The June 25 storms in southern Indiana took a heavy toll on trees, damaging homes, businesses, and power lines. At the peak of the problems, more than 100,000 customers lost power around the state, most of them in and around Bloomington.

The storms also led to one extremely close call: A man shared with News 8 a harrowing story of a tree slamming onto his truck as he drove home from work.

Property owners are responsible for cutting up and safely clearing debris on their land, but they do not need to haul it off. Instead, the government is hiring crews for a series of pickups.

Inside Bloomington city limits, teams from Williams Tree Company will help with the removal of green debris. The work begins July 8.

The city asks that you put it in manageable piles near the road, but not blocking the right-of-way, to keep them safe and accessible. The crews will work for two weeks. If you need a pickup, the city asks that you submit a request through this link .

If you prefer to drop off your vegetation debris, a site will be open in the parking lots next to the ball fields at Lower Cascades at 3601 N. Old State Road 37.

The drop-off site will operate daily starting Saturday, July 6, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. You will have to show ID to prove that you are a resident to use the service.

Outside city limits, county officials ask you to place all of your tree and vegetation debris along the end of your property line, either curbside or near the edge to allow for easy access. Do not put debris into ditches, sidewalks, or the road.

A private contractor will be picking up the debris by township.

The debris pickup schedule will go as follows:

• Perry Township : July 7 – 12
• Van Buren Township : July 14 – 19
• Clear Creek Township : July 21 – 26
• Richland Township : July 28 – August 2
• Salt Creek Township : August 4 – 9
• Polk Township : August 11 – 16