Press Releases for Leaf Pickup Services
South Bend:
The City of South Bend Street Department will start accepting call-ins
on Monday, October 15, before the official start of the Operation ReLeaf program. Due
to the early accumulation of leaves and numerous requests from residents, early leaf pickup
will be offered this fall season. Call-ins will be accepted until October 31, at which
time crews will regroup and coordinate their strategy for the full scale Operation ReLeaf
program, which officially starts on November 5. The program will run for five weeks,
ending December 10. Residents will no longer have to call for a pick-up after November
5, since crews will be scheduled to work in designated areas in a clockwise rotation
throughout the City.
The Street Department asks residents to use the following guidelines when scheduling
leaf pick-up:
1. Residents requesting a leaf pile pick-up must have their leaves raked to the curb line no
later than 6:00 a.m. on the day of pick-up.
2. Please provide an address for the location of leaf pick-up.
3. Please rake leaves to the curb line, but avoid raking them into the street, as this will
plug the street drains causing them to flood during rainfall.
4. Avoid parking on top or in front of leaf piles along curb lines, as this hampers crews
from collecting the leaves.
5. Do not contaminate leaf piles by putting in sticks, trash, and other debris. Foreign
objects can cause damage to the equipment, and crews will not pick these piles up. It
will be the property owner's responsibility to dispose of contaminated piles.
6. Please remember, to maintain air quality, burning of leaves is totally prohibited and in
violation of City ordinance.
If residents prefer to bag their leaves, free paper bags are available for pick up at the
following locations:1. Solid Waste Office - 3113 Riverside Drive
2. Parks and Recreation - 321 E. Walter Street
3. City of South Bend Street Department - 731 S. Lafayette Street
4. Near Northwest Neighborhood Center - 901 California Avenue
Please dial (574) 235-9244 during the office hours of 7:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday
through Friday to schedule an early leaf pick-up.
Elkhart:
MAYOR MOORE ANNOUNCED LEAF PICK UP SCHEDULE
Mayor Dick Moore announced today the leaf pick up schedule in the City of Elkhart. The leaf pickup program will begin in Zone A, October 15th and November 12th, south of the rail road track to the City limits.
Leaf pickup will continue in Zone B the weeks of October 22nd and November 19th in the neighborhoods north of the St. Joseph River and west of Johnson Street.
Zone C leaf pickup will be the weeks of October 29th and November 26th in the neighborhoods north of the St. Joseph River and East of Johnson Street.
Zone D leaf pick up will be the weeks of November 5th and December 3rd and includes all neighborhoods south of the St. Joseph River up to the Main Line Norfolk Southern railroad tracks. A map of all zones and schedules is attached.
The Street Department crews will automatically pick up the leaves and there will be no need to contact the Street Department to give an address.
The Mayor reminds citizens to please rake the leaves to the street and not put the leaves in the street. He also encourages citizens to watch out for children playing in the leaves. Do not put limbs, trash, stone, and brick in the leaf piles. Branches/limbs should be in a separate pile. Residents may feel free to bag the leaves, however.
The Mayor appreciates the cooperation of everyone during this time with the removal of leaves.
If residents have any questions, they may feel free to contact the Street Department directly at 574-293-5518.
Mishawaka:
Mayor David Wood today announced that the Mishawaka Street Department will begin the city's annual fall leaf pick-up program on Monday, October 15th. Mishawaka residents may begin raking leaves to their curbside starting the weekend of October 13th & 14th.
The Mayor stated that the City is better equipped than ever to pick up leaves from the curbsides of Mishawaka homes. As a result, the Street Department will follow a schedule that should help residents plan their leaf raking activities. Leaves will be picked up each week the day before each resident's regular trash pick-up day. For example, if a resident's trash pick-up day is on Wednesday, the Mishawaka Street Department will pick up leaves from that residence on Tuesday. Those with a Monday trash pick-up day will have their leaves picked up on Friday.
Leaves should be raked to the edge of the curb and should be free of branches, twigs, stones or similar foreign objects which can damage equipment and delay leaf pick-up. Residents are encouraged not to rake leaves into the street immediately after a vacuum unit has passed through an area because it will not return until the next scheduled time. Meanwhile, leaves on the curb may clog sewer inlets or blow back into yards or streets.
Brush may continue to be taken to the Mishawaka Recycling Center, 1105 East Fifth Street, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Free wood chips and leaf mulch continue to be available for pick-up at the Recycling Center.
As always, the leaf collection program will continue through November or until leaves are no longer a problem for residents. Any questions about the program can be answered by calling Street Commissioner Mike Watson at 574-258-1660.
