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CITY OF SOUTH BEND PETE BUTTIGIEG, MAYOR <br />DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC WORKS <br />May 20, 2015 <br />Mr. Tim Scott <br />President, South Bend Common Council <br />41^ Floor, County -City Building <br />South Bend, IN 46601 <br />Re: Ordinance Amendment to South Bend Municipal Code Chapter 16, Articles 2 and 4, Regarding <br />Provisions for the Removal of Yard Waste from City Furnished Containers <br />Dear President Scott: <br />In 2013, the City amended the yard waste ordinance to prohibit the use of plastic bags that contain yard <br />waste materials. This allowed the City to collect uncontaminated, plastic -free yard waste for processing <br />at the Organic Resources facility for the first time in the City's history. Subsequently, the City has moved <br />approximately 100,000 cubic yards of plastic contaminated material from the Organic Resources facility <br />to the landfill over the past two years to comply with requirements from the Indiana Department of <br />Environmental Management. <br />At the same time, the City introduced the voluntary use of 95 gallon yard waste containers furnished by <br />the City as receptacles foryard waste to be collected from residential properties. The City issued yard <br />waste containers are rented annually for $16.00 or about $.50 per week during the months of April <br />through November. Since that time, the City has been reviewing the costs associated with the yard <br />waste removal and has determined that there is a significant cost difference between the collection of <br />yard waste in City furnished containers and the collection in paper bags, residential containers, or non - <br />bagged bundles. It has been determined that it is not economically feasible for the City to continue <br />removing yard waste which is not contained within the City furnished yard waste containers. <br />This ordinance recommends limiting the collection and removal of weekly residential yard waste <br />materials to those placed in City furnished yard waste containers. Residents would have until February <br />1, 2016 to request a container for an April 1, 2016 effective date. After April 1, no yard waste shall be <br />removed from property as a part of the weekly collection unless contained within a City furnished <br />container. However, the City would still have provisions for a one -time per month special pick -up <br />collection of yard waste that would not be limited to the City furnished yard waste containers, and the <br />City would still run its annual Spring and Fall Curbside Re -Leaf programs. <br />h� J <br />V <br />