HomeMy WebLinkAbout06.09.15_Event_Marks_Legacy_Pile_EndCITY OF SOUTH BEND
PETE BUTTIGIEG, MAYOR
Office of the Mayor
CONTACT:
Kara Kelly, (574) 235 -5853
kkelly @southbendin.gov
FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, June 9, 2015
CITY'S ORGANIC RESOURCES FACILITY MARKS THE END OF `LEGACY PILE'
The City of South Bend will celebrate the cleanup of its composting facility at 3 pm on Tuesday,
June 9 at Organic Resources, 4340 Trade Drive.
For more than 20 years, the city permitted residents to dispose of leaves, grass clippings, and
other yard waste in plastic bags. That resulted in the accumulation of large amounts of non -
biodegradable waste at the facility. With pressure from the administration, environmentalists,
and the state to clean it up, an ordinance prohibiting the use of plastic bags for yard waste went
into effect January 1, 2014, and Organic Resources partnered with a landfill to accept its yard
waste contaminated with plastic.
"A lot of hard work went into the removal of contaminants so the mulch and compost could meet
conditions for everyday use," says Eric Horvath, director of Public Works. "To handle the legacy
pile, 116,000 -cubic yards of non - biodegradable waste was removed, and over $420,000 was
spent. The result is material that can be used to grow food, and material that improves the
environmental and aesthetic quality of our city."
Mulch and compost is a free resource available to residents for flower and vegetable gardens on
a self -serve basis at the Organic Resources facility. Residents may bring their own shovels to
load the material, or have it loaded for $4 per yard for up to two yards, and $8 per yard for three
yards and over. The product, free of plastic after the year -long effort, is called South Bend
Kompost.
The facility is also available for residents to dispose of brush and limbs that exceed the allowable
limit for curbside pickup. No dirt, sand, rocks, sod, wood, or trash are accepted.
Organic Resources is open Monday through Friday from 8 am to 4 pm from May to late -
November. No loading or dumping is permitted between 12:30 and 1 pm daily. For questions,
contact 287 -6841.