SOUTH BEND, Ind. - The City of South Bend announced the start of yard waste season which starts April 1 and goes through November.

The annual program offers weekly pickup of yard waste for a small fee of $5.50 per month.

A 48 or 96-gallon yard waste bin will be provided to new customers who sign up with collection taking place on the same day as trash pickup.

Interested residents can sign up here for the program. Residents, who have a yard waste bin and received service last year, do not need to sign up again.

To reduce contamination in yard waste, city officials ask residents to only put the following content in their bins:

• Grass clippings

• Leaves or weeds

• Twigs or prunings

• Small branches (less than 2” in diameter)

These items are NOT allowed in yard waste bins:

• Animal waste

• Dirt and rocks

• Food waste

• Household trash

• Lumber and large tree limbs

• Oils, liquids and other hazardous waste

• Plastic bags and recycling

Yard waste from residents is converted to compost and mulch, which is available free of charge if self-loading at an area outside the City’s Organic Resources facility at 4340 Trade Drive.

Officials say when a yard waste bin is contaminated, it can cause the entire truckload to be sent to the landfill instead of being processed as compost or mulch.

The city reminds customers if contamination is found, a warning will be issued first. If contamination continues, a fee ranging from $10 to $20 will be issued and will appear on their next utility bill.