South Bend's Leaf Cleanup: What You Need to Know

South Bend is getting ready to tackle those pesky leaves again. The city's leaf cleanup crew is set to start back up on December 24th. But remember, this is only if the weather plays nice. They'll begin with Zone 7 and move on to the next areas once they're done. Earlier in December, the leaf cleanup had to take a break because of heavy snow and freezing temps. But now that things are warming up a bit, the crew is back in action. However, if the weather turns bad again, they might have to pause the cleanup once more.For the crew to do their job, the leaves need to be free of snow, and the temps should stay above freezing. Wet leaves can cause problems too, as they tend to clog up the equipment. Here's what you need to do as a resident: * Rake your leaves to the tree lawn area by 6 a. m. on the scheduled pickup day. Don't rake them into the street. * Make sure your leaf piles are clean. No sticks, trash, or other debris. * Don't park on or in front of the leaf piles. You can keep track of the crew's progress online. Just visit the city's website for updates. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to call 311.