Storms have brought down a lot of trees this summer, which means there should be a lot of mulch made. But at least for now, that’s not the case in South Bend. A caller to the WSBT newsroom had a Good Question: “Why is the city not providing mulch as it has in the past, until March of 2011?”
Time and again this summer, we’ve seen the scenes — clean up and lots of it, from severe storms that brought trees down.
In the past, the city of South Bend has turned yard waste into mulch and residents can pick up that mulch for free. That will still be the case, just not for awhile.
The site where residents can pick up mulch is called organic resources, off Nimtz Parkway, on the northwest side of town.
But Mikki Dobski from the mayor’s office says the mulch will not be ready until next year. It’s a move to save money. The machine the city uses to mulch is broken down. City officials say replacing the machine would cost a half-million dollars.
To rent one for a week next year to mulch up all the downed trees is expected to cost $18,000. That means free mulch likely won’t be available until next March.
