South Bend, IN Trash & Recycling: Collection Schedule (2026)
Key Facts
- Collection frequency
- Once weekly, route set by DPW
- Set-out deadline
- Curb/alley by 6:00 a.m. collection day
- Container pickup
- Remove within 24 hrs after collection
- Missed pickup (customer fault)
- $10.00 Return Trip Fee
- Yard waste schedule
- Weekly, April through November
- Enforcing agency
- Dept. of Public Works, Solid Waste Div.
Summary
South Bend picks up residential refuse once a week on routes the Department of Public Works sets and adjusts. Containers must be at the curb or alley by 6:00 a.m. on the scheduled day and back off the tree lawn within 24 hours of pickup, or the customer risks a return-trip charge.
Sec. 16-11. - Time and place for collection of garbage and trash. (a)Residential refuse shall be collected once a week.(b)The Department of Public Works shall establish all routes for City collection throughout the City. ... Sec. 16-8(a) ... it shall be the duty of the dwelling occupant to keep the cover of the container tightly fitted when refuse is contained in the container, and to remove the container from the collection site promptly after collection by the City and no later than twenty-four (24) hours thereafter. No container other than the one provided by the City shall be used for solid waste removal, and all refuse must be placed in the container and moved to the place of pickup by 6:00 a.m. on the designated collection date. If the customer does not receive the regularly scheduled weekly service through no fault of the City, customer shall be charged a "Return Trip" fee as set forth in Section 16-6(c)(1).
Official source re-checked September 7, 2026: no newer edition of the code had been published (publisher’s edition: Code of Ordinances: Supplement 65).
Full Breakdown
Chapter 16, Article 1 of the Code of Ordinances puts collection scheduling squarely under the Department of Public Works. Section 16-11 states plainly that "residential refuse shall be collected once a week" and that DPW "shall establish all routes for City collection throughout the City," so the weekly day assigned to a block is set administratively rather than by ordinance-fixed calendar. on the designated collection date, and then pull the empty container back off the collection site within twenty-four hours after the truck comes through.
No container other than the one the City issues may be used for solid waste removal. 00. The same container rules apply to the separate weekly yard-waste collection run April through November under Section 16-8(f), which likewise depends on the City-issued yard-waste tote being out on schedule. Special or bulk pickups, by contrast, are scheduled individually through the 311 Call Center rather than following the standing weekly route. Residents who believe their route day has changed or who miss a pickup should contact the Solid Waste Division directly rather than assume a citywide holiday shift, since the ordinance leaves route timing to DPW's operational discretion.
Violations & Fines
Missing the 6:00 a.m. set-out deadline through the customer's own fault triggers a $10.00 Return Trip Fee under Section 16-6(c)(1), billed the same as other solid-waste charges and non-refundable except for a billing-software error. Leaving a contaminated load in the container draws a warning from the Solid Waste Division first, then a $10.00 Contamination Fee that climbs $5.00 per repeat occurrence up to $20.00 in a calendar year. DPW and the Division of Solid Waste, not the police, administer these schedule-related charges.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often does South Bend collect residential trash?
What time does my trash need to be out?
What happens if I miss my scheduled pickup?
Can I use my own trash can instead of the City's?
Sources & Official References
Other rules in South Bend
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