[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Commissioners of the Township of Springfield 1-10-1990 by Ord. No. 775. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Brush, grass and weeds — See Ch. 11.
Garbage, rubbish and refuse — See Ch. 40.
A. 
The reduction of the amount of municipal waste and conservation of recyclable materials is an important public concern by reason of the growing problem of municipal waste disposal and its impact on the environment.
B. 
The collection of newsprint; aluminum cans; bimetallic cans; segregated clear, emerald and amber glass bottles; and leaf wastes for recycling from residences and high-grade office paper, aluminum cans, corrugated paper and leaf wastes from commercial and institutional establishments in Springfield Township and such other recyclables that shall be by resolution determined to serve the general public interest by reducing the volume of municipal waste which must be disposed, thereby reducing storage, collection, transportation and disposal costs of said waste and preserving valuable natural resources and will result in a financial benefit to the residents and taxpayers of Springfield Township by reason of the income realized from the sale of these recyclable materials and reduced cost of disposal.
C. 
This chapter has been developed to implement municipal responsibilities under the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act (Act 101 of 1988).
Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the following words and phrases used throughout this chapter shall have the following meanings:
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
Events sponsored in whole or in part by Springfield Township, or conducted within the Township and sponsored privately, which include, but are not limited to, fairs, bazaars, socials, picnics and organized sporting events that will be attended by 200 or more individuals per day.
[Added 11-13-2024 by Ord. No. 979]
GLASS
All products made from silica or sand, soda ash and limestone. The product may be transparent, translucent or colored and may be used as a container for the packaging or bottling of various matter.
LEAF WASTE
Leaves, not including grass, garden residues, shrubbery, tree trimmings and similar material.
MUNICIPAL WASTE
Any garbage, refuse, industrial lunchroom or office waste and other material, including liquid, semisolid or contained gaseous material, resulting from the operation of residential, municipal, commercial or institutional establishments and from community activities. The term does not include source-separated recyclable materials.
NEWSPAPER
Paper of the type commonly referred to as "newsprint" and distributed at stated intervals, usually daily or weekly, having printed thereon news and opinions and containing advertisements and other matters of public interest.
PERSON
Includes a lessee, as well as an owner of a residence, and includes a person, firm or corporation which owns a residence or business.
RECYCLABLES
Materials generated by business or consumers which can be separated from municipal waste and returned to commerce to be reused as a resource in the development of useful products. "Recyclables" include the following:
A. 
Clear glass.
B. 
Colored glass.
C. 
Aluminum.
D. 
Steel and bimetallic cans.
E. 
High-grade office paper.
F. 
Newsprint.
G. 
Corrugated paper.
H. 
Leaf waste.
I. 
Plastics.
Springfield Township hereby establishes a recycling program for the mandatory separation and collection of the designated recyclable municipal wastes stated above from all residences, businesses or institutions in Springfield Township for which waste collection is provided by Springfield or any other collector. Collection of the materials to be recycled shall be made by Springfield Township, its designated agent or any other solid waste collectors operating in Springfield Township.
The Director of the Public Works Department is hereby authorized and empowered to establish guidelines on the manner, days and times of collection of recyclable materials and the bundling, handling, location and time of placement of such materials for collections.
A. 
All persons who are residents of Springfield Township shall separate recyclables from municipal waste produced at their homes, apartments and other residential establishments and store such material for collection and shall place the same for collection by the township at the curbline in accordance with collection guidelines.
B. 
An owner, landlord or agent of an owner or landlord of a multifamily rental housing property with four or more units shall comply with its recycling responsibilities by establishing a collection system at each property. The collection system must include suitable containers for collecting and sorting materials, easily accessible locations for the containers and written instructions to the occupants concerning the use and availability of the collection system. Arrangements shall be made by owner for collection of these materials by private contractor.
C. 
All persons must separate leaf waste from other municipal waste generated at their houses, apartments and other residential establishments for collection unless those persons have otherwise provided for composting of leaf waste.
D. 
Persons must separate high-grade office papers, aluminum, corrugated paper and leaf waste generated at commercial, municipal or institutional establishments and from community activities and store the material until collection. Arrangements shall be made for collection of these materials by private contractor.
All recyclables placed by the resident for collection by Springfield Township pursuant to this chapter and regulations hereunder shall from time of pickup become the property of Springfield Township, except as otherwise provided by § 72-8 of this chapter.
It shall be a violation of this chapter for any person, firm or corporation other than Springfield Township or one authorized by Springfield Township to collect recyclables placed by a resident for collection by Springfield Township, unless such person, firm or corporation has prior written permission to make such collection as set forth in § 72-8 of this chapter. Each unauthorized collection in violation hereof from one or more residences on one calendar day shall constitute a separate and distinct offense punishable as hereinafter provided.
Any resident may donate or sell recyclables to any person, firm or corporation, whether operating for profit or not, provided that the receiving person, firm or corporation shall not collect such donated recyclable materials from the collection point of a residence without prior written permission from Springfield Township to make such collection.
A. 
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate the provisions of §§ 72-5 and 72-8 shall receive an official written warning of noncompliance for the first offense. Thereafter, all such violations shall be subject to the penalties hereinafter provided.
B. 
Except as hereinafter provided, any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any of the provisions of this chapter shall, upon conviction, be sentenced to pay a fine of not greater than $1,000 and costs of prosecution for each and every offense.