For the purposes of this chapter the following
terms, phrases, words and their derivations shall have the meaning
given herein. When not inconsistent with the context, words used in
the present tense include the future, words in the plural number include
the singular number, and words in the singular number include the
plural number. The word "shall" is always mandatory and not merely
directory.
LEAF WASTE
Leaves, garden residue, shrubbery and tree trimmings and
similar material, but not including grass clippings.
LEAVES
Leaves from deciduous trees, which have fallen from trees
as a result of seasonal changes. This term as used in this chapter
is intended to be less inclusive than the term "leaf waste."
MUNICIPAL WASTE
Municipal waste as defined in the Pennsylvania Solid Waste
Management Act.
PERSON
Any person, firm, partnership, association, corporation,
company or organization of any kind.
RECLAMATION
The controlled removal of valuable materials from a solid
waste processing or disposal site for reuse or sale for reuse.
RECYCLABLE MATERIALS
Newsprint, magazines, junk mail, cardboard, plastics (marked
PETE or HDPE, 1 or 2), aluminum, steel, bimetal, aerosol cans and
glass which are to be collected separately and disposed of in a manner
which will allow reprocessing and reuse. Leaves shall also be recycled,
to the extent that the Township has a location to recycle such leaves,
and shall be placed for collection and collected separately from other
recyclable materials, as specified in this chapter.
RESIDENTIAL
Residential dwelling of four units or less held in common
ownership and contiguous.
SEWAGE
Any substance that contains any of the waste products or
excrement or other discharge from the bodies of human beings.
SOLID WASTE
Solid waste as defined in the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Management
Act, together with coal ash and drill cuttings.
TOTER
A ninety-six-gallon container equipped with wheels for ease
of movement and capable of being dumped mechanically into refuse trucks.
UNIT
One box, can, suitable plastic bag, or carton, either empty
or filled with municipal waste when such material is assembled, broken
or cut up and tied securely in bundles. Units shall be of such size
that the longest dimension shall not exceed three feet and that the
volume shall not exceed 12 cubic feet; and, provided further, that
the total weight of any unit shall not exceed 50 pounds. Municipal
waste containing putrescible matter shall not be placed in units.
The following recycling activities shall be
mandatory:
A. Residential recycling. The occupants of all residential establishments, including but not limited to homes and apartments, shall separate from other municipal waste generated in the residential establishment all recyclable materials as defined in this chapter, and shall place such recyclable materials in appropriate containers provided by or on behalf of the Township. The Township reserves the right to charge a reasonable fee for such containers. Such recyclable materials shall be placed at curbside by the occupant of the residential establishment as set forth in §
187-12 of this chapter.
B. Leaf waste. All occupants of residential establishments
shall separate leaf waste from other municipal waste.
C. Multifamily rental housing properties. The owner, landlord, or agent of an owner or landlord of any multifamily rental housing property with four or more units shall comply with the terms of this section by establishing a collection system for recyclable materials at each such property. Such collection system shall 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. It shall be the responsibility of the owner or landlord, or agent of the owner or landlord, to provide to the Township satisfactory proof of compliance with this Subsection
C. Owners, landlords, and agents of owners or landlords who comply with this subsection shall not be liable for the noncompliance of occupants of their buildings. Occupants of those buildings shall be responsible for sorting and recycling recyclable materials to the same extent as occupants of residential establishments as set forth in Subsection
A.
D. Commercial, municipal and institutional establishments; community activities. All commercial, municipal, or institutional establishments, or operators of community activities shall be responsible for separating high-grade office paper, aluminum, corrugated paper and leaf waste from other municipal waste at the facility. Such materials shall be appropriately stored until collection. However, any commercial, institutional and municipal establishments which have otherwise provided for the recycling of such materials shall be exempted from the collection provisions of §
187-12 of this chapter, provided that each such commercial or institutional solid waste generator annually provides written documentation to the Township of the total number of tons recycled.
All solid waste or other material subject to
decay, excepting sewage, leaves, grass or animal fertilizer, shall
be kept in a tightly covered metal or plastic container having a definite
shape. It shall be unlawful to place or permit the same to remain
anywhere in the Township other than in a tightly covered metal or
plastic container having a definite shape.
It shall be harmful to place or permit to remain
any sewage above the surface of the ground in the Township.
It shall be unlawful to cause or permit to accumulate
any solid waste anywhere in the Township unless in a tightly covered
metal or plastic container having a definite shape, except automobiles,
trucks, buses, motorcycles, trailers, motor scooters or other vehicles
capable of proceeding under their own power or being towed by a powered
vehicle which are included in the aforesaid definitions of solid waste
shall be completely housed or enclosed within a permanent structure
not including tents, tarpaulins or temporary coverings of any nature
whatsoever.
It shall be unlawful to deposit or permit to
fall from any vehicle any solid waste on any public street or alley
in the Township, provided that this section shall not be construed
to prohibit placing solid waste in a container complying with the
provisions of this chapter preparatory to having such material collected
and disposed of by a collector registered by the Township.
For properties served by the collector exclusively
contracted to collect and haul residential municipal waste and recyclables
under this chapter or any successor regulations or amendments thereto,
Christmas trees shall be added as a source-separated recyclable material.
Christmas trees shall be placed at the public street or alley edge
where solid waste is normally placed at such time and date as is established
by the Township or its exclusive contract collector during the first
full week of January. Such Christmas trees must be placed at the street
or alley side by 6:30 a.m. on the scheduled collection day.
During the fall season, leaves (as distinguished
from leaf waste) which are placed in piles along the curb or the edge
of the road within the cartway or the berm shall be collected by the
Township, and, when so collected, shall be recycled by the Township
to the extent that the Township is able to arrange with the owner
or owners of property in the Township or in an adjoining Township
satisfactory to the Township to recycle said leaves. Leaves intended
for recycling by a resident shall not be placed in any containers
or units of any kind.
The exclusive contract hauler shall provide
curbside recycling service per the contract documents and this chapter.
All collectors providing recycling to customers in the Township are
required to conform to all ordinances of the Township, the Township
Solid Waste Management Plan, any county plan and any statutes or regulations
of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. All collectors providing recycling
services in the Township are required to keep accurate weight receipts
for all designated recyclable materials and municipal solid waste
collected from within the Township and must provide these totals to
the Township annually or as often as deemed necessary by or specified
in the exclusive contract documents and exclusive contract awarded
by the Township. All collectors shall make available for inspection
by the Township any records and/or weight receipts pertaining to customers
in the Township. All collectors shall permit the Township to use the
information collected pursuant to this section for purposes of applying
for and obtaining grants from the commonwealth.
The exclusive contract hauler or any other hauler
within the Township shall pay promptly any damages inflicted upon
property owners or residents occasioned by the fault or negligence
of said operators. Failure of the hauler to promptly pay damage occasioned
by his or its fault or negligence shall subject the hauler to immediate
forfeiture of his or its authorization to collect said waste in the
Township.
Collection of solid waste shall be made only
in trucks equipped with compactor-type units or with tarpaulin-covered
bodies. A person collecting solid waste shall dispose of said material
only in compliance with the exclusive contract, the East Manchester
Township Solid Waste Management Plan, the Pennsylvania Solid Waste
Management Act and, in the event that he/she does not, he/she shall be
subject to forfeiture of any authorization to collect solid waste
in the Township.
The exclusive contract hauler collecting solid
waste from residents within the Township shall make available said
collection at least once each week to every resident serviced.
Any person violating the provisions of this
chapter, or failing to comply therewith, or with the terms and conditions
of the contract shall be subject to any penalties in the specifications
for the exclusive contract and, in addition, shall commit a criminal
offense, and shall, upon being found guilty by a Magisterial District
Judge, after hearing, pay a fine not to exceed $1,000, together with
all court costs and attorneys' fees as permitted by law. In default
of payment thereof, the defendant may be sentenced to imprisonment
for a term not exceeding 90 days. Each continuing day of violation
shall be deemed a separate and distinct offense.
[Added 3-9-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-1]
A. Each owner of a residential (as defined in this chapter) dwelling
within East Manchester Township shall be required to pay to the exclusive
contract hauler a monthly, quarterly or semiannual fee for the collection,
transportation and disposal of municipal waste and recyclable materials.
This fee shall be paid regardless of the amount or type of municipal
waste and/or recyclable material put out for collection. The monthly,
quarterly or semiannual fee charged by the exclusive contract hauler
shall be established by a contract to be entered into between East
Manchester Township and the exclusive contract hauler pursuant to
public bidding requirements. The Township accepts no responsibility
whatsoever for the collection of the fee to be charged to the owner
of each residential dwelling. The exclusive contract hauler shall
be solely responsible for the collection of the monthly, quarterly
or semiannual fees.
B. All fees which remain unpaid 30 days after the invoice date shall
be deemed to be delinquent. All delinquent accounts shall have added
to them a penalty of $10. Thereafter, the ten-dollar fee shall be
imposed once during each quarter that the delinquent balance remains
unpaid. The Township or exclusive contract hauler is authorized to
waive such penalty, in whole or in part, if either party believes
it is in the best interest of the Township to do so.
C. If the owner of a residential dwelling shall fail to pay any charges
or fees after the same become delinquent, the Township Solicitor is
authorized, pursuant to the Pennsylvania Municipal Claims Act, to enter a lien against the real estate upon which the
residential dwelling is situate in the amount of the fees and charges
or aggregate of fees and charges, plus penalties and costs of entry.
D. If the owner of a residential dwelling shall fail to pay any charges
or fees after the same becomes delinquent, the Township Solicitor
and/or exclusive contract hauler, are authorized to file a civil suit
against the owner for the collection of refuse fees, related charges,
penalties, interest, and costs of collection, including reasonable
attorneys' fees, and an administrative fee of $50.
E. If the owner of a residential dwelling does not reside in the dwelling, the exclusive contract hauler may collect the fee for the collection, transportation and disposal of municipal waste and recyclable materials from the tenant or occupant of the residential dwelling. The exclusive contract hauler shall be authorized to exercise the collection remedies provided for in Subsections
B and
D against the tenant or occupant. The exclusive contract hauler shall not be permitted to enforce the owner’s duty to pay a tenant’s or occupant’s bill for service rendered, unless the exclusive contract hauler notifies the owner of the residential dwelling within 30 days after the tenant’s or occupant’s bill for service first becomes overdue. Notification shall be provided by first-class or certified mail to the address of the owner and to the billing address of the tenant or occupant, respectively. The notice shall reference the enforcement provisions of this chapter and clearly indicate the owner shall be responsible for overdue charges for service rendered to the tenant or occupant of the residential dwelling. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to relieve the owner of liability for such service unless the exclusive contract hauler fails to provide the notice required in this subsection.
[Added 4-13-2010 by Ord.
No. 2010-2]
F. The existence or exercise of any remedy under this section shall
not prevent the Township from exercising any other remedy provided
under this chapter or the Township's policies or procedures or
available at law or equity.