This article shall be known as the "College Township Recycling Ordinance" and the same may be cited in that manner.
The Township of College, recognizing the reclamation of recyclable materials has become an important method for addressing the growing solid waste disposal problem through conservation of landfill space, preservation of natural resources and a reduction in energy consumption, does hereby authorize the storage, collection and transportation of recyclable materials in accordance with the provisions of the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act (No. 101),[1] the Centre County Solid Waste Management Plan,[2] and this article. This article is intended to be an integral part of an overall system designed to facilitate recycling and foster the cooperation of the residents.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 4000.101.
[2]
Editor's Note: The county plan is on file in the county offices.
The following words and phrases, when used in this article, shall have, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the meanings given to them in this article:
ALUMINUM CANS
Empty all-aluminum beverage and food containers.
AUTHORITY
Centre County Solid Waste Authority.
BIMETAL CONTAINERS
Empty beverage or food containers consisting of two metals such as steel, tin or aluminum.
COMMERCIAL
Any establishment engaged in a nonmanufacturing or nonprocessing business, including, but not limited to, stores, markets, office buildings, restaurants, shopping centers and theaters. Multifamily dwelling units, manufactured home parks, hotels, motels, mixed-use properties (combined business/residential on a single parcel) and farms which use commercial dumpsters shall be considered commercial establishments. It does not include properties where the primary permitted use is residential and accessory use is commercial (i.e., home occupations).
COMMUNITY ACTIVITIES
Church, school, civic, service group, municipal functions and all other such functions.
CORRUGATED PAPER
Structural paper material with an inner core shaped in rigid parallel furrows and ridges.
CURBSIDE RECYCLING COLLECTION
The scheduled collection and transportation of recyclable materials placed at the curbline or other area designated by the collector.
CUSTOMER
The owner of any residential, commercial, industrial or institutional property located within the municipality.
DESIGNATED AGENT
An agent, such as the Centre Region Council of Governments, acting on behalf of the municipality, whose powers and responsibilities are established in an intergovernmental agreement or similar document.
DROPOFF SITES
Those specified locations, staffed or unstaffed, where recyclable materials may be taken at specified times.
DWELLING UNIT
One or more rooms on premises which have cooking facilities and are arranged for occupancy by one person, two or more persons living together or one family. Each dwelling unit within a noncommercial building shall be considered an individual residential customer served by curbside refuse and recycling collection.
ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
The official designated herein or otherwise charged with the responsibilities of administering this article, or the official authorized representative.
EXCLUSIVE CONTRACT
An agreement entered into by College Township, or its designated agent, with a private person or corporation for the collection and disposal of all municipal waste generated within the boundaries of the municipality to the extent provided by this article and the agreement.
GLASS CONTAINERS
Bottles and jars made of clear, green or amber glass. Expressly excluded are noncontainer glass, automobile glass, plate glass, blue glass, lead crystal and porcelain and ceramic products.
HAULER
A person who collects, transports and/or disposes of municipal solid waste, recyclable materials and bulk waste from residential, commercial, industrial and institutional establishments or community activity. The term may be applied to a person having the exclusive right to collect within the municipality. All such haulers shall comply with the provisions under State Act 90,[1] as well as all federal, state, county and local laws, rules and regulations.
HIGH-DENSITY POLYETHYLENE (HDPE) CONTAINERS
Plastic bottles and jars made exclusively from noncolored, high-density polyethylene, such as milk and water jugs.
HIGH-GRADE OFFICE PAPER
All white paper, bond paper, and computer paper used in commercial, industrial, institutional and municipal establishments.
INDUSTRIAL
Any establishment engaging in manufacturing or processing, including, but not limited to, factories, foundries, mills, processing plants and refineries.
INSTITUTIONAL
Any establishment engaged in service to persons, including, but not limited to, hospitals, nursing homes, orphanages, schools and universities.
LEAD-ACID BATTERIES
Includes, but not limited to automotive, truck and industrial batteries that contain lead.
LEAF WASTE
Leaves, garden residue, shrubbery and tree trimmings, and similar material but not including grass clippings. (Act 101, Section 103[2]).
MULTIFAMILY DWELLING UNIT
A type of residential property either under single ownership or organized as a condominium or cooperative form of housing, which contains five or more dwelling units.
MUNICIPALITY
A political unit, such as a city, town, or village, incorporated for local self-government.
MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE
Any garbage, refuse, industrial lunchroom or office waste and any other material, including solid waste, liquid, semisolid or contained gaseous materials resulting from the operation of residential, municipal, commercial, industrial or institutional establishments and from community activities, and any sludge not meeting the definition of residual or hazardous waste in the Solid Waste Management Act from a municipal, commercial, industrial or institutional water supply treatment plant, wastewater treatment plant, or air pollution control facilities (Pennsylvania Act 101, Section 103[3]).
NEWSPAPERS
All paper of the type commonly referred to as newsprint and distributed at fixed intervals having printed thereon news and opinions, containing advertisements and other matters of public interest. Expressly excluded are newspapers which are wet, yellowed or soiled.
PERSON
An individual, partnership, corporation, association, institution, cooperative enterprise, municipal authority, federal government or agency, state institution or agency or any other legal entity whatsoever which is recognized by law as the subject of rights and duties.
POLYETHYLENE TEREPHTHALATE (PET) CONTAINERS
Plastic soda bottles composed of the polymer PET.
RECYCLABLE MATERIALS
The collection and separation of aluminum, steel, and bimetal cans; green, brown, blue, and clear glass; newsprint and bundles of magazines; unwanted mail; mixed office paper; paperboard; all plastic bottles (1 through 7); domestic corrugated cardboard; empty aerosol and paint cans; and any other materials per section 1501 of State Act 101[4] or added as material accepted by the Centre County Solid Waste Authority ("CCSWA") from time to time.
RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY
A dwelling unit under single ownership or organized as a condominium or cooperative form of housing, which contains one, two, three or four dwelling units.
STEEL CANS
Empty all-steel food and beverage containers.
TOWNSHIP
The governmental jurisdiction and legal entity of the Township of College, Centre County, Pennsylvania.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 27 Pa.C.S.A. § 6201 et seq.
[2]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 4000.103.
[3]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 4000.103.
[4]
Editor's Note: See 53 P.S. § 4000.1501.
Those recyclable materials separated under the provisions of this article shall not be considered municipal waste and shall not be subject to the provisions of municipal ordinances which require disposal of municipal solid waste at the Centre County Solid Waste Authority facilities by a hauler as defined herein.
The municipality hereby establishes a program for the mandatory separation of recyclables from municipal solid waste by residential dwellings and commercial, industrial and institutional establishments.
Dropoff facilities may be sited for use by those residential and commercial properties located within Centre County not serviced by a curbside route. Occupants of these residential and commercial properties shall be responsible for the separation of recyclable materials from municipal solid waste and their preparation and delivery to dropoff sites established by the municipality.
A. 
All recyclable material accumulated by owners of residential, commercial, industrial and institutional properties and/or occupants of said properties shall be placed in containers for collection by a hauler.
B. 
It shall be the responsibility of each customer to keep all recycling receptacles in good repair and sanitary condition.
C. 
More than one family or dwelling unit on the same premises may use the same containers but each family must pay the established rate as though a separate container is being used.
D. 
Location of containers. For residential and commercial properties recycling containers shall be placed near refuse containers for collection. Pickup at alternate locations may occur in accordance with agreement between the customer and the hauler.
A. 
All recyclable materials generated within the municipality shall be collected by a hauler. A commercial, industrial and institutional establishment may utilize an individual recycling program in conformance with § 172-30.
B. 
The municipality or its designated agent may, through a competitive bidding process, award an exclusive service contract for all or part of residential recycling collection.
A. 
Commercial, industrial and institutional establishments conducting their own recycling programs, not in conjunction with a hauler or under an exclusive contract as may be established by the municipality for the collection of municipal waste and recyclables, shall file with the municipality or its designated agent and have approved by the municipality or its designated agent, plans for individual recycling programs which provide for, at a minimum, the recycling of items listed in rules and regulations for the recycling program.
B. 
In addition to filing an individual recycling plan, commercial, industrial and institutional customers who choose to establish an individual recycling program are required to submit semiannually, to the municipality or its designated agent, weigh slips or other certification which show weight and type of material recycled by that establishment. If weigh slips are not used, the form of certification requires the prior approval of the municipality or its designated agent. Required information is due within 60 days of the end of the reporting period designated in the regulations for the recycling program.
C. 
An individual recycling plan for commercial, industrial or institutional establishments shall provide the following information:
(1) 
Applicant's company name, address, telephone number, contact person and owner's name.
(2) 
Company name, address, telephone number, and contact person for entity providing the recycling service.
(3) 
Description of materials to be recycled, frequency of collection, method of storage and how service will be provided.
(4) 
Form of certification to assure proper disposal of recyclable materials.
(5) 
Municipality in which the establishment is located.
(6) 
Other information as may be required by the municipality or its designated agent which is intended to assure the proper disposal of recyclable materials.
The municipality or its designated agent shall establish and promulgate regulations on the manner, days and time of collection of recyclable materials and for the bundling, handling, location and time of placement of such materials for collection. Regulations shall be promulgated for each of the programs undertaken for residential dwelling units, and commercial, industrial and institutional establishments.
A. 
Lead-acid batteries. No person shall place a used lead-acid battery in mixed municipal solid waste, discard or otherwise dispose of a lead-acid battery except by delivery to an automotive battery retailer or wholesaler, to a secondary lead smelter permitted by the Environmental Protection Agency, or to a collection or recycling facility authorized under the laws of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
B. 
Leaf collection. All residential and commercial, industrial, or institutional establishments that gather leaves shall separate all leaf waste from municipal solid waste and place it for collection at the times and in the manner theretofore or hereafter prescribed by the Township. Nothing herein shall require any person to gather leaf waste or prevent any person from utilizing leaf waste for compost, mulch, or other agricultural, horticultural, silvicultural, gardening, or landscape purposes. See Article III, Separation and Collection of Leaf Waste, Brush Waste, and Grass Clippings.
[Amended 11-20-2014 by Ord. No. O-14-15]
It is understood that any recyclable materials located at the curbline are the property of the municipality. It is further understood that any recyclable materials deposited in storage bins associated with commercial, industrial and institutional establishments belong to the property owner. Recyclable materials deposited in containers owned by the Centre County Solid Waste Authority are the property of the Authority.
For reasons of health and sanitation, it shall be unlawful for any person to accumulate or permit to accumulate upon private property in the municipality any of the types of recyclables defined within § 172-24 of this article.
The Board of Supervisors shall appoint an enforcement officer or officers to enforce and administer the provisions of this article.
Any person may donate or sell recyclable materials to individuals or organizations. Otherwise, such materials are to be placed at curbside, in dropoff facilities or storage bins or similar authorized locations for collection by the exclusive contractor or hauler as applicable.
A. 
Nonparticipation.
(1) 
Upon the discovery of any violation under the terms of this article, the municipality may, through its authorized agent, give notice to the owner or occupant of a violation hereunder, either by personal delivery to such owner or occupant, by United States mail directed to the last known address of such person or persons, as shown in the real estate registry records of the municipality, or by leaving the same on the premises where such violation occurs.
(2) 
Such person shall, within seven days after the delivery, mailing or leaving of such notice, make settlement by paying to the Treasurer of the municipality a sum of not more than $600 for the violation. Upon the failure of such person to make a settlement, as aforesaid, within seven days, the municipality may institute an action for violation pursuant to Subsection B.
(3) 
Nothing contained in this section shall affect, in any way, the provisions of this article regarding separate offenses for every day any violation occurs.
B. 
Fines for nonparticipation or nonpayment. On neglect or refusal of the occupant of any dwelling serviced by curbside recycling collection, residential dwelling unit or commercial, industrial or institutional establishment to separate recyclable materials from municipal solid waste and place them at curbside or sites established by the municipality or its designated agent, or make a settlement as provided in Subsection A, that person shall, upon conviction before a District Justice of such violation, be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000, together with the cost of prosecution, or to imprisonment in the Centre County Prison for a period of not more than 30 days. If the defendant neither pays nor timely appeals the judgment, the municipality may enforce the judgment pursuant to the applicable rules of civil procedure. Each violation shall constitute a separate offense.
C. 
Unauthorized collection. If any person, firm, corporation or other entity, unauthorized by the municipality or its designated agent, collects or removes or causes to be collected or removed any such recyclable materials as specified in the College Township regulations, or in violation of the provisions of this article, such person, firm, corporation or other entity shall, upon conviction by a District Justice in a summary proceeding, be subject to a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000, together with the cost of prosecution, or imprisonment in the Centre County Prison for a period of not more than 30 days. If the defendant neither pays nor timely appeals the judgment, the municipality may enforce the judgment pursuant to the applicable rules of civil procedure. Each day of a violation shall constitute a separate and distinct offense and shall be subject to separate summary proceedings before a District Justice, and subject to a penalty imposed by this section for each and every day such violation shall continue.
D. 
Pilfering of collection containers. If any person is responsible for pilfering of collection containers issued to a residence slated for either curbside collection or any other phase of the College Township recycling program, such person shall, upon conviction by a District Justice in a summary proceeding, be subject to a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $1,000, together with the cost of prosecution, or imprisonment in the Centre County Prison for a period of not more than 30 days. If the defendant neither pays nor timely appeals the judgment, the municipality may enforce the judgment pursuant to the applicable rules of civil procedure. Each day of a violation shall constitute a separate and distinct offense and shall be subject to separate summary proceedings before a District Justice and subject to a penalty imposed by this article for each and every day such violation shall continue. The affected resident will be responsible for replacing any missing container through purchase from the municipality or its designated agent.