[Ord. 11/14/38; Ord. 5/8/80, § 1]
No person shall deposit or dump, or cause to be deposited or dumped, any rubbish, garbage, house offal or refuse, animal or vegetable matter of any kind, in any street, lane, highway, or common, or upon any part of any public beach or upon any public lands or upon that part of any land or shore which is flowed by the waters of the Atlantic Ocean and/or Sakonnet River within this Town, or upon any property not belonging to said person, without the permission of the owner thereof.
[Ord. 5/8/80, § 2]
No person shall throw, pour, or in any way deposit, place or cause to be placed any filth, brine, dirty water, dirt, rubbish, or other offensive substance of any description whatsoever, or any paper, sawdust, shavings or any refuse animal or vegetable matter of any kind in any street, wharf, lane, highway, common, park, or public land in the Town.
[Ord. 5/8/80, § 3]
All owners or tenants of real estate in the Town shall keep the same free from accumulating waste, that because of its nature, condition or proper storage, may invite the breeding or collecting of flies or mosquitoes or rodents, or that may in any other manner be prejudicial to the public health, welfare or safety of the inhabitants of the Town.
[Ord. 5/8/80, § 4]
The Town Council shall designate an area as the Town dump. No person may operate a commercial waste disposal site within the Town other than on the designated area. The Town dump shall be operated under the authority of the Town Council in such manner and under such rules and regulations as the Town Council may adopt. It is also to be understood that the dump shall conform to all Federal and State laws and/or rules and regulations.
a. 
All waste shall be transported to the Town dump at the expense of the owner thereof. "Waste" shall mean all trash, rubbish, garbage, offal and other refuse or discharged or discarded matter.
[Ord. 5/8/80, § 5]
b. 
No waste shall be dumped or left on any private property, or any road or highway, or property of the Town, other than at the Town dump.
[Ord. 5/8/80, § 6]
c. 
No carcass of an animal shall be deposited at the Town dump. Such carcass shall be buried by the owner of the animal or by the person on whose property the carcass may be found.
[Ord. 5/8/80, § 7]
d. 
The Town dump shall be for waste generated by Little Compton residents only and no person shall deposit waste at the Town dump, or make any use of this dump without first obtaining a permit, which shall be obtained from the office of the Town Clerk of the Town of Little Compton. The fee for said permit shall be determined by the Town Council of the Town. All persons collecting waste as a business and depositing the same within Little Compton, shall do so only if the loads are covered and protected so said waste cannot fall or be blown from the vehicle being utilized.
[Ord. 5/8/80, § 8]
e. 
Type of Disposal Area. The Little Compton Dump shall be operated as a transfer station. At the discretion of the operator or contractor there may be provisions for the recycling of materials such as metal, glass, or newspaper. Other waste shall be in lengths and/or widths of not greater than three feet and shall be deposited in a compactor for transfer to an approved disposal site. Exceptions to the three foot length may be granted if the item is easily compacted.
[Ord. 5/8/80, § 9; Ord. 6/7/84; Ord. 10/4/84; Ord. 12/6/84; Ord. 3/10/88; Ord. 7/1/91; Ord. 4/22/93; Ord. 3/24/94; Ord. 7/21/94; Ord. 8/22/96; Ord. 10/18/01; Ord. 11/20/01; Ord. 8/19/10; Ord. 7/23/15; Ord. 9/9/2021]
a. 
It is important that the Town have rules and regulations for an orderly and systematic process for the disposal of trash and garbage at the transfer station. Therefore, these rules and regulations are adopted by the Town Council pursuant to subsection 8-1.4 of the Town Code.
b. 
Hours of Operation. The hours of operation for the Town Transfer Station shall be determined by the Town Council. If the transfer station is closed due to a holiday, the hours of operation for the day following the holiday shall be the same as the day on which the holiday falls, except if the holiday falls on a Saturday. Contracting and/or construction debris will not be accepted on Saturday.
c. 
Residence stickers will allow access to and use of the transfer station.
d. 
Recycling of Materials.
1. 
Mandatory Recycling. A mandatory recycling program is hereby implemented in the Town of Little Compton pursuant to Chapters 23-18.8, 23-18.9 and 23-19 of the Rhode Island General Laws and the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management Municipal Recycling Regulations, as amended.
2. 
Definitions.
(a) 
MIXED RECYCLABLES – Are those materials required to be removed from municipal solid waste at the source and delivered directly to the Town recycling facility or placed in or on top of the set-out container provided by the Solid Waste Management Corporation for collection by a privately contracted hauler.
(b) 
RECYCLABLE MATERIALS – Are those separated from municipal solid waste for processing for reuse as specified by the Director of DEM and listed in Section 4 of the Municipal Recycling Regulations and within this paragraph. The materials to be included may change from time to time depending upon new technologies, economic conditions, waste stream characteristics, environmental effects or mutual agreement between the State and municipalities.
(c) 
RESIDENT – Is anyone (including any business entity regardless of organizational form) residing in the Town of Little Compton for any period of time who generates solid waste for which the Town accepts disposal responsibility.
(d) 
SEASONAL OR SHORT TERM RENTALS – Shall mean those temporary residents with a rental agreement of three months or less.
(e) 
SOLID WASTE – Is garbage, refuse and other discarded solid materials generated by residential, institutional, commercial, industrial and agricultural sources but not including solids or dissolved material in domestic sewage or septage nor hazardous waste as defined in the Hazardous Waste Management Act, Chapter 23-19.1 of the Rhode Island General Laws.
(f) 
SOURCE SEPARATION – Is the removal by the generator of recyclable materials including mixed recyclables from all other solid waste generated by the household and conveyance of the recyclable materials to the Town recycling facility or to the curbside for collection by a private hauler.
3. 
Residential recycling.
(a) 
All residents are required to separate recyclable materials from residential solid waste and to deliver those materials directly to the Town recycling facility or to have them delivered to a Town or State recycling facility by a private hauler. This paragraph does not, however, bar any residents from giving recyclable materials to a nonprofit or private organization.
(b) 
The following materials are required to be separated from residential solid waste and delivered to a Town or State recycling facility:
(1) 
Newspapers.
(2) 
Aluminum.
(3) 
Steel/tin cans.
(4) 
Glass containers.
(5) 
PET plastic soda bottles.
(6) 
HDPE plastic dairy jugs.
(7) 
Electronic waste.
(8) 
Other materials determined by the Department of Environmental Management to be recyclable in its Municipal Recycling Regulations, Section 4-1.
(c) 
All separated materials are to be delivered to a Town, State or State designated recycling facility in a processable condition, i.e., at a minimum, all glass, plastic, steel/tin and aluminum containers shall be empty and rinsed, aluminum foil shall be clean, webbing shall be removed from aluminum furniture, no non-container glass shall be mixed with the recyclables, newspapers shall be placed in a brown paper bag or tied in bundles with a string and any other requirements in DEM's Municipal Recycling Regulations, Appendix A.
4. 
Public Events. The separation of recyclables from solid waste shall be a condition of licensing or authorization of any public event, the conduct of which generates solid waste for which the Town accepts disposal responsibility.
5. 
Ownership of Recyclables. Any recyclable materials, as defined by this paragraph, once placed in a designated pickup place or delivered to a Town facility, become the property of the Town and no person not permitted by the Town shall collect such materials except as specifically authorized by the Town. The Town may issue permits to charitable organizations to collect recyclable materials on the condition that a report is filed by said organizations detailing the weights of each material collected in compliance with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management reporting requirements and provided that the Town determines that said collection does not conflict with the Town's recycling program. Such permit shall be obtained from the Town Clerk after application is made on a form furnished by the Town Clerk. The fee for such permit shall be $10 to be paid at the time of application.
e. 
The following items will be accepted at the transfer station:
1. 
Normal residential household trash and garbage. All trash shall be transported to the transfer station in leak-proof containers with closed tops.
2. 
Grass, leaves and loose hedge trimmings.
3. 
All materials listed in Section 8-1.5, d, 3 as recyclable.
(a) 
Other materials identified by the Town where collection containers have been provided such as:
(1) 
Clothing/textiles.
(2) 
E-waste.
(3) 
Rechargeable batteries.
4. 
Used oil — Used oil will be transported to the transfer station in non-breakable, leak-proof containers. Only standard grades of automobile oil will be accepted. No other liquid substance should be transported to the station for any purpose. Disposal of used oil at the station will be in accordance with the posted regulations.
5. 
White goods, scrap metal and tires — White goods, scrap metal and tires will be accepted at the transfer station as a service to the homeowner but will not be accepted from a commercial business unless said business pays the following fees:
(a) 
Tires:
(1) 
Tires received individually shall carry a fee to match the fee charges by RI Resource Recovery Corporation listed in Section 8-1.6. Tires with rims shall carry a fee twice the value of the documented fee listed in Section 8-1.6.
(2) 
Individual smaller tires such as bicycle, motorcycle or small utility trailer tires shall be free.
(b) 
White goods and scrap metal: $30 per trip for vehicles with a carrying capacity of less than 2,000 pounds.
6. 
Construction debris received directly from the property owner in small quantities for work done on property owned in Little Compton after paying the fee listed in Section 8-1.6.
f. 
The following items will not be accepted at the transfer station:
1. 
All liquid and semi-liquid wastes with the exception of used oil, as specified above.
2. 
Tree stumps, wood and roots of any size or description.
3. 
Animal remains.
4. 
Ash, cinders or hot loads.
5. 
Boulders, dirt, gravel, or any other earthen materials.
6. 
Farm equipment, industrial equipment, automobiles or parts thereof.
7. 
Pathological or biological or hazardous wastes as defined by any governmental agency.
8. 
Chemicals or compounds that are explosive, flammable, radioactive or toxic.
9. 
Any substance or material or item that may cause damage to or adversely affect the operation of the Little Compton Transfer Station.
g. 
No scavenging, dump picking or loitering will be permitted at the transfer station.
h. 
No trucks, trailers, or other open vehicles will be allowed entry into the transfer station if their load is not covered.
i. 
All items deposited at the transfer station become the property of the Town of Little Compton. The Town may dispose of the items in any way appropriate.
j. 
It is expressly prohibited to deposit into the household trash compactor items specified herein as recyclable, including newspapers, aluminum beverage cans, plastic, glass, heavy metals. The Town reserves the right to inspect resident's bagged trash to ensure appropriate separation of solid waste and recyclable materials.
k. 
No commercial loads of construction debris will be accepted.
[Ord. 7/1/91; Ord. 4/8/93; Ord. 8/5/93; Ord. 7/21/94; Ord. 9/4/97; Ord. 10/18/01; Ord. 2/21/02; Ord. 8/21/03; Ord. 12/4/03; Ord. 8/19/10; Ord. 5/21/15; Ord. 6/23/16; Ord. 9/9/2021]
a. 
Transfer station stickers shall be issued annually to residents of the Town of Little Compton. Each sticker shall carry a fee of $5 and shall be permanently affixed by the resident to a window on the driver's side of the vehicle in such a manner as to be readily visible by the transfer station attendant. Proof of vehicle registration and residency within the Town of Little Compton will be required.
b. 
Coupons may be purchased for use by temporary residents, such as short term or seasonal rentals. Said coupons shall carry a fee of $5 per coupon expiring on the 31st of December annually. The coupon will allow the holder to deliver household trash to the Town Transfer Station by surrendering one coupon per trip to the transfer station attendant. Proof of temporary residency will be required. Coupons may be purchased by local realtors to be utilized with Little Compton rental properties.
c. 
Seasonal passes may be purchased for use by summer residents that will allow passage into the Town Transfer Station from Memorial Day to September 30 during the year of issue. Said passes shall carry a fee of $15. Proof of seasonal residency and vehicle registration will be required.
d. 
All other vehicles, except vehicles which collect waste in the Town for hire, may use the Town transfer station under the following conditions:
1. 
They may only deposit trash at the transfer station which is generated in the Town.
2. 
A permit shall be obtained from the Town Clerk for each trip to the transfer station for construction debris received from residents (non-commercial) in a vehicle with a carrying capacity of less than 2,000 pounds or a trailer with no more than 160 cubic feet shall carry a fee of $75. No larger capacities will be accepted.
3. 
No vehicle with a carrying capacity of greater than 11,999 pounds and no rollers or roll off boxes will be allowed to dump at the Town transfer station.
4. 
For convenience, one or more permits may be purchased from the Town Clerk at one time.
5. 
Permits must be provided to the attendant at the transfer station upon entry.
e. 
All qualified persons engaged in the business of collecting and hauling refuse to be delivered to the Town Transfer Station for refuse generated within the boundaries of the Town shall be licensed by the Town, pursuant to Section 23-18.9-1(b)(1) of the Rhode Island General Laws.
1. 
The following fees shall be charged:
(a) 
A fee of $500 per year for each vehicle with a gross weight in excess of 4,000 pounds.
2. 
No licenses shall be granted until all Town taxes and fees shall have been paid to date to the Town Treasure and Collector of Taxes or other Municipal Agency authorized to collect such fees or taxes.
3. 
Licensed haulers shall collect only that residential solid waste that is source separated by the resident into the recyclable and nonrecyclable components.
4. 
Licensed haulers shall keep recyclable materials separate from nonrecyclable residential solid waste.
5. 
Licensed haulers shall maintain any separated recyclable materials that are delivered to either a Town, State, or State designated recycling facility in processable condition.
6. 
Licensed haulers shall keep residential recyclable materials separate from recyclables collected from commercial accounts.
7. 
Licensed haulers who deliver recyclables to a Town, State, or State designated recycling facility shall deliver to said facility only recyclables generated by residents of the Town of Little Compton.
8. 
Licensed haulers shall deliver all recyclables designated to go to a Town, State, or State designated recycling facility to said facility.
f. 
Any person or business that wishes to dispose of a refrigerator, freezer, air conditioner, dehumidifier or any other appliance that requires Chlorofluorocarbons (CFC) and/or Hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) removal shall first obtain a permit from the Town Clerk which shall be presented to the attendant at the transfer station. The fee for said permit shall be $25 for each appliance.
g. 
Any person or business that wishes to dispose of a mattress or box spring shall be allowed to dispose for free unless said mattress or box spring is deemed unrecoverable by RI Resource Recovery standards whereby there shall be a fee levied for disposal equal to the rate charged to the Town by RI Resource Recovery.
h. 
Tires shall carry a fee as set forth by RI Resource Recovery Corporation (valid July 1, 2021 – June 30, 2023) listed as follows:
1. 
Tires – Car: $5 each
2. 
Tires – Tractor Trailer: $10 each
3. 
Tires – Oversized, Off-road: $100 each
[Ord. 5/8/80, § 10; Ord. 11/19/87; Ord. 9/21/95]
Any person violating any of the provisions of this section, or any of the rules and regulations promulgated by the Town Council in carrying out the provisions of this section, shall be fined not more than $100, or be imprisoned not exceeding 30 days, or both.
[Ord. 5/9/85]
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to make any connection into a Town road drainage system or to drain or pump water onto the traveled surface of a Town road or highway lying and being within the bounds of the Town of Little Compton without first obtaining the written permission of the Town Council.
[Ord. 4/24/86, § 1]
All persons shall comply with the following fire protection and safety requirements.
[Ord. 4/24/86, § 2]
Burning of rubbish and bonfires and other waste products shall be permitted only under the following conditions.
[Ord. 4/24/86, § 3]
No person shall kindle or maintain any open fire or authorize any such fire to be kindled or maintained on or in public or private property without having obtained a permit from the Fire Department.
[Ord. 4/24/86, § 4]
No person shall kindle or maintain any open fire or authorize any such fire to be kindled or maintained on any private land unless:
a. 
The location is not less than 50 feet from any structure and adequate provision is made to prevent fire from spreading to within 50 feet of any structure, unless special exception is granted by the Fire Chief or Duty Man of the Fire Department.
[Ord. 4/24/86, § 5]
Any open fires shall be constantly attended by a competent person until such fire is extinguished. This person shall have a garden hose connected to the water supply, or other extinguishing equipment readily available for use. All bonfires shall be inspected by the Fire Chief or Duty Man before being ignited.
[Ord. 4/24/86, § 6]
When the fire is contained in a waste burner with a closed or properly screened top, the type approved by the Fire Chief or Duty Man, and located safely on private property no less than 25 feet from any structure, fence or property line, unless special exception is granted by the Fire Chief or Duty Man of the Fire Department.
[Ord. 4/24/86, § 7]
The Chief or Duty Man of the Fire Department may prohibit by a written cease and desist order upon any person, group or corporation, any or all bonfires and outdoor rubbish fires whether in the open air or in Fire Department approved rubbish or waste burners or outdoor fireplaces, when atmospheric conditions or local circumstances make such fires hazardous or the smoke or fumes from such fires a nuisance to adjoining or surrounding property or persons.
[Ord. 4/24/86, § 8]
1st Offense: Written warning or five days in jail.
2nd Offense: $25 fine or five days in jail.
3rd Offense: $50 fine or five days in jail.
Any person convicted of a violation of this section shall be fined not less than $25 nor more than $50 or by imprisonment for not more than five days or by both such fine and imprisonment.
[Ord. 8/22/91, § I; Ord. 2/6/92, § I; Ord. 9/10/92, § I]
a. 
UNDERGROUND – Shall mean that 10% or more of the volume of the components of storage tanks and piping is buried in the ground.
b. 
Except for the purpose of registration under subsection 8-4.5 "underground storage tanks" shall mean either:
1. 
On-site underground storage tanks used for storing heating oil and serving a dwelling including underground pipes connected thereto;
2. 
Farm or residential underground storage tanks holding less than 1,100 gallons and storing motor fuel or heating oil for non-commercial purposes including underground pipes connected thereto.
c. 
ENFORCING OFFICER – Shall mean the Fire Chief or his designee.
[Ord. 8/22/91, § I; Ord. 2/6/92, § I; Ord. 9/10/92, § I]
The enforcing officer shall have the authority to:
a. 
Inspect facilities at which underground storage tanks are located.
b. 
Require closure of abandoned storage tanks consistent with the permanent closure procedures set forth in the regulations for underground storage facilities used for petroleum products and hazardous materials issued by the Department of Environmental Management.
c. 
Require the removal, at the owner's expense, of all tanks and underground pipes deemed to pose a threat to the public health or the environment.
[Ord. 8/22/91, § I; Ord. 2/6/92, § I; Ord. 9/10/92, § I]
The installation of underground storage tanks in the Town where its purpose is to serve a residential or farm dwelling is hereby prohibited.
[Ord. 2/6/92, § I; Ord. 9/10/92, § I]
Any property owner may appeal any decision of the enforcing officer to the Town Council, within 30 days of said decision, and, the Town Council shall have the discretion to reverse or modify said decision for good cause.
[Ord. 2/6/92, § I; Ord. 9/10/92, § I]
a. 
All new, existing, and abandoned underground tanks used to store motor fuel or heating oil for commercial and non-commercial purposes, regardless of their size, shall be registered with the Town.
b. 
Registration applications may be obtained at the Fire Department.
c. 
All tanks must be registered no later than September 30, 1992. A registration fee of $50 per property shall be paid for any tank registered after said date.
[Ord. 9/10/92, § I]
Prior to the sale of any farm or residential property in the Town, the owner thereof shall either (a) remove or (b) pump out and fill with sand any underground storage tank located on such property.
[Ord. 8/22/91, § I; Ord. 2/6/92, § I; Ord. 9/10/92, § I]
Violation of this section shall be subject to fines of $50 per day for each day that such violation exists after notification, in writing, by the enforcing officer of such violation.