Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this division shall be deemed guilty of violating an ordinance governing public health and sanitation, which is a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof in the municipal court of the city shall be punished by a fine up to the maximum amount of $2,000.00 for each offense, with each and every day being a separate offense.
(1995 Code, sec. 54.99; Ordinance 3795 adopted 9/20/2005)
The director shall be responsible for the safe passage of collection vehicles through the city roads and alleyways, to include tree trimming and brush removal as necessary.
(1995 Code, sec. 54.01; Ordinance 3795 adopted 9/20/2005)
(a) 
The city shall provide residential and commercial recycling collection within the city limits, and no person shall engage in the business of collecting and selling of residential or commercial materials placed out for collection unless otherwise permitted by the city to do so.
(b) 
Commercial recycling collection shall be placed on a routine schedule based on frequency of collection and size of dumpster. The director has the authority to revise the commercial collection schedule as deemed necessary for holidays or other compelling reasons.
(1995 Code, sec. 54.02; Ordinance 3795 adopted 9/20/2005; Ordinance 4840 adopted 11/17/2020)
Editor’s note–Former section 13.02.194 pertaining to residential recycling containers, was deleted in its entirety by Ordinance 4840 adopted 11/17/2020. Prior to the deletion, this section derived from the following: 1995 Code, sec. 54.03 and Ordinance 3795 adopted 9/20/2005.
(a) 
For each commercial customer that participates in the city’s recycling program efforts, the city will furnish, at no cost to the customer for the container, a four-yard or eight-yard container(s) for this purpose. It is the desire of the city to establish a regular, routine weekly routing schedule for pickup of the recycled waste in order to achieve the greatest cost savings. Therefore, rates for regular, routine weekly pickups are as provided in the fee schedule.
(b) 
Small businesses that do not require a dumpster for recycling collection have the option of using the 65-gallon blue curbside containers at no cost. Only three blue containers are allowed per business.
(c) 
Collection of all materials is contingent on compliance with regulations.
(1972 Code, sec. 13-8; 1995 Code, sec. 54.04; Ordinance 3208 adopted 9/3/1996; Ordinance 3270 adopted 9/2/1997; Ordinance 3342 adopted 9/1/1998; Ordinance 3412 adopted 9/7/1999; Ordinance 3428 adopted 11/2/1999; Ordinance 3485 adopted 9/5/2000; Ordinance 3795 adopted 9/20/2005; Ordinance adopting Code)
(a) 
All recycling containers are the property of the city. It is the business’s responsibility to keep these containers clean and free of contamination.
(b) 
Businesses who have dumpsters may be “red tagged” for contamination. If a dumpster contains any item except recyclable materials, the city has the authority to deny service to that dumpster. The customer will be asked to either remove the contamination to allow the dumpster to be emptied or pay a service charge as provided in the fee schedule to have the dumpster emptied by the city’s garbage collection service.
(c) 
It is understandable that businesses that make an effort to recycle correctly may sometimes make a mistake and place unacceptable items in with their recyclables. In this case, during the inspection process, the containers will be given a tag to remind the business to be more careful when placing items in the blue containers. The containers will be emptied as long as the contamination is not too severe.
(d) 
The purpose of the inspection process is to help educate citizens and to decrease the contamination rate.
(1995 Code, sec. 54.05; Ordinance 3795 adopted 9/20/2005; Ordinance adopting Code; Ordinance 4840 adopted 11/17/2020)
(a) 
The city will promote and encourage citizens to allow grass clippings to remain on their yard, eliminating the collection and landfilling of bags of grass. The city will also encourage the citizens, when feasible, to prepare their own composting areas.
(b) 
In the instances where the citizens cannot feasibly allow the clippings to remain on their lawns, the clippings can be accumulated and put out for collection in bags which have been approved by the city.
(c) 
All bags must be tied and must not be overfilled. A filled bag must weigh no more than 50 pounds. There shall be no contents other than grass, leaves, limbs and other such items designated as landscape waste placed in the bags. Failure to follow these basic guidelines will result in non-collection of landscape waste.
(d) 
Bagged yard waste shall be collected once a week through a route system. Bags should be placed at the curb for collection. Residents may contact the solid waste services department for specific collection days.
(e) 
Tree trimmings, brush and shrubs shall be placed in manageable piles of no more than six feet in length and no more than 40 pounds in weight, at the curb. The customer should contact the recycling or solid waste department to place a work order, then allow up to five business days for collection.
(f) 
Wooden fence material is acceptable if sections are no longer than four feet by six feet and hinges, latches, and bolts have been removed. No painted or stained wood can be accepted.
(1995 Code, sec. 54.06; Ordinance 3795 adopted 9/20/2005)
(a) 
A drop-off site at the regional recycling center, located at 500 Southpark Drive, is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. This facility is open to the entire Deep East Texas region. Items accepted at the drop-off site must be sorted according to material. Materials accepted are cardboard, newspapers, office paper, aluminum cans, steel cans, plastics #1 and #2, telephone books and magazines. This area is under 24-hour surveillance, and any misuse of the facility, such as illegal dumping, shall be punishable by a fine up to $500.00.
(b) 
Other items accepted at the recycling center Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. only are:
(1) 
Used motor oil - up to 5 gallons per visit;
(2) 
Oil filters; and
(3) 
Car and small engine batteries - up to 5 per visit.
(1995 Code, sec. 54.07; Ordinance 3795 adopted 9/20/2005)
To promote recycling and proper solid waste management, the city will work to organize special community collection events. Current and future collection events include:
(1) 
Tire reclamation day;
(2) 
Christmas card recycling;
(3) 
Christmas tree recycling;
(4) 
Household hazardous waste collection;
(5) 
Electronics collection; and
(6) 
Telephone book recycling.
(1995 Code, sec. 54.08; Ordinance 3795 adopted 9/20/2005)
No person other than the current resident of the property containing a collection location, a city collector, or an authorized recycling contractor shall remove, pick up, or transfer recyclable materials which have been placed in a recycling container in any residential subdivision, or at any single-family dwelling. Each violation of this provision which occurs from one or more collection locations shall constitute a separate and distinct offense punishable as provided in section 13.02.191.
(1995 Code, sec. 54.09; Ordinance 3795 adopted 9/20/2005)
Recyclable materials placed in a residential recycling container, or adjacent to a commercial recycling container, for collection by a city collector, become the property of the city. An owner or contractor may recycle materials as a result of construction or demolition.
(1995 Code, sec. 54.10; Ordinance 3795 adopted 9/20/2005)
No person shall collect or remove for compensation from any property within the city any residential recycling refuse without first obtaining a residential recycling hauler’s permit from the division of solid waste.
(Ordinance 4840 adopted 11/17/2020)