City of River Oaks, TX Sanitation Collection Policy

To be collected twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays or Tuesdays and Fridays.

For a schedule of your collection days please contact the water utility billing office at 817-626-5421.

All residential household garbage must be placed on the property side next to the street curb or street right-of-way. Do not set garbage in the street.

All household garbage must be put either in plastic bags or boxes not exceeding 55 pounds in weight placed at the edge of the street or as an option in garbage cans placed at the edge of the street not exceeding 32 gallons in size and must be removed from the street curb by 7:00 a.m. of the following day to avoid being in violation that may result in a citation being issued by the city’s code enforcement department.

Garbage is not to be placed at the curb earlier than 6:00 p.m. the day before the scheduled collection day.

Handicapped or disabled occupants may qualify for special home residential garbage collection. The applicant for such a service must file an application for such service with the city’s utility office. Please contact the water billing office for more information.

The city sanitation department will not dispose of special wastes, hazardous or toxic wastes, petroleum products including paints, auto hulks, agricultural wastes including insecticides and any other wastes that are not household generated.

(H)

The collection of hazardous materials is provided once a year on a Saturday at the city hall. The date of such service is placed on the water bills. Citizens can also take hazardous materials to the collection center in Fort Worth during the year by showing the attendant at the collection center a copy of their city water bill.

(I)

The sanitation service is included as a part of the monthly utility bill and may be discontinued if the water service is disconnected.

(J)

Sanitation rates are included on the water bill and are subject to change upon adoption of a resolution approved by a majority vote of the city council in accordance with the provisions established in the city code.

(2)

Commercial garbage collection.

All refuse will be placed in receptacles varying in size from 2-yard, 3-yard, 4-yard, 6-yard and 8-yard receptacles.

Receptacles will be dumped from 1 to 5 times weekly. Rates vary based on the number of times receptacles are dumped. For the costs associated with this please contact the water utility office.

All complaints regarding receptacle collection and service must be reported to the water utility office for servicing at 817-626-5421.

All billing for commercial receptacles is through the water utility billing department of the city. Do not contact the contractor directly. The service with the city customer is through the city water billing department.

Overfilling of the receptacles is prohibited. The customer can request an additional dumping of the container for an additional charge as established in the contractual agreement between the city and the contractor. Spillage of the receptacle is subject to being removed and cleaned up by the customer when it is due to overfilling.

Disposal of special wastes, hazardous or toxic wastes, agricultural wastes, petroleum wastes, auto hulks, metals, construction materials, demolition materials, oversized brush or tree limbs, tires, mining wastes and any other waste not associated with the business is prohibited.

Each individual business is required to be provided with their own individual commercial receptacle, unless such business qualifies for a hand pickup collection service or is allowed to be exempted in accordance with the sanitation provisions as established in the city code, as amended.

(H)

Outdoor storage of trash receptacles for any new business development shall be at the side or rear of the site and shall be totally encircled or screened by a masonry fence eight feet in height.

(I)

Commercial hand pickup service is limited to eight (8) plastic 39-gallon garbage bags not over 55 pounds in weight.

(J)

Commercial sanitation rates are subject to change upon adoption of a resolution approved by the city council. The current rates can be obtained from the water billing office.

(K)

Billing for the commercial sanitation rates are included on the monthly utility bill. Sanitation service may be discontinued when the water bill is disconnected for nonpayment.

(3)

Brush, tree limbs and logs.

All brush for collection shall be placed parallel with the public road, and brush or tree limbs shall not be larger than eight inches (8") in diameter.

All brush and tree limbs that are bundled or stacked neatly in sections no longer than 4 feet in length will be collected on the regular refuse collection days of every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.

All brush and tree limbs shall be limited to one (1) pile per lot on each residential customer account when stacked in a pile not exceeding twelve (12) feet in length, four (4) feet in width, and four (4) feet in height which are stacked neatly with the larger diameter of the limbs facing in one direction for easy handling and will be collected on Wednesday twice a month beginning Wednesday, August 2, 2023 as designated by the public works director in sections with sections 2 & 3 (regular residential garbage days on Monday and Thursday) being the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month and sections 1 and 4 (regular residential garbage days Tuesday and Friday) on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month except for holidays and/or in the event of unwarranted conditions restricting the ability of the city to remove the bulk items as regularly scheduled. All brush and tree limbs not meeting these guidelines will not be collected as a part of the normal city collection service. When any pile exceeds twelve (12) feet in length, four (4) feet in width, and four (4) feet in height it may be collected by the city at an additional charge upon the customer’s request.

All oversized piles will be tagged by a sanitation superintendent and the resident will be notified of the reason that the pile was not collected. Piles that, in the superintendent’s opinion, cannot be collected on the scheduled bulk collection day must be removed for an additional charge if removed by the city or else the customer may haul it off to an approved landfill at the customer’s expense.

All logs and tree limbs that are over eight (8) inches in diameter will be tagged and collected on brush days only. Tree stumps over 12 inches in diameter and not over two (2) feet long will be collected on brush days only by the use of a tractor. Stumps that are over two feet in length and too large to pick up with a tractor will not be collected by city crews and will be tagged. Brush days are regularly scheduled on every Wednesday, except for holidays.

Logs over 12 inches in diameter will be limited to four (4) per brush collection provided the weight of each individual log does not exceed fifty (50) pounds. Logs over the limit will be tagged and if in the superintendent’s opinion the logs that are over the limit cannot be removed on the scheduled bulk collection day then it is the responsibility of the customer to remove the logs at their own expense. The customer may request the city to remove the log or logs for an additional charge or choose to remove it/them on their [his/her] own.

The above guidelines with regards to brush, limbs and logs will not apply during proclaimed times of a citywide cleanup program by the city council known as city’s cleanup month. The city’s cleanup month will be proclaimed by resolution or proclamation.

(4)

Disposal of construction material.

Residential construction material is defined as bulk waste material that is used in the building industry specifically for the remodeling, alteration, expansion and/or new construction of dwellings designed to be used as single-family residential occupancy for humans. It does not include industrial or commercial construction material, which can only be collected and disposed of by a commercial private disposal contractor.

Residential construction material can only be disposed of by the city as a bulk waste material that is limited to one (1) pile per lot on each residential customer account when stacked in a pile not exceeding two (2) feet high by two (2) feet wide by four (4) foot long which are stacked neatly for easy handling provided that broken glass, protruding nails, screws or other fasteners are removed that can cause injury to the city employees when handling the construction material.

Construction materials meeting the guidelines will be collected twice a month on the 1st and 3rd Wednesdays of the month for those customers whose regular residential garbage days are Monday and Thursday and for those customers whose regular residential garbage days are Tuesday and Friday on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays of the month except for holidays and/or in the event of unwarranted conditions restricting the ability of the city to remove the bulk items as regularly scheduled.

All construction material not meeting these guidelines will not be collected as a part of the normal city collection service. When any pile exceeds two (2) feet high by two (2) feet wide by four (4) foot long it may be collected by the city upon the customer's request at an additional charge of $10.00 per square yard.

Household construction hazardous materials including asbestos fibered materials, special wastes and commercial hazardous materials such as agricultural wastes, mining wastes, petroleum waste products, air-conditioning coolant, toxic chemicals, pesticides and any other hazardous or toxic material is prohibited from being collected and disposed of by the city's bulk truck waste service.

(i)

Hazardous and/or toxic materials must be taken to or collected by the city's hazardous collection contractor or other certified hazardous material collection centers;

(ii)

Violators will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law.

(5)

Private disposal receptacles.

There is no exclusive prohibition for customers desiring to dispose of construction material and other rubbish or refuse in large quantities by the use of a refuse receptacle otherwise known as a roll off from the private disposal company of their choice.

All private disposal companies that are not under a contractual agreement for the disposal of solid wastes with the city are permitted to place a refuse receptacle upon the customer's property to dispose solely of construction material and other rubbish or refuse in large quantities at the sole cost of the customer within the corporate limits of the city for the purpose of private disposal of solid wastes as defined in this policy.

Solid waste for the purpose of this section is construction material, rubbish, refuse and any other acceptable waste in large quantities permitted for disposal at the landfill.

This section solely applies to the limited time use of private roll offs otherwise known as private disposal receptacles for removal of large quantities of construction, refuse or rubbish and does not permit removal of the current residential and/or commercial solid waste service that is already being provided for by the city.

(6)

Hazardous and special wastes.

All hazardous, household hazardous, toxic and special wastes must be disposed of at an approved hazardous disposal center.

The city contracts for the annual hazardous waste disposal by the “Crud Mobile.” For information regarding the annual date for scheduling of such hazardous disposal with the “Crud Mobile” please contact the city hall at 817-626-5421.

Hazardous materials can also be taken to the hazardous collection center as long as you show proof of a city water bill. It is recommended that customers combine quantities with other customers when taking hazardous materials to the “Crud Mobile” or the collection center in order to reduce the number of individual collections.

(7)

Tires.

Tires are not considered household waste materials. The city will not collect tires as a part of the normal residential collection service.

Customers will be required to contact the utility office and request a special collection for used and discarded automobile tires.

An additional fee is required for the collection of used or discarded automobile tires. Please contact the utility office for costs associated with collection and disposal of tires.

The city does not collect or dispose of used or discarded tires from commercial businesses contracted with the city’s private disposal contractor.

Exception is made to the residential collection of used or discarded tires during the proclaimed River Oaks clean up month.

(8)

Curbside volunteer recycling program.

There is hereby created within the city of a curbside volunteer recycling collection program as is herein provided for:

Persons desiring to be included on the curbside volunteer recycling program must first sign up for such service at city hall located at 4900 River Oaks Blvd., River Oaks, Texas.

All recyclables must be put into a blue recycling plastic bag/liner. Pursuant to this section, recycling bags or recycling liners are defined as being transparent, at least 1.0 mil thick poly bags or liners. All other bags or liners will not be picked up for recycling.

Recycling bags/liners for those persons who sign up for the service will be collected on Wednesdays only, except for city-observed holidays.

Acceptable recyclables include:

(i)

Newspapers and magazines;

(ii)

Paper cups; napkins and unused paper*;

(iii)

Cardboard (broken down)*;

(iv)

Plastics (#1–7);

(v)

Aluminum cans (must be crushed);

(vi)

Aluminum, steel and tin.

*Cardboard boxes and/or unused paper products used as a food container or carrier of food that has been soiled with food products is not acceptable for recycling.

Unacceptable materials placed in recycling bags include but is not limited to aerosols, garbage, food and food soiled containers, plastic bags, styrofoam, foam packaging, glass products, brush and debris, bulk materials, hazardous materials and any other special waste. Bags/liners with unacceptable materials shall not be collected as recyclables but will be hauled off as trash.

Recyclables collected by the city will be placed in a dumpster by city employees located on city property and hauled off by the city’s commercial solid waste contractor.