(a) Placement of Refuse Receptacles for Collection.
(1) Automated Refuse Collection Service. Refuse cart(s) provided by the County shall be used exclusively for premises that are designated by the County Engineer to receive automated refuse collection service. Refuse carts containing refuse shall be placed at the curbside for collection in a manner designated by the County Engineer. Appropriate placement of the cart is the responsibility of the resident, business, transient vacation rental, timeshare or homestay. Should an automated collection operator encounter a cart along his or her route either placed in a location making collection infeasible or is obstructed by a parked vehicle, the operator may bypass the cart and refuse service.
(2) Manual Refuse Collection Service. All receptacles containing refuse and all refuse prepared for collection shall be placed for collection at the boundary of the premises to be served and the nearest public highway or public street, or when conditions warrant within the premises to be served not more than twenty (20) feet from the public highway or public street; provided, that in business districts not having a yard, containers may be placed, during the hours of collection only, on the sidewalk or shoulder area of the public highway or public street closest to the premises. However, the County Engineer may waive this requirement of twenty (20) feet from a public highway or public street in order to alleviate severe hardship to individual homeowners, taking into consideration the width, distance and availability of turnaround area on private roads.
(3) Any Curbside Recycling Projects. Premises designated for these projects will be provided a cart with a blue lid, at no additional charge, for recyclable materials. Recyclable materials permitted for acceptance by the County in the blue-lid-cart, and placement at the curbside shall be as prescribed by the County Engineer.
When the public right-of-way becomes impassable because of inclement weather or other unusual conditions, the County Engineer may notify residents to place refuse and recycling receptacles at the nearest collection point which is accessible to refuse removal vehicles. |
(b) Placing Refuse in Receptacles. Refuse that is mixed with water or other liquids shall be drained before being placed in a refuse receptacle. Animal matter that is subject to decomposition shall be wrapped in paper or other biodegradable material before being placed in a refuse receptacle. Grease in a free-flowing state shall be reduced to a solid. Hypodermic needles shall be sealed in a sturdy plastic or other container resistant to breakage (such as a liquid laundry detergent bottle), along with a strong solution of household bleach to provide sterilizing action.
(c) Placing Refuse, Brush, Cuttings for Collection.
(1) Automated Refuse Collection Service. All refuse shall be contained within the refuse cart provided by the County. Refuse shall be placed in the cart in such a manner that allows the cart's lid to sit in the fully closed position and allows refuse to discharge freely when the cart is inverted. Collection service will not be provided if refuse items are placed on or around the refuse cart.
(2) Manual Refuse Collection Service. If refuse is of such a nature that it cannot be placed in the required refuse receptacles, it shall be placed beside the refuse receptacle in bundles weighing less than fifty (50) pounds. Refuse such as paper cartons or wood boxes that cannot be placed in a receptacle shall be prepared for collection by placing the smaller cartons and boxes in the larger cartons and boxes until the larger cartons and boxes are completely filled. After the large cartons and boxes are completely filled, they shall be securely tied. Cartons and boxes shall not be larger than thirty-six (36) inches so they can be placed in regular collection trucks. Plastic refuse bags may be utilized for refuse collection.
(A) Brush, long stems of bushes, tree limbs and cuttings shall be cut into three (3) foot lengths and tied securely into bundles weighing not more than fifty (50) pounds. All brush shall be collected from the regular collection point, brush adjacent to the public right-of-way shall be placed so it does not in any way block or hinder passage of, or cause damage to, vehicles.
(B) No more than a combined total of three (3) receptacles, trash bags, or bundles of refuse, hedge cuttings, stumps, branches and other similar substances shall be placed for collection at one time.
(3) Pilot Curbside Recycling Project.
(A) The purpose of the pilot project will be to test the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of curbside recycling, rather than disposing, certain materials introduced into the disposal system.
(B) Under the pilot project, the Department:
(i) Shall select areas of the County within which the voluntary pilot project shall be implemented;
(ii) Shall require the participating owners or occupants of residences and businesses to separate and place in recycling carts only the types of targeted recyclable materials specified by the County Engineer;
(iii) Shall collect the recyclable materials under procedures separate from the procedures for collection of other refuse. Recyclable materials may be collected at lesser intervals than the intervals for collection of other refuse;
(iv) Shall not impose a charge for collecting the recyclable materials;
(v) May transport the recyclable materials to a designated disposal facility or other County facility for storage prior to sale or cause the recyclable materials to be transported directly to the facility of a person engaged in the business of recycling or in the conversion of recyclable materials to new products;
(vi) Shall not dispose of the recyclable materials by placement in a landfill except in an emergency situation or when no viable markets are available;
(vii) May impose the fine under Section
21-1.6, after at least two (2) warnings, upon an owner or occupant who refuses or neglects to separate recyclable materials in the manner established by the Department; and
(C) The Department may contract with a private person to receive, process, sell or transport the recyclable materials as appropriate.
(d) Restricted Items for Collection.
(1) Certain matter not to be placed in collection receptacles are as follows: dead animals; animal feces not considered pet animal waste; poisons; explosives; dangerous or corrosive chemicals, or other toxic or hazardous materials; clothing taken from persons with infectious diseases or other medical waste; heavy metals or metal parts; lumber, dirt, rocks, bricks, concrete blocks, tires, crates and other refuse from construction or remodeling; corrugated cardboard from businesses, commercial and other nonresidential entities; and used motor oil or automobile batteries shall not be placed in receptacles used for regular collection service.
(2) Pet animal waste may be placed in collection receptacles under the following conditions:
(A) The owner or occupant of the benefitted property receiving the collection service is not a business; and
(B) The animal waste shall be fully contained and sealed in a double layer of air-tight plastic film; excess air shall be removed prior to sealing the plastic film; and
(C) The total weight of pet animal waste shall not exceed ten (10) pounds per thirty-two (32) gallon refuse collection receptacle or trash bag; and
(D) The total weight of pet animal waste shall not exceed thirty (30) pounds per ninety-six (96) gallon refuse collection cart.
(e) Removal and Disposal of Restricted Items. It shall be the obligation of the owner or occupant to remove and dispose, at his or her own expense, any and all items which are prohibited in regular collection. It shall be the obligation of the owner or occupant to contact the County Department of Public Works for instructions on the proper removal and disposal of such items.
(f) Unauthorized Use of Receptacles. It shall be unlawful for any person to place or permit another to place any refuse in a receptacle unless the refuse is from the premises served by the receptacle. It shall be unlawful for any person to place or permit another to place any refuse or receptacle at a collection point unless such refuse or receptacle are from the premises designated to the collection point.
(g) The owner or occupant of any building, house, structure or land shall cause to be removed, at his or her own expense, all refuse items which due to the use of improper containers or the actions of dogs or other animals have become scattered and which are located, stored or deposited on the property or on the public right-of-way adjacent to the property. The existence of refuse or item(s) on the property or the adjacent public right-of-way shall be prima facie evidence that such owner or occupant failed to remove, as provided by this Chapter, the refuse or item(s) so stored or located thereon. Removal shall be within three (3) days of the County Engineer's notice. In the event that such items are prohibited from regular collection services, removal and disposal shall be as provided in Subsection
(e) of this Section.
(h) Supervision of Receptacles—Notice to Department of Public Works of Failure to Empty Receptacles. In the event that refuse receptacles are not emptied or serviced, or refuse not removed by the County or another duly authorized person on the regularly scheduled collection day, the owner, manager, occupant, tenant or lessee of the subject house or building shall notify the Department of Public Works of that fact within three (3) days.
(Ord. No. 91, March 2, 1955; Sec. 21, C.O. 1971; Ord. No. 166, December 21, 1972; Sec. 21-1.4, R.C.O. 1976; Ord. No. 601, December 31, 1991; Ord. No. 706, August 6, 1996; Ord. No. 902, July 28, 2010)