[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Council of the Township of Washington 10-26-1995 by Ord. No. 26-1995 as Sec. 4-11 of the 1994 Code. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Littering in parks — See Ch. 164.
Property maintenance — See Ch. 179.
For the purpose of this chapter the following terms, phrases, words and their derivations shall have the meaning given herein:
FILLING STATION
A place where gasoline, oil, services for automobiles and other motor vehicles are sold either at wholesale or retail prices.
GARBAGE
Putrescible animal and vegetable wastes resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking and consumption of food.
LITTER
Any used or unconsumed substance or waste material which has been discarded whether made of aluminum, glass, plastic, rubber, paper or other natural or synthetic material, or any combination thereof, including, but not limited to, any bottle, jar or can, any top, cap or detachable tab of any bottle, jar or can, any unlighted cigarette, cigar, match or any flaming or glowing material or any garbage, trash, refuse, debris, rubbish, grass clippings or other lawn or garden waste, newspaper, magazines, glass, metal, plastic or paper containers or other packaging or construction material, but does not include the waste of the primary processes of mining or other extraction processes, logging, sawmilling, farming or manufacturing. "Litter" shall also include garbage, refuse and rubbish.
LITTER RECEPTACLE
A container suitable for the depositing of litter.
PUBLIC PLACE
Any street, sidewalk, alley or other public way and any and all public parks, squares, spaces, grounds and buildings.
PUBLIC STRUCTURE or BUILDING
Any structure or building owned or operated by the federal, county or state government or any governmental agency.
REFUSE
All putrescible solid wastes, including garbage, rubbish, ashes, street cleanings, dead animals, abandoned automobiles, dismantled automobiles and parts thereof, scrap metal, junk, machinery and solid market and industrial wastes.
RUBBISH
Nonputrescible solid wastes consisting of both combustible and noncombustible wastes, such as paper, wrappings, cigarettes, cardboard, tin cans, yard clippings, leaves, wood, glass, bedding, crockery, building materials and similar materials.
It shall be unlawful for any person to throw, drop, discard or otherwise place litter, of any nature, upon any public or private property, other than in a litter receptacle.
A. 
Litter receptacles and their servicing are required at the following public places which exist in the Township, including:
(1) 
Sidewalks used by pedestrians in active retail commercially zoned areas, such that at a minimum there shall be no single linear quarter-mile without a receptacle.
(2) 
Buildings held out for use by the public, including schools, government buildings, and railroad and bus stations.
(3) 
Parks.
(4) 
Drive-in restaurants.
(5) 
All street vendor locations.
(6) 
Self-service refreshment areas.
(7) 
Construction sites.
(8) 
Gasoline service stations islands.
(9) 
Shopping centers.
(10) 
Parking lots.
(11) 
Campgrounds and trailer parks.
(12) 
Marinas, boat moorage and fueling stations.
(13) 
Boat launching areas.
(14) 
Public and private piers operated for public use.
(15) 
Beaches and bathing areas.
(16) 
At special events to which the public is invited, including sporting events, parades, carnivals, circuses, and festivals.
B. 
The proprietors of these places or the sponsors of these events shall be responsible for providing and servicing the receptacles such that adequate containerization is available.
C. 
Persons placing litter in litter receptacles shall do so in such a manner as to prevent such litter from being carried or deposited by the elements upon any public or private property.
A. 
No person shall throw or deposit any commercial or noncommercial handbill in or upon any sidewalk, street or other public place within the Township. No person shall hand out, distribute or sell any commercial handbill in any public place. It shall not be unlawful on any sidewalk, street or other public place within the Township for any person to hand out or to distribute without charge to the receiver thereof any noncommercial handbill to any person willing to accept it.
B. 
No person shall throw or deposit any commercial or noncommercial handbill in or upon any vehicle. It shall not be unlawful in any public place for a person to hand out or distribute, without charge to the receiver thereof, a noncommercial handbill to any occupant of a vehicle who is willing to accept it.
C. 
No person shall throw or deposit any commercial or noncommercial handbill in or upon any private premises which is temporarily or continuously uninhabited or vacant.
D. 
No person shall throw, deposit or distribute any commercial or noncommercial handbill upon any private premises if requested by anyone thereon not to do so or if there is placed on such premises in a conspicuous position near the entrance thereof a sign bearing the words "No Trespassing," "No Peddlers or Agents," "No Advertisement" or any similar notice, indicating in any manner that the occupants of such premises do not desire to be molested or have their right of privacy disturbed or to have any such handbills left upon such premises.
E. 
No person shall throw, deposit or distribute any commercial or noncommercial handbill in or upon private premises which are inhabited, except by handling or transmitting any such handbill directly to the owner, occupant or other person then present in or upon such private premises. In case of inhabited private premises which are not posted, as provided in this chapter, such person, unless requested by anyone upon such premises not to do so, shall have the authority to place or deposit any such handbill in or upon such inhabited private premises, if such handbill is so placed or deposited as to secure or prevent such handbill from being blown or drifted about such premises or sidewalks, streets or other public place, and except that mailboxes may not be used where so prohibited by federal postal law or regulations.
F. 
The provisions of this chapter shall not apply to the distribution of mail by the United States, nor to newspapers.
No person shall post or affix any notice, poster or other paper or device calculated to attract the attention of the public to any lamppost, public utility pole or shade tree, or upon any public structure or building, except as may be authorized by the owners thereof or required by law.
It shall be unlawful for any person to discard or dump along any street or road, on or off any right-of-way, or on any private property, any household or commercial solid waste, rubbish, refuse, junk, vehicle or vehicle parts, rubber tires, appliances, furniture or private property, except by written consent of the owner of such property, in any place not specifically designated for the purpose of solid waste storage or disposal.
It shall be unlawful for any residential property owner to store or permit storage of any bulky household waste, including household appliances, furniture and mattresses, in areas zoned residential, except in a fully enclosed structure or during days designated for the collection of bulky items.
It shall be unlawful for any residential property owner to store or permit the storage of tires in areas zoned residential, except in a fully enclosed structure or on days designated for the collection of tires.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 238, Tires, Storage of.
It shall be unlawful for any residential property owner to park or permit the parking of any vehicle on his/her residential lawn.
It shall be unlawful for any person to keep or permit the keeping on streets, vacant lots, and residential lawns, except in a fully enclosed structure, any motor vehicle, trailer or semitrailer which is:
A. 
Missing tires, wheels, engine or any essential parts;
B. 
Which displays extensive body damage or deterioration;
C. 
Which does not display a current, valid state license; or
D. 
Which is wrecked, disassembled or partially disassembled.
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any vehicle to be driven, moved, stopped or parked on any highway unless such a vehicle is constructed or loaded to prevent any of its load from dropping, sifting, leaking or otherwise escaping therefrom. Any person operating a vehicle from which any glass or objects have fallen or escaped which could cause an obstruction, damage a vehicle or otherwise endanger travelers or public property shall immediately cause the public property to be cleaned of all glass or objects and shall pay the costs therefor.
B. 
No person shall drive or move any vehicle within the Township, the wheels or tiers of which carry or deposit in any street, alley, or other public place, mud, dirt, sticky substance or foreign matter of any kind.
It shall be unlawful for any owner, agent or contractor in charge of construction or demolition site to permit the accumulation of litter before, during or after completion of any construction or demolition project. It shall be the duty of the owner, agent or contractor in charge of a construction site to furnish containers adequate to accommodate flyable or nonflyable debris or trash at areas convenient to construction areas, and to maintain and empty the receptacles in such a manner and with such a frequency as to prevent spillage of refuse.
It shall be the duty of the owner, lessee, tenant, occupant or person in charge of any structure to keep and cause to be kept the sidewalk and curb abutting the building or structure free from obstruction or nuisances of every kind, and to keep sidewalks, areaways, backyards, courts and alleys free from litter and other offensive material. No person shall sweep into or deposit in any gutter, street, catch basin or other public place any accumulation of litter from any public or private sidewalk or driveway. Every person who owns or occupies property shall keep the sidewalk in front of his/her premises free of litter. All sweepings shall be collected and properly containerized for disposal.
Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as denying any person the right to maintain a mulch pile or accumulation of grass cuttings, leaves or other inoffensive materials on his/her own or leased property, as long as dust, odors or other nuisances are not permitted to develop from the resulting compost. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as denying any person the right to use ashes or other clean material as fill on the property so long as dust or any other nuisance is not permitted to develop therefrom.
The Zoning Officer is hereby empowered to require persons to remove from their lands brush, weeds, dead and dying trees, stumps, roots, obnoxious growth, filth, garbage, trash and debris. The Zoning Officer shall give notice to remove the same, in writing, delivered personally to those owners that reside in the Township and by certified mail to those owners who live outside the Township, requiring them to remove the litter within 10 days following the receipt of the notice.
If after proper notice the owner of lands in the Township shall fail or neglect to remove the litter, the Zoning Officer is hereby authorized to have the same removed and to certify the cost thereof to the Township Council. If the Township Council shall find the cost to be correct, the amount so charged shall forthwith become a lien upon such lands and shall be added to and become and form part of the taxes next to be assessed and levied upon such lands. The same to bear interest at the same rate as taxes and shall be collected and enforced by the same officers and in the same manner as taxes.
[Added 4-23-2025 by Ord. No. 7-2025[1]]
The Department of Municipal Services/Public Works shall be permitted to educate, warn, and notify as to violations of this chapter. All summonses for violations shall be issued by the Washington Township Police Department, the Zoning Official, the Property Maintenance Official, the Code Enforcement Official, and/or the Mayor's designee.
[1]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also renumbered former § 137-19 as § 137-20.
[Amended 4-23-2025 by Ord. No. 7-2025]
Violations of the provisions of Chapter 137 shall be punishable as provided in Chapter 1, General Provisions, Article I, except that any persons found to be in violation of the provisions of this chapter shall be subject to a fine not to exceed $1,000.