§ 14-18. Operating rules and regulations for household waste generators.

(a)

Household waste.

(1)

Household waste shall be collected every seventh day (e.g., every Tuesday) by D.P.W. Unless otherwise determined by the commissioner, collection shall be delayed one day following these holidays: Christmas, New Year's Day, Martin Luther King's Birthday, Memorial day, Independence Day, Labor Day, and Thanksgiving Day.

(2)

Use of regulation containers for household waste shall be the responsibility of the occupant of the premises and the occupant shall maintain containers in a safe and neat condition.

(3)

All regulation containers must be set out in plain view from the street and must be set adjacent to the curb line or edge of the road unless otherwise agreed to by the D.P.W. No container shall be set out at the curb before 8:00 p.m. of the day preceding the scheduled pickup. No regulation container shall exceed a thirty-gallon capacity nor weigh when loaded in excess of seventy-five (75) pounds. No regulation container shall have less than ten-gallon capacity. Containers must be removed from the curb line no later than 7:00 p.m. of the collection day. Not more than three (3) regulation containers per residential unit shall be set out at the curb for weekly pickup unless otherwise agreed to by the commissioner.

(b)

Sharps shall be placed in a sharps container, labeled as SHARPS, the top shall be taped shut and the sharps container shall be placed next to the regulation container for pickup. At no time should a sharps container be placed in regulation containers for pickup. Not more than one sharps container per residential unit shall be set out at the curb for weekly pickup unless otherwise agreed to by the commissioner. In addition to city collection, local health centers and hospitals will accept sharps from residents. A list of locations shall be maintained by the commissioner and made available to residents.

(c)

Special pickup by D.P.W. D.P.W. shall continue to collect household waste which does not fit into regulation containers and is classified as untreatable waste such as furnishings, appliances, carpets, household furnishing, auto parts, and waste tires (maximum of four (4) tires per year from each household). Special pickup service is free if the volume of materials is equal to or less than two (2) cubic yards. Service must be arranged by calling the D.P.W. and may not be used more than four (4) times annually unless otherwise determined by the commissioner. If the volume exceeds two (2) cubic yards, the occupant or owner must arrange for private collection. For purposes of this section, two (2) cubic yards shall be deemed to equal one refrigerator or a washer and dryer unless otherwise determined by the commissioner. If the D.P.W. judges material to be excessive, penalties outlined in section 14-15 shall apply.

(d)

Recyclable materials. Every household waste generator in the city of Syracuse shall source separate recyclable materials as defined herein. Separated materials must be placed in approved recycling containers either provided for by the city, county, Onondaga County Resource Recovery Agency, or a licensed private hauler, or shall be prepared in a manner approved by the commissioner of public works.

(1)

Glass: Includes but is not limited to empty, washed glass jars, bottles and containers of clear, green and amber (brown) glass, caps removed. Ceramics, window glass, auto glass, mirrors or kitchenware are not to included in recycling containers and should be deposited in regulation household waste containers or commercial containers.

(2)

Metal: Includes but is not limited to all ferrous and nonferrous metals including steel, aluminum and composite cans and containers which have been cleaned of food wastes. Upon notifying D.P.W., the generator may place all household-generated scrap metal, wire, pipes, tubing, motors, sheetmetal, etc., at the curb to be picked up by D.P.W.

(3)

Newspaper: Includes but is not limited to common machine-finished paper made chiefly from wood pulp used for printing newspaper including inserts found in newspapers. These must be bundled, dry and free of contaminants. This term excludes glossy finished papers and magazines unless otherwise determined by D.P.W.

(4)

Plastics: Includes but is not limited to all HDPE (2) and PET (1) -type plastics, including empty, washed, food, beverage, detergent, bleach, and hair product containers with lids removed. This term excludes all film, vinyl, rigid, and foam plastic containers.

(e)

Recyclable collection. D.P.W. shall provide collection of source-separated recyclable materials from household waste generators provided that newspapers shall be kept separated from other recyclable materials.

(1)

Recyclable materials shall be set out at the curb in recycling containers approved by D.P.W. preferably on the same day but in no event sooner than 8:00 p.m. of the day before the day scheduled for household waste collection. D.P.W. shall remove properly source-separated recyclable material and return the container to the curb. Residents shall remove containers from the curb by 7 p.m. on the day of collection.

(2)

Containers shall remain the property of Onondaga County. It shall be a violation punishable by a fine of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for a person to: (1) remove a recycling container from the city; (2) willfully destroy a recycling container; (3) dispose of a recycling container other than by returning such container to the city; (4) use such container for other than the temporary storage of recyclable material.

(3)

Containers must remain at the address to which they are issued. When a household waste generator moves, he or she shall leave the recycling container for the subsequent occupant. Household waste generators moving into a dwelling unit which does not have a recycling container shall call D.P.W. to obtain a container within two (2) weeks of gaining occupancy. Property owners discontinuing the use of an eligible property as a residence shall notify D.P.W. and arrange to have the recycling container(s) removed.

(4)

A second container shall be provided to households free of charge when the original container is lost or stolen. Any additional replacements must be paid for by the household. The cost of replacement shall be determined by the commissioner. Containers broken due to normal use must be returned to the city for exchange to the county.

(5)

Additional containers may be provided to household waste generators by D.P.W. upon consideration of family size or other factors as agreed to by the commissioner.

(6)

Recyclable materials are banned from disposal as solid waste and may not be placed in regulation containers for collection as solid waste. Recyclable materials found in regulation containers may be subject on first occurrence to a warning. Second offenses shall be subject to a penalty of fifty dollars ($50.00) as herein provided. Repeated offenses shall be subject to penalties provided herein.

(7)

It shall be the option of the commissioner to randomly sample eligible households to determine compliance with subsections (c) and (d) of this section and to award an amount, not to exceed fifty dollars ($50.00), for compliance with these subsections. In no case shall such awards exceed twelve (12) within one calendar year. City officers, elected officials and city employees shall not be eligible to receive awards.

(f)

Unacceptable waste. In addition to the recyclable items mentioned above, the following items shall constitute unacceptable waste, unless otherwise determined by O.C.R.R.A, and are excluded from D.P.W. household waste collection effective January 1, 1991, except as otherwise provided herein:

(1)

Yard waste including brush, leaves, and grass clippings;

(2)

Construction and demolition debris as defined herein;

(3)

Insecticides and pesticides;

(4)

Paints, solvents, and thinners except latex-based paints which have been air dried;

(5)

Human and animal remains;

(6)

Animal or human waste, except if properly and securely wrapped and routinely deposited in household waste containers. D.P.W. however recommends use of cloth diapers whenever possible;

(7)

Acids, caustics, and poisons;

(8)

Explosives;

(9)

Motor oils and cutting oils;

(10)

Auto batteries and other household batteries;

(11)

Septic wastes;

(12)

Cleaning fluids;

(13)

Hazardous waste;

(14)

Drugs;

(15)

Propane tanks or any compressed gas containers still under pressure;

(16)

Such other wastes or products which are deemed harmful to the environment by O.C.C.R.A. or the commissioner or which endanger the health and welfare of the collection workers and other workers handling solid waste;

(17)

Hot or burning materials.

Persons having questions regarding the above shall call the D.P.W. to determine the proper method of waste disposal.

(g)

Violations. Inclusion of unacceptable waste with household, commercial, or industrial generated waste shall be a violation for which the fine shall be fifty dollars ($50.00) for each occurrence. Warnings may be issued by the commissioner for initial violations.

(Gen. Ord. No. 48-2001, 10-22-01; Gen. Ord. No. 31-2009, 11-9-09)