§ 14-19. Operating rules and regulations for commercial waste generators including residential properties containing more than ten units.

(a)

Effective January 1, 1992, commercial waste generators shall have the option of obtaining private collection service or city-provided collection service.

If city-provided service is elected, sufficient notice as determined by the commissioner shall be given to D.P.W. regarding the commercial waste generator's decision.

City-provided curbside collection service shall be weekly. Commercial carts as approved by the D.P.W. must be provided and cared for by the generator. Broken, lost, or stolen carts are the responsibility of the generator.

Fees shall be established by the commissioner for the collection of the commercial carts on a per cart basis. Fees shall be based on the estimated or actual cost of the disposal of solid waste as determined by the agency and may be amended by the commissioner or reflect changes in the cost to the city for collection and disposal of solid waste. Method of payment shall be determined by the commissioner together with reasonable terms regarding subscription and termination of service.

(b)

Whether service is provided privately or by the city, no material shall be set out at the curb by commercial waste generators for collection unless material is in a commercial cart. Use of regulation household containers is prohibited. Commercial generators unable to use dumpsters or commercial carts must arrange for private collection services which are able to provide specialized collection.

Material which does not fit into regulation containers must be removed privately. No loose materials shall be set out curbside, placed in public view for private collection, or placed on or around dumpsters or other approved containers unless otherwise approved of by the commissioner.

Where privately provided dumpsters (containers exceeding 1.5 cubic yards) are used, they must be clean, neat, freshly painted, have licensed hauler's name and city license affixed to the container, be screened from public view, and not placed in the public right-of-way unless otherwise agreed to in writing by the commissioner.

Commercial carts in the Central Business District shall not be set out curbside before 5:00 p.m. of the day before they are regularly scheduled for pickup. They shall not be set out curbside in such a fashion as to create a pedestrian hazard, traffic problem, or nuisance of any kind. They must be removed from the curbline before 9:00 a.m.

For areas outside of Central Business District, carts shall not be set out curbside before 8:00 p.m. of the day before they are regularly scheduled for pickup and shall be removed as soon as practical following collection.

Commercial carts are prohibited in the public right-of-way except for the specific times set forth herein for curbline collection, unless otherwise approved by the city of Syracuse common council.

(c)

Only licensed waste haulers may be used for collection of commercial waste unless provided directly by the commercial waste generator.

(d)

To facilitate traffic flow and public safety, no private collection shall be permitted in the Central Business District from 7:00 a.m. to 9:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., and 4:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m., Monday through Friday. In areas outside the Central business District which are classified as residential by the commissioner, collection shall not be before 6:00 a.m. nor later than 9:00 P.M.

(e)

Containers which do not meet the above requirements shall be removed after twenty-four-hour notice by the commissioner. Haulers may reclaim the containers upon payment of a fifty dollar ($50.00) fine. Material not in commercial carts or dumpsters shall be removed by the D.P.W. after twenty-four-hour notice to the property owner and the reasonable cost of the removal and disposal in addition to other remedies shall be assessed to the property owner as provided in section 14-15(c).

(f)

Commercial waste generators shall source-separate city designated recyclables including:

(1)

Corrugated paper: Except as generated by commercial waste generators consisting of more than ten (10) residential units. Corrugated paper includes commercially generated cardboard containers; boxes and packaging which are cleaned of contamination by food wastes; adhesives; metals; wood; or plastics, and which have been flattened or bundled for transport, except by residential property owners. In general, corrugated paper must be flattened and bundled for transport and must be free of contaminants such as food waste, plastic, wood, and adhesives and must not be mixed with other materials. No waxed boxes shall be included.

(2)

Glass: Including, but 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 shall not be placed in recycling containers and should be deposited in household waste containers or commercial containers as herein defined.

(3)

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.

(4)

Newspapers: Includes but is not limited to common machine-finished paper made chiefly from wood pulp used for printing newspapers, 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.

(5)

Office paper: Except as generated by commercial waste generators consisting of more than ten (10) residential units, office paper includes but is not limited to all bond paper including computer printout, stationery, photocopy, and ledger from commercial waste generators. Paper must be free of tape, adhesives, labels, rubber bands, paper clips, binders, and other contaminants. This term excludes carbon paper, chemical transfer paper, windowed envelopes, and glossy paper except by residential property owners.

(6)

Plastics: Which includes all HDPE and PET type plastic, 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.

(g)

Items banned from the city collection as unacceptable waste are also banned from private collection as solid waste.

(Gen. Ord. No. 48-2001, 10-22-01; Gen. Ord. No. 16-2003, 5-19-03)