[Adopted 1-29-1975 by L.L. No. 1-1975 (Ch. 25A of the 1972 Code)]
This article shall be known and may be cited as the "Litter Control Local Law."
A clean, wholesome, attractive environment is declared to be of importance to the health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants of the Town, the safeguarding of their material rights against unwarrantable invasion, the protection, preservation or maintenance of property values and to minimize nuisances, as well as to protect against health hazards.
For the purposes of this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ABANDON
Relinquishment of any item of personal property and/or litter with the intention of not reclaiming it or resuming its ownership or enjoyment; and this intent shall be presumed at the expiration of 48 consecutive hours from the time of abandonment.
LITTER
A. 
Includes:
(1) 
Garbage, refuse, trash or rubbish or any nauseous or offensive matter. The term "garbage" means waste animal or vegetable matter, such as material from a kitchen, store, delicatessen, restaurant, food stand, etc.
(2) 
All waste materials customarily handled or collected by refuse collectors or junk dealers.
(3) 
Items known as "junk," regardless of size, discarded or abandoned by reason of obsolescence, age or state of repair or intended to be discharged, abandoned or junked, including but not limited to discarded household furnishings or appliances, crates, boxes, cartons, building materials, vehicles, machines, farm equipment, parts of vehicles or machines or equipment.
(4) 
Signs, handbills, discarded reading material, newspapers, magazines or similar paper goods.
(5) 
Cans, bottles, containers, boxes, cartons or wrappers, with or without contents.
B. 
The term "litter" shall not include:
(1) 
Equipment in actual use by the owner of property for farming, gardening, construction or improvements on the property site.
(2) 
Vehicles carrying current registration plates, unless abandoned by the owner thereof for 48 hours or more.
(3) 
Firewood or construction material, reserved and stored upon the premises for future use upon said premises, except that the same must be stored and stacked in an orderly fashion and be free from debris not intended or designed to be used in such future construction.[1]
(4) 
Contractors' supplies or materials stored on the premises during periods of construction for which a building permit has been issued, and prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy.
(5) 
Recreation equipment in actual use by the owner of the property and his family, or his tenants.
PERSON
Includes an individual, partnership, corporation or other legal entity, or association, organization or company.
THROWING, DEPOSITING or ABANDONING
Includes "throwing" from a vehicle of any type, an aircraft or boat.
TOWN
The Town of Carmel, New York.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
No person shall throw, deposit or abandon litter on any property within the Town, whether public or private, and whether or not owned by such person; nor shall any property owner use his land for the dumping of litter or permit dumping or the accumulation of litter on his property by others, except that the owner or person in control of private property shall maintain private receptacles for the collection of litter in such a manner that litter will not be carried or deposited by the elements upon the yard, yards or premises of others, or upon the streets, roads and highways, or public place or places.
Litter not contained in receptacles as aforesaid shall not be stored or piled on land within the Town, except to facilitate delivery to the vehicle of a refuse collector, salvage dealer, licensed junk dealer, or a person, firm or charitable organization customarily engaged in the removal, purchase, collection or salvage of discarded articles, and in such case shall not be so stored in anticipation of such collection for a period in excess of 48 hours.
Owners or persons in charge or control of all private property, whether resident thereon or not, shall at all times maintain the premises free of litter, except as provided in §§ 95-4 and 95-5 of this article.
No person shall throw, deposit or abandon litter upon any open or vacant property within the Town, regardless of the ownership thereof.
No person shall throw, deposit or abandon litter in or upon any street, highway, walk, park, parking area or other public place within the Town, except in public receptacles; provided, however, that no litter defined as "garbage" shall at any time be thrown or deposited in public receptacles, unless such receptacles are specifically designated and marked for the reception of garbage.
No person owning or operating a place of business shall sweep or deposit litter from any building or lot in or into any street or public parking area, and the frontage of such business properties along streets, public parking areas or access drives leading to parking areas shall be kept free of litter.
No person shall throw, deposit or abandon any litter or foreign matter of any kind whatsoever in any fountain, pool, pond, lake, stream, culvert, reservoir or its tributaries or watershed or any body of water in a park or elsewhere within the Town, except that this provision shall not prohibit the authorized treatment and control of pools or reservoirs to control or regulate water purity or aquatic vegetation by persons or corporations having all required permits issued by state, county, Town or watershed authorities having jurisdiction over such treatment, or such permits.
Signs or posters advertising an event shall be removed by the persons or organizations responsible for the erection or affixing of such signs or posters within 10 days after the happening of the advertised event.
The prohibitions contained herein against the deposit of litter shall include activities known as "dumping," the maintenance of dumps for any purpose, including landfill operations, or the use of any property in the Town as a dumping ground for the benefit of the owner or any other person.
A. 
Each and every violation of this article shall constitute and shall be a violation as defined in Article 10, § 10, Subdivision 3, of the Penal Law of the State of New York and shall, for a first conviction thereof, be punished by a fine of $100 and 10 hours of community service picking up litter within the Town of Carmel; for a second such conviction within 10 years, such person shall be punished by a fine of $250 and 25 hours of community service picking up litter within the Town of Carmel; upon a third or subsequent conviction within 10 years, such person shall be punished by a fine of $1,000 and 40 hours of community service picking up litter within the Town of Carmel.
[Amended 6-13-1979 by L.L. No. 7-1979; 5-22-1985; 11-1-2006 by L.L. No. 7-2006; 7-16-2008 by L.L. No. 4-2008]
B. 
In addition to the above-provided penalties and punishment, the Town Board may also maintain an action or proceeding in the name of the Town in a court of competent jurisdiction to compel compliance with or to restrain by injunction the violation of such article.
C. 
This article shall be enforced by any official authorized to issue and serve appearance tickets under Chapter 3 of the Code of the Town of Carmel or the laws of the State of New York.
[Added 3-7-1979 by L.L. No. 1-1979; amended 1-17-2007 by L.L. No. 1-2007]