There is hereby established a program requiring
the separation, storage and collection of certain recyclable materials.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
CLEAR GLASS
Products made from silica or sand, soda ash and limestone.
The products must be transparent (clear), having no color, and may
be used as containers for packaging or bottling, but shall not include
mirrors, plate glass, light bulbs or headlights.
COLORED GLASS
Products made from silica or sand, soda ash and limestone.
The products must have a color of green or brown and may be used as
containers for packaging or bottling.
MUNICIPAL WASTE
Any garbage, refuse, industrial lunchroom or office waste,
and other material including solid, liquid, semisolid or contained
gaseous materials resulting from the operation of residential, commercial,
retail or institutional establishments and from community activities.
This term does not include recyclable materials.
PAPER/JUNK MAIL
Newsprint, magazines, catalogues, envelopes, letters, construction
paper, color inserts, school paper, office paper, nonmetallic wrapping
paper, real estate books, textbooks (with or without hard covers)
and cardboard.
PERSON
Any individual, partnership, corporation, firm, association,
institution or cooperative enterprise.
PLASTIC CONTAINERS
No. 1, polyethylene teraphthalate (PET), and No. 2, high-density
polyethylene (HDPE).
RECYCLABLE MATERIALS
Glass, aluminum, tin and bimetal cans, paper/junk mail, No.
1 and No. 2 plastics, leaf waste, yard waste, and other materials
that may be designated by the Township.
RECYCLING
The collection, separation, recovery and sale or reuse of
recyclable materials which would otherwise be disposed or processed
as municipal waste, or the mechanized separation and treatment of
municipal waste (other than through combustion) and the creation and
recovery of reusable materials other than a fuel for the operation
of energy.
RESIDENCE
Any single-family, attached or detached, dwelling or multiple
dwellings having no more than four units from which the Township collects
municipal waste.
TIN AND BIMETAL CANS
Containers made from tin or a combination of tin and metal
and may be used as a container for packaging.
TOWNSHIP
The Township of Abington, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
YARD WASTE
Tree clippings, bush clippings, grass clippings, flowers
and plants, tree branches, yard debris, but not to include dirt and
stones.
Any person who owns or occupies a residence
in the Township shall keep separate from municipal waste the following
recyclable materials:
A. Aluminum cans. Cans shall be empty, free of food waste
and placed in a designated recycling container issued by the Township.
B. Tin and bimetal cans. Cans shall be free of food waste
and placed in a designated recycling container issued by the Township.
C. Clear and colored glass. Glass shall be clean, free
of food waste and lids and placed in a designated recycling container
issued by the Township.
D. Plastics, No. 1 and No. 2 — Plastics shall be
clean, free of food waste and placed in a designated recycling container
issued by the Township.
E. Paper/junk mail. Paper/junk mail shall be placed in
a designated recycling container issued by the Township.
F. Leaf waste. Leaf waste shall be stored on the premises
of the residence until the Township schedules a leaf waste collection.
This subsection shall not prevent the composting of leaf waste on
said premises for personal use.
G. Yard waste. Yard waste shall be put in brown biodegradable
bags approved by the Township or tied and bundled. Maximum lengths
not to exceed four feet and maximum three inches in diameter.
On the day or days designated by the Township,
any person who owns or occupies a residence in the Township shall
place recyclable materials for collection in the following manner:
A. Aluminum and/or tin and/or bimetal cans, clear and/or
colored glass, plastics No. 1 and/or No. 2 shall be placed in recycling
containers issued by the Township and placed at the curbside or street
side of the residence or at the residence's authorized municipal waste
collection point.
B. Paper/junk mail. Paper/junk mail shall be placed in
containers issued by the Township and placed at the curbside or streetside
of the residence or at the residence's authorized municipal waste
collection point.
C. Leaf waste. Leaf waste shall be placed in the brown
biodegradable yard bags designated by the Township and placed behind
the curb and, where no curbs exist, at the edge of the street. The
brown biodegradable bags will be sold by or for the Township at designated
places. The cost of the bags will be set by resolution of the Board
of Commissioners.
D. Yard waste, tree and bush clippings. Yard waste, tree
and bush clippings shall be in brown biodegradable yard bags designated
by the Township or tied and bundled and placed at the curbside or
streetside of the residence or residence's authorized municipal waste
collection point.
It shall be unlawful for any person, except
for the employees of the Township engaged in the performance of their
duties on behalf of the Township, to collect recyclable materials
under this article unless such person has first obtained written permission
from the Township.
[Amended 5-12-2011 by Ord. No. 2012]
A. Private collection. Collection by persons owning or occupying multifamily
dwellings having more than four units and commercial, retail and institutional
establishments within the Township shall be responsible for implementing
their own separation, storage and collection of recyclable materials.
Such persons shall use the services of a private hauler who shall
be permitted by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. Such persons shall
have a recycling program which is consistent with the requirements
of Act 101 of 1988, the Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste
Reduction Act. Such persons shall provide annually to the Township written
documentation of the items recycled and the total number of tons or
fractions of tons recycled. Such annual documentation shall cover
the calendar year and shall be provided to the Township within three
months after the end of the calendar year, but in no event later than
April.
B. Township collection.
(1) Persons owning or occupying multifamily dwellings having more than
four units and commercial, retail and institutional establishments
within the Township may elect to have the Township of Abington collect
their recyclable materials. The fee for this service by Abington Township
shall be set by resolution.
(2) Persons electing to have recyclables collected by the Township shall
provide suitable containers for sorting and collection, easy accessible
locations for such activity and written instructions for implementing
the recycling program. Upon request by the Township, multifamily dwellings
and commercial, retail and institutional establishments shall be required
to demonstrate their implemented recycling programs.
(3) These establishments must provide for the separation and collection
of recyclable materials to include the following:
(a)
Multifamily residential recycling. Multifamily dwellings having
four or more units shall be required to separate from municipal waste
and provide for collection of the following items:
[2]
Aluminum or bimetal cans, clear and colored glass, plastics
Nos. 1 and 2, paper and junk mail.
(b)
Commercial, retail and institutional recycling. Commercial,
retail and institutional establishments shall be required to separate
from municipal waste and provide for collection of the following items:
Any person violating any of the provisions of
this article shall, upon conviction thereof by any District Justice,
be sentenced to pay a fine of not less than $10 nor more than $300,
together with the court costs. Each day that a violation continues
shall constitute a separate offense, punishable by a like fine.
The Board of Commissioners may, from time to
time, adopt by resolution such rules and regulations as may be necessary
to carry out the operation of this recycling program.