Chapter 12-3 Solid Waste Guidelines

4.0 SERVICES

4.1 Use of Service Required
4.2 Alternative Services
4.3 Landfill Services
4.4 Schedule and Frequency of Solid Waste Services

4.1.1.

All single family, duplex, or triplex dwellings are required to use the City’s Pay-As-You-Throw services and pay the approved rates for those services. Commercial services are also available on a subscriber basis for low-volume commercial customers. Customers may be exempted by the Director from use of the service and payment if:

• the customer has requested and received an exemption from the Director and alternate services have been arranged.
• the volume of materials set out is prohibitive or a health threat.
• the location is prohibitive (private streets, accessibility difficult, narrow alleys, excessive distance from road, etc.)
• particular waste characteristics make mechanically handled containers preferable, such as animal manure, etc.

4.1.2.

The owner or the owner’s designated representative in charge of a business, apartment house, condominium, townhouse complex, or planned unit development containing four or more dwelling units may decline the collection services provided by the City if a written agreement is made with the City. A copy of the contract with the private hauler, or an affidavit from the private hauler showing the effective dates of service must be attached to the agreement.

The City will not charge the customer for service at the property while private collection service is secured during the time that the written agreement is in effect.

If the Director determines that a customer or group of customers cannot be adequately served with the standard collection services, the Director may provide alternative collection services using whatever receptacles and removal methods the Director considers appropriate or the Director may require the customer or customers to secure private collection services.

4.3.1. Landfill Guidelines

The City of Austin FM 812 Landfill accepts non-putrescible waste, construction and demolition waste and other material as authorized for a Type IV landfill by the Texas Natural Resource Conservation Commission. When using the landfill all disposal fees must be paid prior to dumping and all rules must be obeyed, including the following prohibitions:

• No exceeding posted speed limits.
• No untarped loads unless assessment is paid.
• No disposal of hazardous wastes in the landfill.
• No enclosed vehicles or trailers which do not allow inspection of the load are allowed.
• No handguns or weapons.

The Director or his designee may suspend the dumping privileges and order off the property any person violating these rules.

4.3.2. Landfill Recycling Center

The Director may provide a Landfill Recycling Center operated either by City personnel or a private contractor. The Landfill Recycling Center may accept car batteries, appliances, newspaper, most metals, glass, and other items that can be reused or recycled. Additional restrictions, such as limits on quantities, may apply.

4.4.1. Residential Collection Services Schedule

Garbage, yard trimmings, and recycling are all collected in separate containers generally on the same service day each week, Mondays through Fridays. The Director may schedule different collection days for these services to better balance workload within the department. Collection services may be delayed or cancelled due to weather or unforeseeable circumstances.

4.4.2. Holiday Collection Schedule

When Solid Waste Services crews observe a holiday that falls on a weekday, the service day(s) slides to the following day for the remainder of the week after the holiday. The “slide” means that if your service day falls on a Solid Waste Services’ holiday, your service day slides to the following day. This also means that customers with a collection day later in the week will receive their service one day later.

1. Holidays observed by the Department:
   • Thanksgiving Day
   • Christmas Day
   • New Year’s Day
2. Collection will occur on the following holidays:
   • Veterans Day
   • Presidents’ Day
   • Christmas Eve
   • Memorial Day
   • Friday after Thanksgiving (Thursday service day slides to Friday, and Friday service day slides to Saturday.)
   • Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
   • Independence Day
   • Labor Day

4.4.3 Special Collection Services Schedule

4.4.3.1 Bulky Item Collection - Curbside collection of bulky items is provided one to two times per year. Advance notice of scheduled bulk collections is provided to affected neighborhoods.

4.4.3.2. Brush Collection - Curbside collection of brush is provided at least once each year. Advance notice of scheduled brush collections is provided to affected neighborhoods.

4.4.3.3. Household Hazardous Waste Disposal - The Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility is open only to City of Austin and Travis County households on Tuesdays and Wednesdays from 12:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m., except during certain holiday weeks or severe weather events. The HHW Facility is closed during Thanksgiving and Christmas weeks. The Director will determine any changes in the weekly operating schedule, or the schedule for any weekend collection events.

4.4.3.4. Street Cleaning – The cleaning of curbed streets is performed nightly in the downtown business district, monthly on main boulevards, and at least six times each year in residential areas.

4.4.3.5. Litter Abatement – Litter abatement is performed nightly in the downtown central business district, and litter abatement on the public right of ways and City of Austin properties is scheduled as reported.

4.4.3.6. Dead Animals - Dead animals are collected from public rights-of-way Mondays through Saturdays as reported by customers.

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