City Code (cont.)

Table of Contents

Chapters 43--45  RESERVED

Chapter 46  SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT*

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*Cross references: Sanitation of animal structures and premises, § 14-5; sanitation of dogs and cats, § 14-40; buildings and building regulations, ch. 18; abandoned motor vehicles, § 62-181 et seq.

State law references: Waste management generally, M.S.A. ch. 115A; authority to regulate solid waste disposal, M.S.A. § 412.221, subd. 22.

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ARTICLE I.  IN GENERAL

Sec. 46-1.  Definitions.

The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Commercial establishment means any premises where a commercial or industrial enterprise of any kind is carried on and includes restaurants, grocery stores, schools, churches, bars, clubs and factories.

Multiple dwelling means any residential building consisting of more than four dwelling units with kitchen facilities for each.

Refuse includes all solid wastes normal to a society of persons and a byproduct of residential, commercial and industrial operations including garbage, rubbish, ashes, animals, animal offal and agricultural waste.

Residential dwelling means any single building consisting of one through four dwelling units with individual kitchen facilities for each.

(Code 1980, § 10.01, subd. 1)

Cross references: Definitions generally, § 1-2.

Sec. 46-2.  Violations.

Any person violating any provision of this article shall be guilty of a petty misdemeanor and shall be punished as for a petty misdemeanor in accordance with section 1-13. A separate offense shall be deemed committed on each day during or on which a violation occurs or continues.

(Code 1980, § 10.01, subd. 5)

Sec. 46-3.  Storage.

(a)        Garbage shall be kept in an approved container which is durable, rust-resistant, watertight and easily cleanable with tightfitting covers and adequate handles to facilitate collection.

(b)        Containers shall have a capacity of not less than five nor more than 30 gallons and shall only be filled or used so as to be easily handled by one man, except that so-called dumpers with closefitting covers may be substituted in commercial and multiple dwellings.

(c)        Containers shall be provided in sufficient number to hold all garbage and refuse accumulating between collections. They shall be kept in a clean condition so as to prevent a nuisance. They shall be placed in an accessible location to facilitate collection.

(d)        Bulky refuse such as tree limbs, brush, cardboard boxes and like material shall be stored in bundles weighing no more than 75 pounds and no longer than four feet.

(e)        Refuse shall not be allowed to accumulate on any property so as to constitute a nuisance because of appearance, odor, sanitation or so as to create a fire hazard.

(Code 1980, § 10.01, subd. 2(B), (E)--(H))

Sec. 46-4.  Deposits.

(a)        It is unlawful for any person to deposit refuse from any source any rubbish, offal or the body of a dead animal any place other than an approved solid waste facility.

(b)        It is unlawful for any person to place or permit another to place any refuse in any receptacle or container or at any refuse collection point owned, maintained or provided for use by another without permission from the owner or the intended user.

(Code 1980, § 10.01, subd. 3)

Sec. 46-5.  Disposal.

The council may, by resolution, adopt and from time to time amend, adjust and revise such rules, regulations, rates and charges as it deems necessary or proper for the operation and management of an approved solid waste facility. It may give notice of any such action as it deems necessary.

(Code 1980, § 10.01, subd. 4)

Secs. 46-6--46-35.  Reserved.

ARTICLE II.  GARBAGE AND REFUSE HAULERS*

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*Cross references: Businesses, ch. 22.

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Sec. 46-36.  Definitions.

The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Garbage means putrescible animal and vegetable wastes resulting from the manufacture, handling, preparation and consumption of foods and similar substances.

Recyclable material means solid wastes normal to a society of persons that can be processed for reuse in society including certain plastics, glass, metal, newsprint and corrugated cardboard.

Refuse means all solid wastes normal to a society of persons and a byproduct of residential, commercial and industrial operations including garbage, rubbish, ashes, animals, animal offal and agricultural waste.

Solid waste means garbage, refuse and other discarded solid materials, except animal wastes used as fertilizer, including solid waste materials resulting from industrial, commercial and agricultural operations and from community activities. Solid waste does not include earthen fill, boulders, rock and other materials normally handled in construction operations; solids or dissolved material in domestic sewage or other significant pollutants in water resources such as silt, dissolved or suspended solids in industrial wastewater effluents, dissolved materials in irrigation return flows, or other common water pollutants; or bulky refuse such as cuttings from trees, brush, papers, large cardboard boxes and like materials, insofar as practical, which exceed four feet in length or 75 pounds in weight.

(Code 1980, § 6.39, subd. 1)

Cross references: Definitions generally, § 1-2.

Sec. 46-37.  Exceptions.

Nothing in this article shall prevent persons from hauling garbage, refuse or solid wastes from their own residences or business properties, provided the following rules are observed:

(1)        All garbage shall be hauled in containers that are watertight on all sides and the bottom and with tightfitting covers on top;

(2)        All refuse and solid wastes shall be hauled in vehicles with leakproof bodies and completely covered or enclosed by canvas or other means or material so as to completely eliminate the possibility of loss of cargo; and

(3)        All garbage, refuse or solid wastes shall be dumped or unloaded only at an approved solid waste facility and strictly in accordance with regulations relating thereto.

(Code 1980, § 6.39, subd. 3)

Sec. 46-38.  License required.

It is unlawful for any person to haul garbage, refuse or solid wastes for hire without a license from the city or to haul garbage, refuse or solid wastes from his own residence or business property other than as excepted in section 46-37.

(Code 1980, § 6.39, subd. 2)

Sec. 46-39.  Requirements.

(a)        Garbage and refuse hauler licenses shall be granted only upon the condition that:

(1)        The licensee shall have watertight, packer-type vehicles in good condition to prevent loss in transit of liquid or solid cargo;

(2)        The vehicle shall be kept clean and as free of offensive odors as possible and shall not be allowed to stand in any street longer than reasonably necessary to collect garbage, refuse or solid wastes; and

(3)        The garbage, refuse or solid wastes shall be dumped or unloaded only at an approved solid waste facility and strictly in accordance with regulations relating thereto.

(b)        Before a garbage and refuse hauler's license shall be issued, the applicant shall file with the city clerk evidence that he has the currently required public liability insurance on all vehicles. The policy shall carry an endorsement that the policy will not be cancelled or terminated without first giving notice to the city, in writing, at least ten days prior to the proposed cancellation.

(c)        The council, in the interest of maintaining healthful and sanitary conditions in the city, reserves the right to specify and assign certain areas to all licensees and to limit the number of licenses issued.

(d)        The council shall establish, by resolution, minimum levels of service to be provided by each licensee, and each licensee shall provide such service and quote a rate to be approved by the council for providing such service.

(e)        Each applicant shall file with the city clerk, before a garbage and refuse hauler's license is issued or renewed, a schedule of proposed rates to be charged by him during the license period for which the application is made. The schedule of proposed rates or a compromise schedule thereof shall be approved by the council before granting the license. Nothing in this subsection shall prevent a licensee from petitioning the council for review of such rates during the license period, and the council may likewise consider such petition and make new rates effective at any time. No licensee shall charge rates in excess of the rates approved by the council.

(1)        In accordance with M.S.A. § 115A.93, all fees for the collection of mixed municipal solid waste assessed by collectors operating within the city shall be based on either a volume or a weight based system. For volume or weight based fees, the fee shall increase with the volume or weight of the waste collected.

(2)        A pricing system based on volume instead of weight shall have a base unit size of 30 to 33 gallons for mixed municipal solid waste collected from households; mixed municipal solid waste collected from commercial/industrial collection may have a larder base unit size. The licensee shall establish a multiple unit pricing system that ensures the amounts of waste generated in excess of the base unit amount are priced higher than the base unit price.

(f)         No hauler operating on a route in a residential district shall operate a truck on any city street when the weight of the vehicle exceeds eight tons per axle.

(g)        No hauler shall operate in a residential district after 8:30 p.m. or before 5:30 a.m. of any day, and no hauler shall operate in a residential district on Sunday.

(h)        Each vehicle for which a hauler's license is issued shall exhibit such license in a prominent position on the vehicle.

(i)         Licensed haulers for recyclables are authorized to take recyclable materials from the city to the designated processing site. Further, the licensed recyclable hauler's pickup vehicles are not required to be compactors.

(Code 1980, § 6.39, subd. 4)

State law references: Authority to assess property for garbage collection, M.S.A. § 443.015.

Chapters 47--49  RESERVED