SR-503-001-02 (5)
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NOV 1 4 1989
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CA:RMM:jld150bjhpc
City Council Meeting 11-14-89
5'03 -tf?O/-02
Santa Monica, California
STAFF REPORT
TO:
Mayor and City Council
FROM:
City Attorney
SUBJECT:
Ordinance Amending Chapter 2 of Article V
of the Santa Monica Municipal Code to Reflect
Changes in the City's Refuse Collection and
Recycling Activities
At its meeting on October 17, 1989, the city Council
introduced for first reading an ordinance updating Chapter 2 of
Article V of the Santa Monica Municlpal Code to reflect changes
in the city's refuse collection and recycling activities. The
ordinance is now presented to the City Council for adoption.
RECOMMENDATION
It is respectfully recommended that the accompanying
ordinance be adopted.
PREPARED BY: Robert M. Myers, city Attorney
Joseph Lawrence, Assistant City Attorney
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NOV 1 4 1989
VOTE: Aff~rmat~ve:
Negat~V'e:
Absta~n:
Absent:
PROOF VOTES WITH ANOTHER PERSON BEFORE ANYTHING
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DISTRIBUTION: ORIGINAL to he s~gned, sealed and f~led in Vault.
...
BEFORE DISTRIBUTION4IlECK CONTENT
DISTRIBUTION OF RESOLUTION #
Council Meet~ng Date /~/<y /11
Agenda Item # G- c
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Was ~ t a;'ended? fI c
OF ALL
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FOR C. CLERK'S ACTION
ORDINANCE # ) Y Cl r;
Introduced: /t"'ji7/l')
Adopted: /~/ v,/y f
ALWAYS PUBLISH ADOPTED ORDINANCES
Cross out Attorney's approval
f'
NEWSPAPER PUBLICATION (Date: ) I
Department originating staff report( Laur1e Lieberman)
Ordinances only for Attorney ( Claud~a Thompson) 2
Management Services Lynne Barrette ORDINANCES ONLY 1
Agency ment20ned in document or staff report
(certl. f ~ed? )
for departments who need to know) .
Parklng Auth.
SubJect fl.le (agenda packet)
Counter file
Others: (Review
Alrport
Aud~torJ.um
BUJ.ldJ.ng Dept.
, ,
ClEO
Personnel
PlannJ.ng
Pol~ce
PurchasJ.ng
Recr/Parks
Fl.nance
General Servo
Ll.~rary
, "
Manager
TransportatJ.on
Treasurer
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SEND FOUR COPIES OF ALL ORDINANCES~o:7
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F~re
CODED SYSTEMS
120 Main Street
Avon, New Jersey 07717
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SEND FOUR COPIES OF ALL ORDINANCES TO: 4
Debra Myrick
Santa MonJ.ca MunicJ.pal Court
1725 MaJ.n Street, Room 118
Santa Monica, CA 90401 Total CopJ.es
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CA:RMM:jld148/hpc
City Council Meeting 11-14-89
Santa Monica, California
ORDINANCE NUMBER l499(CCS)
(City Council Series)
AN ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF SANTA MONICA AMENDING CHAPTER 2 OF ARTICLE V
OF THE SANTA MONICA MUNICIPAL CODE
TO REFLECT CHANGES IN THE CITY'S REFUSE COLLECTION
AND RECYCLING ACTIVITIES
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA MONICA DOES ORDAIN AS
FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1 .
Chapter 2 of Article V of the Santa Monica
Municipal Code is amended to read as follows:
CHAPTER 2 - GENERAL SANITATION
SECTION 5200.
Definitions.
The following
words or phrases as used in this Chapter shall have
the following meanings:
(a) Building Rubbish. Building rubbish is the
waste
material
from
construction,
replacement,
remodeling, repair, or demolition of structures, and
includes, but is not limited to, such rejected
materials and fixtures as earth, stones, bricks,
plaster, glass, lumber, roofing materials, shingles,
concrete, plumbing fixtures, pipes, heating systems,
and electrical materials.
(b) C1ty. The City of Santa Monica.
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(c) Dwellinq. A building or portion thereof
which is used principally for residential occupancy.
( d) Dwell inq Uni t . One or more rooms
designed, occupied, or intended for occupancy as
separate living quarters.
(e) Garbaqe. Garbage is animal and vegetable
waste resulting from the handling, preparation,
working, and service of food and of a type which
originates primarily in kitchens, stores,
restaurants I hotels, and other places where food is
cooked, stored, or consumed. The term "garbage"
shall not include within its meaning food processing
wastes from canneries, slaughter houses, packing
plants, or similar industries, nor condemned food
products or animal shells.
(f) Hazardous Waste. Hazardous waste is those
substances set forth in Sections 66680 and 66685 of
Title 22 of the California Administrative Code or in
the List of Priority Organic Pollutants as maintained
and updated by the United States Environmental
Protection Agency.
(g) Industrial Waste. Industrial waste is
solid waste material from factories, processing
plants, or other manufacturing enterprises, and shall
include, but not be limited to, condemned foods,
lumber scraps and shavings, plaster cases, and
miscellaneous manufacturing refuse.
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(h) Recyclable Material. Recyclable material
is any waste material which can be reused or
reprocessed to produce a useable material and which
is designated by the Director of General Services as
recyclable material. Recyclable material may include
wastes defined as building rubbish, garbage,
industrial waste, hazardous waste, or rubbish.
(i) Refuse. Refuse is garbage, rubbish,
building rubbish, and industrial waste.
(j) Rubbish. Rubbish is paper, cardboard,
books, magazines, rags, clothing, paper cartons,
wooden crates, wooden boxes, mattresses, rubber,
linoleum or asphalt tile excelsior, carpet sweepings,
cut hair, vacuum sweepings, wrapped garbage, grass,
weeds, leaves, yard trimmings, and other similar
articles or materials; ashes, broken glass, crockery,
bottles, tin cans, metal containers, bed springs,
metal furniture, miscellaneous metals, and all other
similar articles of materials; tree branches, brush,
palm fronds, wooden furniture, and all other similar
materials which will burn by contact with flames of
ordinary temperature after being dried to proper
moisture content. Rubbish shall not include
automobile and truck bodies, chassis, and engines.
SECTION 5201. Fat Rendering. No person shall
mel t or render, or cause or permit to be melted or
rendered, any fat, tallow, or lard except when the
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same is fresh from the slaughtered animal and taken
directly from the places of slaughter in the city and
when the same is free from sourness and taint and all
other causes of offense at the time of melting or
rendering. All melting and rendering shall be done
in steam-tight vessels, and the gases and odors
therefrom shall be destroyed by combustion or other
effective means and according to the best and most
approved means and processes. All such melting and
rendering and everything in connection therewith, and
the premises wherein or whereon the same shall be
conducted, shall be free from offensive odor and from
other cause of injury to the public health.
SECTION 5202. Dead Animals. No person shall
bury any dead animal within the limits of the City.
SECTION 5203. Noxious Gases. No person shall
establish, conduct, or maintain any factory or place
for boiling or manufacturing varnish, lamp-black,
glue, or other substance or material that will
generate any unwholesome, offensive, or deleterious
gas or exhaust or any deposit that is dangerous or
prejudicial to life or health.
SECTION 5204. Dust. No person shall erect,
establish, operate, or maintain any carpet beating
machine within two hundred (200) feet of any church,
school house, residence, dwelling house, public
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eating place, or food establishment, or in any place
other than an area zoned to permit industrial
operations. Every carpet beating machine erected
within an industrial zone shall be enclosed so that
dust, dirt, or any other substance or material shall
not escape therefrom during or by reason of the
operation thereof.
SECTION
Bathrooms.
(a) Privy. No person shall maintain a privy
within the City, except during the period of
construction of a building or except during a special
event such as a party, parade, race, or other similar
gathering. Such privy shall be constructed in a
manner approved by the Building Officer and shall be
removed in a sanitary manner immediately upon
discontinuance of use.
5205.
privies,
cesspools,
and
(b) Drainaqe or other Disposal from Privy
Vaults or Cesspools. No person shall permit the
contents, or any part thereof, of any privy vault,
cesspool, water closet, urinal, or of any other sink
or cistern containing any nightsoil, slop water, or
other filthy water, matter, or substance, to flow,
discharge, or be deposited upon the surface of any
premises, or of any public street or other public
place, or into any storm drain. The emptying or
cleaning out of any privy vault, cesspool, or sink
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shall be in such a manner as not to offend the
sensibilities of residents of the City, and no
substances removed therefrom shall be burned or
disposed of in any manner that may be prejudicial to
the health or offensive to the sensibilities of the
residents of the City.
SECTION
person shall
sidewalk in
business, or
condition.
5206. sidewalks, Cleanliness. No
fail, refuse, or neglect to keep the
front of the person I shouse, place of
premises in a clean and wholesome
SECTION 5207. Premises, Cleanliness. No
person owning, leasing, acting as agent for, or
occupying any premises shall permit any accumulation
of manure, garbage, offal, rubbish, stagnant water,
or filthy or offensive matter of any kind to be or
remain upon such premises, or shall fail, refuse, or
neglect to keep such premises in a clean and
wholesome condition.
SECTION 5208. Fertilizers.
(a) No person shall keep any manure on any
premises longer than one day unless the same be kept
in a bin or box made of good, sound metal, brick,
stone, or concrete, or wood of not less than one inch
in thickness, and kept covered at all times.
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(b) No person shall keep any manure within
thirty-five (35) feet of any church, school, or
hospital, or any other place where food or food
products are kept or stored, or any window, door, or
other opening of any residence, dwelling house,
hotel, or lodging house.
(c) No person shall keep any manure in a bin
or box on any premises for a longer period than seven
days or fail, refuse, or neglect to clean and
disinfect such bin or box, or to cause the same to be
cleaned and disinfected at any time when ordered to
do so by the Health Officer.
SECTION 5209. Fertilization of soil. Manure
or other commercial fertilizer in excess of one
hundred (100) pounds may be maintained in a pile or
piles for fertilization of soil only if a permit
shall have been granted therefor by the Director of
General Services and if such manure shall be
maintained more than two hundred (200) feet from any
res idence, dwell ing , hotel, or lodging house. Each
such permit shall designate the location where such
manure shall be kept and the amount that may be so
kept. It shall be unlawful for any person to keep
any such manure at any location other than that
designated in such permit or in any amount greater
than the amount named in such permit.
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SECTION 5210. Offensive Substance.
(a) No person shall unload, discharge, place
or deposit upon or along any public street, sidewalk,
or other public place or upon or along the line of
any railroad, any human or animal excrement, manure,
offal, or other offensive or nauseous substance, or
to allow any car or other vehicle having therein or
thereupon any such substance to remain or stand upon
or along any railroad, or upon or along any public
street or other public place for a period longer than
is necessary for loading and hauling such substance
to its destination and in no event for a longer
period than twenty-four (24) hours.
(b) No person shall deposit any dead animal or
part thereof, or any offal, sewage, nightsoil, manure
or rubbish, or any decaying or putrid matter or
substance of any kind in the Pacific Ocean, or in any
irrigating ditch, reservoir, aqueduct, storm drain,
or in any pipe or stream connected therewith, or to
bathe or to put any part of his or her person into
any reservoir, aqueduct, or other portion of any
water system or to otherwise do anything that will
impair or imperil the purity or wholesomeness of any
water designed for household or domestic use.
(c) No person shall use any vehicle, tub, or
other receptacle for hauling any offal, or the
contents of a privy vault, cesspool, or sink, or any
nauseous or offensive substance, unless such vehicle,
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tub, or other receptacle shall be sufficiently strong
and tight to prevent any of the contents from leaking
or spilling therefrom and the same shall be so
tightly covered as to prevent any nauseous odors from
escaping therefrom. No person shall permit any such
car or vehicle to be in a filthy or offensive
condition, or fail to thoroughly clean any such car
or vehicle after every use thereof.
(d) No person shall defecate or urinate in
public or upon any street or sidewalk or other public
place.
SECTION 5211. Sewers. No person shall deposit
in any water closet, privy vault, or cesspool any
dead animal, offal, or garbage, or deposit or cause
or permit to be deposited any solid substance in any
public sewer, manhole, or flushtank.
SECTION 5212. Cellars or Basements. Every
cellar or basement in any dwelling, residence, public
eating place, or food establishment shall be kept
thoroughly drained, ventilated, and in a clean and
wholesome condition.
SECTION 5213. Building Officer's Notices.
(a) The Building Officer is authorized and
empowered to post or set up any notices which he or
she shall deem necessary or expedient to secure or
promote the enforcement or observance of any law of
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the state of California, or any ordinance of the city
or of this Code, relating to the quarantine
regulations, or to the preservation of the public
heal th, or to the sanitary regulations of the state
or City, and he or she hereby is authorized and
empowered to post or set up any extraction or copy of
any such law, Code, or ordinance whenever he or she
shall deem the same to be necessary or expedient.
(b) No person shall destroy, deface, mutilate,
or tear down any such notice, or its surface, or any
part thereof.
SECTION 5214. Collection of Refuse.
(a) The Director of General Services in his or
her discretion shall determine what refuse materials
shall be collected. The Director's discretion shall
be based upon his or her evaluation of the burdens of
collection, capacity of existing City equipment to
handle such materials, and the convenience of the
public. Building rubbish generated by homeowner
operations in small remodeling projects may be
collected by the city, if placed in a container, the
combined weight of which does not exceed forty (40)
pounds. Building rubbish generated by building
contractors shall not be collected. The Director of
General services shall determine the appropriate
collection system for refuse. city-owned containers
may be provided for refuse disposal and use of such
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containers may be made mandatory in certain areas of
the city.
(b) Hazardous waste shall not be deposited in
any container for refuse, garbage, rubbish,
recyclables, or industrial waste. Hazardous waste
shall be disposed of only according to applicable
provisions of federal, state, and city law and
regulations.
SECTION 5215. Refuse service and Collection.
The Director of General Services is authorized to
establish such refuse collection routes and to
collect refuse on such days of the week and at such
hours of the day as deemed necessary to serve the
best interests of the City. The frequency of
collection shall not be changed without a resolution
of the City Council.
SECTION 5216. Points of Collection of Refuse.
(a) Any refuse placed for collection shall not
be placed for collection in that portion of any
street or alley abutting on property other than the
property owned or controlled by the person placing
the refuse. On other than collection days, when
refuse collections are made from the street,
containers shall be stored on private property no
closer than ten (10) feet from the street
right-Of-way line, unless the containers are stored
in an enclosure. Where there is a public alley along
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which refuse collections are made, all refuse shall
be placed for collection upon private property within
ten (10) ten feet of the alley, providing there shall
be no obstructions between such refuse and the alley
property line. In the event there is not sufficient
unobstructed area in which to place refuse on such
private property, refuse may be placed so as not to
encroach upon a public alley more than four (4) feet.
If there is no public alley, refuse containers shall
be placed for collection on the parkway not more than
four (4) feet from the curb.
(b) If a property owned or controlled by the
person placing the refuse is located such that no
portion of the property abuts the public alley or
street along which refuse collections are made, the
Director of General services shall determine a
location in the public alley or parkway on which the
property owner shall place the refuse containers.
The location determined by the Director of General
Services shall in no event encroach upon the public
alley more than four (4) feet nor shall be placed
more than four (4) feet from the curb when the
location of the refuse containers is determined to be
a parkway.
(c) Refuse containers shall not be placed for
collection earlier than 4:00 p.m. a day before
collection day and not later than 7: 00 a.m. on the
day of collection.
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(d) Refuse containers placed upon a public
street or alley for collection shall be removed not
later than 8:00 p.m. on the day of collection.
(e) No refuse containers shall be placed on
any public right-of-way on other than collection days
without a permit having been obtained from the
Director of General Services in accordance with
Section 7151 of this Code.
(f) Refuse from a corner lot, if there is no
alley, may be placed in accordance with provisions of
this section on any frontage along which refuse
collection trucks are routed, provided all refuse
from such lots shall be placed for collection at one
place.
(g) Refuse containers provided by the City for
use with automated collection systems shall be placed
for collection in locations which provide
unobstructed access within a three foot radius of any
edge of said containers.
SECTION 5217. Collection of Refuse in Central
Business District. Anything in this Code to the
contrary notwithstanding, the following additional
regulations shall apply to the district bounded by
Ocean Avenue on the west, Wilshire Boulevard on the
north, Fifth Street on the east, and Colorado Avenue
on the south:
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(a) No refuse, or refuse containers shall be
placed upon, or allowed to remain upon public
property except between the hours of 7: 00 a.m. and
11:00 a.m. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday,
Friday, and Saturday.
(b) No refuse shall be stored on private
property except:
(1) In a bin type container approved by
the Director of General services.
(2) In a fully enclosed building.
(3) within an enclosure around which
there is an opaque wall fence not less than six (6)
feet in height, so arranged that said refuse is not
visible from any point outside the enclosure.
(c) No refuse originating in any place of
business shall be placed upon the Third street
Promenade, Second Street, or Fourth Street, except as
is provided for in Santa Monica Municipal Code
Section 3611A.
(d) The City Council may by Resolution
establish a fee requiring refuse customers or private
refuse haulers to pay for the privilege of placing or
storing refuse or refuse containers on public
property for collection by the City or private refuse
haulers.
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SECTION 5218. Refuse containers.
(a) A rubbish container shall be a durable
circular receptacle not exceeding forty-five (45)
gallons in capacity, unless the container is owned by
the city or its use is mandated by the Director of
General Services. The container shall be equipped
with a handle. The container shall be made of metal
or of a material impervious to water, shall be
water-tight in construction, and shall be equipped
wi th a handle or handles of sufficient strength to
support the weight of the container and contents.
Paper bags, cardboard boxes, or wooden crates are not
acceptable refuse containers and will not be
collected.
(b) Every owner, business, tenant, or lessee
of premises, except a tenant or lessee of a dwelling
unit in a multiple dwelling, who produces refuse
shall provide and at all times keep and maintain
suitable containers adequate to contain the
respective amounts of refuse ordinarily accumulating
at such place during the intervals between
collections. All refuse required to be placed in
containers for collection shall be accumulated only
in such containers during intervals between
collections.
(c) Refuse containers shall be cleaned and
dis infected as needed in order to maintain the same
in a sanitary condition. The City shall remove any
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container placed on a street or alley which does not
comply with specifications for containers as set
forth in this Section. By placing a refuse container
for collection by the city, the container's owner
consents that the city can place identification marks
on refuse containers at its own expense.
(d) Notwithstanding any other provisions of
this section, properly bound plastic bags made of
durable material may be used. with the exception of
plastic bags, all other containers shall be tapered.
(e) The city may provide residents or
businesses with refuse containers and may require the
use of said containers, which will remain the
property of the city. These containers may be
furnished where collection systems requiring
standardized refuse containers are utilized.
SECTION
5219.
Preparation of
Refuse
for
Collection.
(a) Garbage, carpet sweeping, cut hair, vacuum
cleaner dirt, and sawdust shall be wrapped securely.
Garbage shall not contain poisonous, infectious, or
hazardous chemicals. Palm fronds need not be placed
in containers. Tree limbs, brush, bush, tree
trimmings, broken furniture, carpet, and padding
shall be no more than four (4) feet in length and
shall be securely tied in bundles not to exceed forty
(40) pounds in weight. Wooden boxes, wooden crates,
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and paper cartons shall be broken and tied in bundles
not to exceed forty ( 4 0) pounds in weight. Ashes
shall be thoroughly wet before being placed into any
container. Rubbish not in a container placed on the
parkway or alley shall not extend into the street nor
be placed on any portion of the sidewalk and may be
subject to a special collection charge.
(b) The combined weight of anyone container,
except city furnished bins or containers, and its
contents, shall not exceed forty (40) pounds. The
amount of rubbish placed for collection shall not
exceed four (4) cubic yards per collection. No
separate refuse item not in a container and eligible
for collection shall exceed forty (40) pounds.
SECTION 5220. Rental of Bins from city.
(a) Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections
5218 and 5219 upon application by the owner or
authorized agent of any business, multiple dwelling,
or apartment house and upon the payment of the fees
hereinafter prescribed, the Director of General
services may provide a bin or bins for the
accumulating of refuse originating on the premises
described in the application. The fee to be paid to
the City for each such bin furnished shall be as
established and from time to time amended or revised
by resolution of the City Council.
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(b) Upon application by the owner or
authorized agent of any business, multiple dwelling,
or apartment house, when in the opinion of the
Director of General Services such collection is
feasible, collection service from points on private
property more distant than those described in Section
5219 of this Code for bins furnished by the City will
be made upon execution by the application of a waiver
of liability in a form prescribed by the Director of
General services, and upon payment to the City by the
applicant of a bin rollout fee, which fee shall be in
addition to all other fees and charges provided in
this Chapter. The fee to be paid to the city for
such bin rollout shall be as established and from
time to time amended or revised by resolution of the
City Council.
(c) All fees, rentals, and charges provided by
this Section shall be paid to the city as a condition
to the furnishing of the receptacles or services for
which application is made, and such charges shall be
billed and collected in accordance with Section 5224
of this Chapter. Nonpayment shall terminate the
obligation of the City to provide or to continue to
provide such services or receptacles. All
receptacles so furnished shall be and remain the
property of the City. The owner or authorized agent
of the premises described in the application shall be
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responsible for any damage to the receptacle other
than normal wear and tear.
SECTION 5221. Mandatory Equipment.
{a} Notwithstanding the provisions of Sections
5218 , 5219, and 5220 of this Chapter, or any other
provision in conflict herewith, no owner, manager, or
authorized agent of the owner of any IDultiple
dwelling or apartment house, containing eleven (11)
or more dwelling units, shall utilize any receptacle
for the keeping, depositing, or accumulating of
rubbish originating on such premises other than such
receptacles as set forth in Section 5222 of this Code
and made available by the city.
(b) Notwithstanding the provisions of sections
5218, 5219, and 5220 of this Chapter, or any other
provision in conflict herewith, no owner, manager, or
authorized agent of the owner of any place of
business shall utilize any receptacle for the
keeping, depositing, or accumulating of rubbish
originating on such premises other than such
receptacles as set forth in Section 5220 of this Code
and made available by the City if, in the
determination of the Director of General services,
such receptacles are necessary for the safe and
sanitary keeping, depositing, or accumulating of
rubbish.
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(c) No owner, manager, or authorized agent of
the owner of any place of business, multiple
dwelling, or apartment house which is equipped with,
or has available a refuse collection chute which is
more than ten (10) feet from a street or alley, shall
maintain the same when a shut-off gate for such
refuse collection chute is not provided. It shall be
the responsibility of every such person to install
and maintain a discharge shut-off system for all
existing buildings with refuse collection chutes.
All new buildings designed with refuse chutes shall
provide for a discharge shut-off system.
(d) In the event that the provisions of this
section are not complied with when they are, by their
terms, applicable, the city, in addition to any other
remedies to compel compliance with this Section, may
refuse to collect rubbish on-site at such
noncomplying locations and shall collect rubbish only
from points of collection off-site from the
noncomplying premises at locations on public property
or public rights-of-way and then only from those
containers specified in Section 5218 of this Code.
(e) In any case in which the requirements of
this section work a substantial hardship, different
than that experienced by other members of the public,
the aggrieved party may appeal the requirements of
this Section to the Director of General services,
whose decision shall be final and not appealable.
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SECTION 5222. Accumulation of Refuse. Except
as permitted by the provisions of this Code governing
the accumulation and collection of refuse, no person
shall deposit any refuse which is or may become
offensive, noxious, or dangerous to the public health
or is or may become a fire hazard on any public or
private place within the City unless the substance is
deposited in a storage facility for hazardous
materials permitted by the State of California.
SECTION 5223.
Station.
(a) The City Refuse Transfer station may, in
the discretion of the Director of General Services,
be open for refuse disposal by licensed refuse
haulers that primarily serve Santa Monica businesses.
Use of the city Transfer station will be determined
daily by the Solid Waste Management Superintendent
and will be based on available capacity as well as on
the order in which requests are received. Fees for
deposi ting refuse at the Transfer station shall be
established by resolution of the City Council.
(b) Refuse brought to the City Refuse Transfer
Station must comply with the following:
(1) Lumber and rubbish, excepting wooden
furniture, shall not exceed four (4) feet in length
or four (4) inches in least cross-sectional
Use of City Refuse Transfer
dimensions.
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(2) Rubbish and portions of building
rubbish and industrial waste, excepting lumber, shall
be broken into pieces not exceeding 2-1/2' x 2-1/2' x
4'.
(3) Hazardous materials of any kind will
not be accepted for disposal.
(e) No person shall deposit in the city
transfer station or upon any public street or alley
or other public place within the City any refuse
originating in any area outside of the city, and
further, no person shall deposit any refuse upon any
public street or alley or other public property
except as the same may be placed for collection in
accordance with the provisions of this Chapter.
(d) No person who deposits refuse in the City
Transfer Station, or upon any public street, alley,
or property, the place of origin of which refuse is
outside the Santa Monica City limits, shall refuse to
remove the same upon the request of a City employee.
(e) The Director of General Services may limit
the type and amount of refuse that may be deposited
in the City Refuse Transfer Station, if, in the
Director's opinion, the acceptance of such material
would impair the operation of the transfer station.
SECTION 5224.
(a) Minimum
services shall be
Minimum Sanitation Service Fees.
monthly fees for sanitation
set by resolution of the City
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.
Council according to frequency of service and
classification of dwelling or business serviced. If
standardized refuse containers are provided by the
City and use of these containers is required, an
additional fee may be charged when containers in
excess of those allocated by the City are requested
by residents or business owners. These
classifications may include different monthly fees
for:
(1) One dwelling unit per lot.
(2) Two or more dwelling units per lot,
including condominiums.
(3) Boarding houses, hotels, or motels
and other similar uses.
(4) Business and commercial.
(5) Every water account not utilizing
City refuse service.
(b) The Director of General Services is
authorized to make periodic surveys of each business
for the purpose of determining the average quantities
of each classification of refuse which will be placed
for collection on any collection day. Such average
quantities, as so determined, shall be used to
establish charges for refuse in excess of the maximum
allowable quantities. A charge established for
excess refuse shall remain in effect until the
Director of General Services determines that a change
of average quantities requires a different charge.
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.
Such determination shall be made not more than once
every three months.
SECTION 5225. Billing and payment of charges.
(a) The refuse collection service charge
provided for in this Chapter may be billed monthly,
bimonthly, or annually, as determined by the Director
of General Services, and shall be collected by the
Utilities Division of the Department of General
Services.
(b) The refuse collection service charge shall
be billed to the owner, tenant, or occupant of each
business or dwelling unit in whose name the City's
water account is placed for the property and shall be
a civil debt owing to the city. The charges shall be
paid to the City wi thin the time and in the manner
established for payment of the city water bill.
SECTION 5226. Multiple Businesses at One
Location - Computation of Charges.
(a) Where more than one business occupies
premises served by one water meter, or two or more
meters in the same name, if all refuse from the
premises is placed for collection at one location,
the total refuse collection charge, payable by the
person in whose name the water account is carried,
will be computed as for a single business.
(b) Where refuse is placed for collection at
separate places on said premises, the total charge
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.
shall be the total of separate charges for a single
business at each location.
(c) Where the provisions of subsection (a) are
applicable, the charge against the owner of each
business, for which he or she is liable under section
5224, shall be as follows: An amount equal to the
total charges divided by the total number of
businesses; provided that if any single business
generates refuse in excess of the maximums provided
for by section 5224, the owner of that business shall
be charged as a single business, which charge shall
be deducted from the total charge, and the balance
divided by the number of remaining businesses shall
be the charge to each of said remaining businesses.
The person in whose name is carried the water account
shall be solely responsible for allocating the total
charge amongst the owners of each business on the
premises.
SECTION 5227. Exemption from Refuse Collection
Charges.
(a) All properties other than those zoned Rl,
R2R, R2 , R3, R4, and RVC may be exempt from all
charges (except for a minimum monthly refuse
administration fee as set by Resolution of the City
council) if the Director of General Services
determines that all refuse is being lawfully disposed
of by the owner or tenant of the property.
- 25 -
.
.
(b) The Director of General Services,
notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraph (a) of
this Section, in his or her discretion, shall have
the authority to make City service mandatory in those
situations where public welfare makes such service in
the public interest. Such area shall include, but
not be limited to, the Santa Monica Municipal Pier.
SECTION 5228. Refunds for Vacancies. During
the first year after a multiple dwelling unit has
received its Certificate of Occupancy the service
charge provided for in this Chapter shall be refunded
to the billed party in an amount equal to the amount
collected by the City during the period any dwelling
unit in the property was vacant. No refunds shall be
allowed for vacancies after the one year period has
passed following the Certificate of occupancy.
Requests for refunds shall be made on forms provided
by the Director of General Services.
SECTION 5229. Interference with collection.
No person unauthorized by the city or by the owner of
a refuse container shall remove any refuse container
or any refuse placed in said container or bundled for
collection by the City. All such refuse placed for
collection by city employees shall be the property of
the City of Santa Monica.
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.
SECTION 5230. Accounting System. The
Utilities Division as collection agency for the
Department of General services shall institute and
maintain a system of accounting as approved by the
Director of Finance, adequate and sufficient to
provide complete records of all of its operations for
which service charges are billed against users of the
service herein contemplated.
SECTION 5231. Recyclable Materials.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of this Chapter,
the following regulations shall apply to the
collection of recyclable materials:
(a} The Director of General services in his or
her discretion shall determine what recyclable
materials shall be collected. The Director's
discretion shall be based upon his or her evaluation
of the burdens of collection, capacity of equipment
to handle such materials, availability of recyclable
materials users, and the convenience of the public.
(b) The Director of General services is
authorized to establish such recyclable materials
collection routes on such days of the week and at
such hours of the day as deemed necessary to serve
the best interests of the City. In no event shall
recyclable materials be deposited in City controlled
community collection containers located on public
property before 7:00 a.m. or after 8:00 p.m.
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e
.
.
(c) The Director of General Services is
authorized to establish the location of recyclable
material containers on public property as deemed
necessary to serve the best interests of the City.
The location determined by the Director of General
Services shall in no event encroach upon the public
alley or street more than four (4) feet.
(d) Upon the consent of the owner or
authorized agent of any business, multiple dwelling,
or apartment house, when in the opinion of the
Director of General Services such collection is
feasible, collection service from points on private
property will be made. All receptacles furnished by
the City shall be and remain the property of the
City.
(e) Containers for recyclable materials may be
different from containers for non-recyclable
materials and may vary according to the type of
material collected. In no event shall the
accumulation of recyclable materials be allowed to
create litter or an unsafe condition. The City shall
have the right to place identification marks on
recyclable material containers at its own expense.
(f) No person shall deposit in or place upon
or around any recyclable material container any
material other than the recyclable material (s) for
which the container is specifically designated.
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.
.
(g) The Santa Monica Recycling Program is a
service offered to the citizens of Santa Monica by
the city. No person, including any owners, manager,
or authorized agent of the owner of any dwelling,
multiple dwelling, or apartment house may prohibit a
citizen from participating.
(h) No person unauthorized by the owner of a
recyclable material container shall move or remove
said container or shall move or remove any recyclable
materials which include, but are not limited to,
glass, cans, newspaper, plastic, yard waste, and
motor oil left at the curb for collection by City
crews on designated recycling collection days. No
person shall remove recyclable materials from
specially designated containers placed in central
locations for the deposit of cans, glass, plastic,
and newspapers, or other recyclable materials and all
such recyclable materials shall be the property of
the city of Santa Monica.
SECTION 5232. Water Line Contamination.
(a) No person shall connect, cross-connect,
maintain, or install any device, receptacle, fixture,
tank, or any other form of installation in any
building or on any premises, which is connected to
any water line, pipe, or conduit, which conveys or
carries any water used for domestic or human
consumption, if the plan, arrangement, connection,
- 29 -
.
.
maintenance, or installation is such as to make
possible any contamination or pollution of such water
supply.
(b) No person shall dump or place upon any
water meter or gate valve on any water line, any
garbage, waste matter, or other obstruction of any
kind or nature whatsoever.
SECTION 5233. Dump Grounds.
(a) No person shall permit any premises owned,
occupied, or controlled by him or her within the City
to be used for the throwing, dumping, or depositing
of garbage, refuse, waste matter, or other offensive
matter.
(b) No person shall trespass or go upon the
land or property of any other person for the purpose
of dumping or dump upon the land or property of any
person any refuse, as refuse is defined in Section
5200 of this Code.
SECTION 5234. Drinking Fountains. Every
drinking fountain or other device intended to be used
by the public as a means of securing a drink of water
installed in or about any park, school, hotel, store,
or other public meeting place shall comply in design,
application, and operation with the following
specifications:
(a)
orifices
The source of
from which the
water supply and
water flows must be
the
so
- 30 -
.
.
..
protected that they cannot be reached by the mouth,
lips, or tongue of the drinker.
(b) The orifices from which the water flows
must be so protected that drippings from the mouth,
lips, mustache, or nose of the drinker cannot fall on
or return to the orifices from which the water flows.
(c) The fountain or drinking device must be of
such design that under normal water pressure the
drinker may drink without touching chin or bridge of
his or her nose to any part of the fountain.
(d) The fountain or drinking device must be of
such design that the water bubble from which the
drink is taken is formed under normal water pressure
in air at least one and three quarters (1-3/4) inches
away from any supply pipe or other substance. No
person shall maintain, operate, or install any
drinking fountain or other drinking device which does
not comply with the provisions of this Section.
SECTION 5235. Drugs, Medicines, Sale and
Delivery. No person shall distribute to or deliver
to, or leave with, or cause or permit to be delivered
or distributed to or left with any child under the
age of fifteen (15) years (except by a regularly
licensed physician or surgeon, or a regularly
licensed pharmacist or pharmacist's assistant, or the
parents or guardians of any such child) any drug,
physic or medicine, or any sample thereof.
- 31 -
.
.
SECTION 5236. Incorporation of certain county
of Los Anqeles Public Health Code Requirements.
(a) sections 100 to 1191, inclusive, with the
exception of Sections 320, 541, and 542 of the Public
Health Code of the County of Los Angeles, as adopted
on August 25, 1959, by the Board of supervisors of
the County of Los Angeles by Ordinance Number 7583,
and as amended by Ordinance Numbers 8095, 8284, 8425,
8588, and 8614, and subsequent ordinances, are hereby
adopted and incorporated herein by reference as if
set forth in full herein. The provisions of said
Public Health Code fully express the will and
intention of the City council of the city of Santa
Monica as to those matters relating to public health
which are contained therein and adopted hereby.
(b) The provisions of this Ordinance, insofar
as they are substantially the same as provisions of
the Santa Monica Municipal Code relating to the same
sUbject matter existing immediately preceding
adoption of this Ordinance, shall be construed as
restatements and continuances, and not as new
enactments.
(c) The issuance of a permit, certification,
or approval under the provisions of this Ordinance
shall not constitute a waiver of any other
requirement contained in the Santa Monica Municipal
Code or any other law or ordinance, and all such
requirements shall be complied with in addition to
- 32 -
.
.
.
the obtaining of a permit, certification, or approval
under the provisions of this Ordinance.
(d) The issuance of a permit, certification,
or approval under the provisions of this Ordinance
shall not constitute an approval of any violation of
any provision of this Ordinance, or any law or
ordinance, and a permit, certification, approval, or
other document purporting to give authority to
violate any law or ordinance shall not be valid with
respect thereto.
SECTION 5237C. Refuse Collection Hours. No
person shall operate or cause to be operated any
vehicle or refuse collection equipment for the
purpose of collecting refuse between the hours of
10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m. of the following day, except
that it shall be lawful in the M-l District to
collect rubbish between the hours of 3:00 a.m. and
7: 00 a.m. of each day so long as during such time
there is no collection of refuse within five hundred
(500) feet of any building located in a district
other than the M-1 District.
SECTION 2. Any provision of the Santa Monica Municipal
Code or appendices thereto inconsistent with the provisions of
this Ordinance r to the extent of such inconsistencies and no
further, is hereby repealed or modified to that extent necessary
to affect the provisions of this Ordinance.
- 33 -
.
.
SECTION 3. If any section, subsection, sentence, clause,
or phrase of this Ordinance is for any reason held to be invalid
or unconstitutional by a decision of any court of competent
jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the validity of the
remaining portions of this Ordinance. The City Council hereby
declares that it would have passed this Ordinance and each and
every section, subsection, sentence, clause, or phrase not
declared invalid or unconstitutional without regard to whether
any portion of this Ordinance would be subsequently declared
invalid or unconstitutional.
SECTION 4. The renumbering or recodification of the
Sections in Chapter 2 of the Santa Monica Municipal Code shall
not in any manner affect the prosecution for violations thereof,
which violations were committed prior to the effective date
hereof, nor shall the renumbering or recodification of said
Sections affect any prosecution or action which may be pending or
may hereinafter be filed in any court for the violation of any of
the provisions of said Sections. As to any such violations of
any of said Sections and as to any such prosecution or pending
prosecution or action, said Sections and each of them shall be
deemed to continue and be in full force and effect.
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.
.
SECTION 5. The Mayor shall sign and the City Clerk shall
attest to the passage of this Ordinance. The City Clerk shall
cause the same to be published once in the official newspaper
within fifteen (15) days after its adoption.
This Ordinance
shall be effective thirty (30) days after its adoption.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
ROBERT M. MYERS
city Attorney
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.
.
Adopted and approved this 14th day of November, 1989.
p.,.
'1a~
I hereby certify that the foregoing Ordinance No. 1499(CCS)
was duly and regularly introduced at a meeting of the City
council on the 17th day of October 1989; that the said Ordinance
was thereafter duly adopted at a meeting of the City Council on
the 14th day of November 1989 by the following Council vote:
Ayes: Councilmembers: Abdo, Finkel, Genser, Jennings,
Ka t z , Reed, Mayor Zane
Noes: Councilmembers: None
Abstain: Councilmembers: None
Absent: Councilmembers: None
ATTEST:
~Adu/~
.-- - City ClelJX
EXHIBIT I
SUMMARY OF PROJECTED COSTS/BENEFITS
OF RECYCLING ENHANCEMENTS OVER
NEXT TWO YEARS
Proposed Enhancement
Cost Impact
FY1989-90
Cost Impact
FY1990-91
AUTOMATED COLLECTION IN SINGLE FAMILY ZONES:
2 Automated Collection Vehicles
($150,000 each; $100,000 drawn
from already proposed eIP project) $ 200,000
o
Automated Collection Containers
(assumes lease/purchase over 5
years; $400,000 total @ 10%
interest; $50,000 additional
down payment in first year) 152,000
102,000
Public Information and
Community Outreach for single
family automated collection
(Mailings, flyers, brochures,
advertising, etc.) 25,000
AUTOMATED COLLECTION SUBTOTAL $ 377,000
10,000
$112,000
SPECIAL STUDIES AND OTHER PROGRAMS:
Composting/Waste Characterization
study (Professional services) $ 40,000 0
Refuse Rate Consultant Analysis
(to correct present inequities
and create a fee-far-volume rate
structure) 20,000 0
20 Additional Recycling Drop-Off
Zones in public and private parking
lots (20 @ $1,250) 25,000 0
OTHER COSTS SUBTOTAL $ 85,000 0
MULTI-FAMILY RECYCLING PROGRAMS:
New Marketing Specialist/
Administrative Analyst position
(assumes hiring by October 1989 45,000 50,000
7
2 New Recycling Collectors
(assumes hiring by October 1990) 0
Additional Collection Vehicle
(for mUlti-family collection) 0
57,000
120,000
Customized Collection containers
(for commingled and source separated
materials) 0
Central Sorting Facility
(may be contracted) 0
95,000
50,000
2 FTE As-Needed Recycling Workers
for Sorting Facility (may be contracted;
assumes hiring by October 1990) 0
Additional Single Family and
MUlti-Family Individual Household
Collection Containers
38,000
10,000
20,000
Public Education/Marketing
of enhanced recycling program
in mUlti-family and commercial
occupancies.
10,000
25,000
MULTI-FAMILY SUBTOTAL
$
65,000
455,000
GROSS TOTAL COSTS
527,000
567,000
LESS:
Savings from Reduced Operating Costs
of Automated Collection (Assumes full
implementation in 1990-91)
o
80,000
Avoided Disposal Costs
(1,000 tons at $28/ton) 0 28,000
Sale of Recyclables
(1,000 tons at $25/ton) 0 25,000
SAVINGS/REVENUES SUBTOTAL 0 $ 133,000
NET TOTAL COSTS $ 527,000 $ 434,000
8
EXHIBIT II
Refuse Rates in Various Comparison cities
commercial commercial
City Sinqle Family MUlti-Family(l) 1 Bin/2 wk. 1 Bin/6 wk.
Beverly N/A(2) N/A (3) $71.00(4) $165.00(4)
Hills
Culver
City $ 8.62 $129.03 85.66 256.98
Glendale 6.60 58.00 58.95 160.35
Pasadena (5) 17.50(6) 106.70 77.06 173.24
Torrance(7) 9.75 19.50(8) N/A(9) N/A(9)
(duplex)
Santa Monica 11.61 75.51 53.03 159.02
(current)
Santa Monica 14.63 95.20 66.82 200.37
(includes 26% increase eff. 7-1-89)
Santa Monica collects refuse from single-family residences twice
weekly, whereas all other cities listed above make collections
from single-family residences once/week. Further, Santa Monica
charges all customers for both street sweeping and recycling
services. With the exception of pasadena's recycling program,
none of the cities listed include charges for these additional
services in the refuse fees.
FOOTNOTES
(1) Represents charge for ten units unless noted otherwise.
(2) Residential refuse collection is supported by General Fund
Revenues.
(3) Treated as commercial account if bins are used.
(4) 7-1-89 rate increase is anticipated.
(5) A commercial rate increase of about 20% is pending. The
last general rate increase was 11-1-88. AlSO, three cubic
yard bins are used instead of two cubic yard bins.
(6) A pilot automated curbside collection program began
10-10-88.
9
(7) The last rate increase was 7-1-88.
(8) Torrance collects refuse from single-family residences and
duplexes only. Private haulers provide other collection
services.
(9) Available from private haulers only.
10
CA77-135
-
e
hereby repealed or modlfied to that extent necessary to
effect the provisions of this ordinance.
SECTION 3.
If any sectlon, subsection, sentence,
clause or phrase of this ordinance is for any reason held to
be invalid or unconstitutional by a decision of any court of
competent jurisdiction, such decision shall not affect the
validlty of the remaining portlons of the ordinance. The
City Council hereby declares that it would have passed this
ordinance and each and every sectlon, subsection, sentence,
clause or phrase not declared invalld or unconstitutlonal
wlthout regard to whether any portion of the ordinance would
be subsequently declared invalid or unconstltutional.
SECTION 4.
The Mayor shall sign and the City
Clerk shall attest to the passage of this ordinance. The
City Clerk shall cause the same to be published once in the
officlal newspaper withlD fifteen (15) days after its adoption.
The ordinance shall become effectlve after thirty (30) days
from its adoption.
1977.
ADOPTED and APPROVED thlS 8th day of November
LO'Y\",~~~1 JWhJ-----
MAYOR - -
,
ATTEST:
,,-,
~ .
:' './ .
~ ~ ~7""y -f..-I ~2_- < - ~ ~ 't ~
CITY" OtERI< - ..
''''-/STATE OF CALIFORNIA
COUNTY OF LOS ANGELES
CITY OF SANTA MONICA
}
) SSe
)
-4-
Development of a comprehensive solid waste management plan for
the City of Santa Monica is an essential endeavor which may, in
fact, soon be mandated by state legislation. without such a
plan, the City will be unprepared to face a future landfill
crisis which will produce a dramatic increase in landfill fees.
This report outlines the recommended strategies for the creation
of a solid waste management plan, defines the basis for the
establishment of a 25 percent solid waste diversion goal for the
city over the next four years, and describes several other
actions aimed at achieving desirable solid waste policy changes
at other levels of government.
This report is the result of the efforts of an inter-departmental
Solid Waste Task Force which included representatives from the
City Attorney's Office, Rent Control, Community and Economic
Development, Cultural and Recreation Services, General Services,
and the City Manager's Office. The report also represents
extensive discussions with solid waste management experts from
both the public and private sector.
BACKGROUND
Solid Waste Disposal
Santa Monica's solid waste operation is a self-supporting
enterprise, generating virtually all its revenues from the fees
charged to residential property owners and businesses in the
City. The City provides trash collection services to all Santa
Monica residences and approximately 50 percent of
commercial/industrial establishments. six private contractors
provide service to the remaining commercial/industrial accounts.
- 2 -
Some of these private haulers pay the city competitive rates to
dump at the city's transfer station.
In FY1987-88, the city hauled a total of 92,441 tons of solid
waste to landfills. Over the last nine years, the amount of
solid waste hauled by the city of Santa Monica to landfills has
increased an average of 3.5 percent per year. This increase is
primarily due to population growth and increasingly wasteful
packaging techniques, and has occured despite our current
recycling efforts.
From 1952 to 1958, Santa Monica incinerated its solid waste at a
facility at the city Yards. The incinerator was closed in 1959
by order of the Los Angeles Air Pollution Control District. In
1960, Santa Monica replaced the incinerator with a refuse
transfer station and began hauling waste to Mission Canyon
landfill located in the Sepulveda Pass. This transfer station
greatly reduces the number of refuse trucks traveling on the
freeway and increases the cost-effectiveness of Santa Monica's
solid waste operation. In 1979, residents living near Mission
Canyon successfully lobbied the Los Angeles City Council to
close the landfill. Since that time, Santa Monica has been
hauling its solid waste to Sunshine Canyon landfill located in
Sylmar, 28 miles from Santa Monica.
It is projected that the Sunshine Canyon landfill will reach its
capacity in 1990 if expansion permits are not granted by Los
Angeles County to its current owners. If Sunshine Canyon does
- 3 -
not receive an expansion permit, Santa Monica will be forced to
haul its trash to a more distant landfill site.
Santa Monica is fortunate to pay a low tipping fee at the
landfill which is currently $189 per trailer (approximately $9.80
per ton). Landfill fees range up to $150 per ton in the eastern
united states and up to $40 per ton in other parts of California.
Tipping fees will increase an estimated 20 percent effective July
1, 1989, raising the City's cost per ton to $11.43. No landfill
will offer the City a contract term longer than one year due to
the uncertainty of their status and the likelihood of increased
demand for their services. The projected landfill disposal fee
as of July 1, 1989 represents approximately 20 percent of the
total costs of the City's solid waste management operation.
Although Santa Monica's resident population is fairly stable, its
daytime working, tourist, and visitor population should continue
to grow. New office developments and hotels in process or under
construction will impact the amount of refuse produced and
require recycling programs aimed at mitigating their impacts. It
is projected that the total tonnage of solid waste transported by
Santa Monica to the landfill will reach 96,000 tons in FY19B8-89
and 97,000 tons in FY 1989-90.
Recyclinq
Santa Monica's recycling program was established in 1981 as a
part of the refuse operation of the General Services Department.
The program is based on drop-off zones for mUlti-family areas,
curbside collection for single family areas, and a central
- 4 -
buyback center for those who wish to sell their recyclables.
This current combination of curbside collection and strategically
located drop-off zones is estimated to elicit the participation
of approximately 30 percent of Santa Monica residents. Even with
this high participation rate when compared to the experience of
many other cities with recycling programs, Santa Monica's
recycling program has thus far been able to achieve only a 2.6
percent diversion of the total waste stream collected by city
crews, or about a 2.0 percent diversion of the City's total waste
stream. The City's privately-operated buyback center is
estimated to divert an additional 3.5 percent of the City's waste
stream. This buyback center, located at the City Yards, is
operated under contract with the City of Santa Monica by
Ecolo-Haul, a SUbsidiary of Waste Management, Inc. Ecolo-Haul
buys all of Santa Monica's collected recyclables and is
responsible for their sale to secondary material brokers. It is
estimated that other private recycling programs and scavengers
may divert up to an additional 5 percent of the waste stream.
Therefore, the current waste stream diversion by all recycling
efforts in the City may be as much as 9.5 percent.
In general, no recycling program directly recovers its costs
through sales to secondary material brokers. Recycling markets
depend on the fluctuating cost of commodities and are very
volatile. For example, the amount of recyclables collected by
the city had been fairly constant at approximately 2,000 tons per
year until recently when the price for recycled newspapers
declined, resulting in a decrease in scavenging and an increase
- 5 -
in the amount of newspaper left in the city's bins. However,
during the same period scavenging increased for metal and glass
recyclables due to the influence of market prices. The long term
benefits from recycling programs are in avoided landfill disposal
costs, environmental benefits, and numerous other direct and
indirect benefits.
DISCUSSION
Current proposals in the state legislature would mandate
municipalities to create an integrated waste management plan
which must contain various waste reduction strategies. This
report proposes that Santa Monica adopt such a balanced approach
to solid waste management by incorporating methods which reuse,
reclaim, and reduce waste as much as possible. The solid waste
disposal alternatives which are included in the proposed solid
waste management plan for the city are:
1. Waste reduction
2. Recycling
3. Composting
4. Landfilling.
Staff will also propose that the efficiency of the current refuse
collection and disposal operation be enhanced through the
implementation of an automated system on selected City refuse
routes. This automated system would not only incorporate
operational efficiencies but would lay the groundwork for a more
equitable refuse fee structure. Each of these planned elements
is discussed below.
- 6 -
WASTE REDUCTION
Waste reduction has as its goal the reduction of wastes generated
by the community through such actions as changes in product usage
and composition thereby lessening the amount of materials
entering the waste stream. Such changes can be accomplished
through legislation, modification of public attitudes, and
changes in procurement policies by business and government.
Legislative efforts must be accompanied by public education
efforts, which attempt to change public attitudes through
advertising, community outreach, and economic incentives.
Product Packaqinq
Since 1960, the amount of discarded packaging materials has
increased over 80 percent. It now constitutes approximately
one-third of solid waste in the United States. While a great
amount of creative talent and dollars are aimed at devising
packaging that sells a product, virtually no effort is directed
at determining what happens to the packaging after it is sold.
Although wasteful packaging is a significant solid waste problem,
there is not a great deal which Santa Monica can do to reduce the
problem in the absence of broader State and federal action.
Procurement Policies
Developing markets for recycled products is a very critical
factor in making recycling work. currently, approximately $600
billion per year or 20 percent of the nation's GNP represents
government procurement expenditures. The seven largest office
paper users in California are state agencies. Twenty-four states
- 7 -
and seven local governments have already adopted procurement
legislation favoring recycled products. By revising the City's
procurement policies to mandate purchase of recycled materials,
Santa Monica would help to create additional markets for recycled
materials and set an example for other government agencies.
Santa Monica should also explore the establishment of joint
procurement policies with other cities in the region, thereby
fostering the development of broader markets for recycled
products.
In designing an effective procurement policy, the City would have
to review existing purchasing specifications to eliminate
obstacles to purchasing recyclables, review product
specifications to eliminate unnecessarily stringent criteria,
establish minimum content standards, create a viable definition
for recycled materials, and encourage vendors to establish and
abide by similar purchasing programs.
Any additional or expanded City programs undertaken as described
above should be accompanied by lobbying efforts at the state and
federal levels to increase incentives for the adoption and
expansion of recycling programs, discourage the production of
non-recyclable and/or disposable products, improve markets for
secondary materials, and encourage use of reclaimed rather than
virgin materials in the production process.
RECYCLING
Recycling can be applied to residential, industrial, and
commercial materials after they become wastes. Santa Monica's
- 8 -
present recycling program collects and markets glass, aluminum,
bi-metal, newspaper, white office paper, motor oil, and PET
beverage containers.
MUlti-Family Recyclinq
The high percentage (about 80 percent) of mUlti-family dwellings
in Santa Monica presents a challenge to achieving a 25 percent
recycling goal. Almost all recycling programs found elsewhere in
the country are designed for single family areas.
It has been repeatedly demonstrated that the more convenient
recycling is made for residents, the higher the participation
rate will be. In Santa Monica, residents of mUlti-family
buildings deposit their recyclables in 100 drop-off zones located
throughout the city. Inconveniences may result from drop-off
zones located away from a building's refuse bins and by limited
space inside dwelling units for collection containers.
staff proposes the implementation of two pilot programs designed
to generate increased participation and recycling volume in
multi-family zones. One program will entail the placement of
separate recycling collection containers alongside regular refuse
bins on mUlti-family sites with the agreement of the property
owner or building manager. The city will also provide specially-
designed individual collection containers to participating
multi-family residents to facilitate separation of their
recyclables.
In conjunction with this pilot program, staff will explore the
feasibility of providing rebates to property owners who provide
- 9 -
space for the recycling containers. It is hoped that providing a
financial incentive will encourage property owners to participate
in this program, thereby resulting in increased recycling
convenience for residents of mUlti-family buildings.
The second pilot program proposed for mUlti-family zones involves
a different recycling approach. This approach will require
targeted multi-family buildings to separate all recyclables from
their nonrecyclable refuse. The commingled recyclables will then
be deposited in a separate compartment of the refuse bin to allow
collection and transport to a central sorting facility. There,
the commingled recyclables will be separated by material category
and sold through established market channels. This proposed
program has the potential for a higher success level than the
city's current recycling program in multi-family areas due to
increased ease of participation for residents. However, this
program will also require a higher level of investment by the
City for new customized collection bins, additional collection
vehicles, additional staff, and greater commitment of sorting
facility space at the city Yards.
It is proposed that the City'S initial commingled recycling
efforts be limited to a selected number of multi-family
buildings. Once data on program costs and program results are
available, decisions regarding expansion of the program can be
considered.
single Family Recyclinq
The city's current curbside collection program for single family
- 10 -
and small multi-family residences has been more successful than
the City's multi-family program from the standpoint of resident
participation. It is proposed that the single family zone
efforts be expanded through additional public education and
community outreach and through investigation of a more efficient
recycling collection container design. Simultaneous with the
continuation of the City's curbside collection of recyclables,
additional proposals dealing with separated yard waste collection
and a "fee-for-waste-volume" rate structure are discussed below.
Public Information and community Outreach
The proposed mUlti-family recycling programs as well as the other
proposed changes in solid waste collection and recycling
presented in this report will necessitate implementation of a
broad public information campaign to inform residents of the
benefits of participation. Outreach strategies will vary from
building to building, depending on factors such as size, type of
building, and type of onsite recycling implemented. Marketing of
the city's recycling and waste reduction programs must be
aggressively pursued if the proposed 25 percent waste diversion
goal is to be achieved.
Additional Drop-Off Zone Locations
It is proposed that another promising way to increase recycling
participation by employees and residents in the City is through
the establishment of additional recycling drop-off zones.
Logical locations for the placement of up to 25 additional
recycling drop-off zones include supermarket and other private
parking lots. The potential loss of parking spaces in these
- 11 -
lots from the installation of drop-off zones must be evaluated
before the zones are established.
Participation by both public and private schools and colleges
through the approval of recycling drop-off zones in their parking
lots should also be encouraged. Placement of drop-off zones at
these institutions would provide an opportunity to reach and
educate young people about the value of recycling and help expand
recycling program participation.
Plastics Recyclinq
Beginn1ng March 1, 1989, polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
beverage containers were added as one of the items which is
collected by the City's Recycling Program. At present, PET
containers are collected commingled with metal cans. The
feasibility of adding HDPE (high density polyethelene) plastic,
found in products such as milk jugs and juice bottles, is
currently being studied.
Plastics constitute an estimated 13 to 33 percent of solid waste
by volume, but only about 7 percent of solid waste by weight.
Volume is usually the more significant variable since it is
directly related to the lifespan of landfill space. More than
half of the discarded plastic derives from packaging. Plastic
packaging does not decompose and can produce toxic gases when
burned. Currently, only one percent of all plastics are
recycled, yet the use of plastic consumer items and plastic
packaging is rapidly increasing.
- 12 -
Recent meetings organized by city staff with representatives from
the plastics industry have resulted in several proposals for
reducing the impact of polystyrene (styrofoam) litter on Santa
Monica streets and beaches and reducing the volume of plastics in
landfill wastes. At least one plastics recycler has agreed to
accept post-consumer (dirty) polystyrene for reprocessing. A
pilot polystyrene recycling program for a large fast food
restaurant in Santa Monica is also expected to be implemented by
this summer. staff is working to develop a more comprehensive
polystyrene recycling program in cooperation with plastics
industry representatives and Santa Monica businesses. The
program which is envisioned would recycle a significant amount of
post-consumer and industrial polystyrene in the city.
At this time, staff believes that an effective polystyrene
recycling program is preferable to legislative action banning
polystyrene use since a polystyrene ban would very likely result
in the substitution of a packaging material which is not
recyclable. If polystyrene packaging were replaced with
"biodegradable" materials, serious questions would need to be
raised about how these degradable products will ultimately affect
the environment. Scientific evidence shows that most materials
expected to biodegrade in landfills are not in fact decomposing
or are releasing toxic substances into the air and ground during
the decomposition process. If staff's current discussions with
plastics industry representatives do not result in an
appropriately aggressive recycling program, the city should
reevaluate its strategy on the plastics packaging issue.
- 13 -
Commercial and Industrial Recyclinq
The adoption of City policies to promote recycling in commercial
and industrial occupancies is made difficult by the fact that
only 50 percent of commercial refuse collection is currently
provided by the city. To achieve a 25 percent waste diversion
goal, it is important that city businesses and industries are
included in a comprehensive recycling program. At the same time,
however, the City must be careful not to diminish competitiveness
with private haulers. The approach which has been taken by the
City up to this point is to promote voluntary recycling efforts
for selected materials such as glass from restaurants and bars.
An alternative approach could involve the establishment of
specific recycling requirements for all businesses whether
collected by City or private refuse haulers. This alternative
entails a complex set of legal and logistical issues which would
need to be examined thoroughly prior to implementation.
Given the complexity surrounding commercial recycling, staff
proposes that the feasibility of commercial recycling
alternatives be studied during the next fiscal year so that
specific recommendations can be presented to City Council for
consideration. One of the work efforts which will be carried out
as a part of this feasibility analysis will include a detailed
waste characterization study to provide data on the proportion of
marketable components within the City's commercial/industrial
waste stream. staff will also continue discussions with small
and large businesses to elicit their support for current and
proposed voluntary recycling programs.
- 14 -
Recyclinq Requirements for New Construction
General Services and Planning Division staff are developing a
proposed ordinance requiring all new developments which exceed a
specific size threshold to provide recycling systems and
operational recycling plans in their final development design.
It is anticipated that a staff report containing recommendations
on this issue will be presented to City council within the next
60 days.
YARD WASTE COMPOSTING
Yard waste composting is a solid waste reduction process applied
to organic materials in the waste stream. Through biological
action, these organic materials are converted into a usable soil
conditioner known as compost. The major advantage of composting
is that it can be accomplished through the application of a
relatively simple technology and that the compostable materials
(yard waste) can be easily separated from other solid waste. It
is estimated that a yard waste program in Santa Monica could
divert from 10 to 20 percent of the City'S solid waste stream.
Diversion of yard waste through composting is probably the single
most important means by which the volume of materials hauled to
the landfill can be reduced. The success of such a program would
depend on identifying a suitable composting site and markets to
accept and use the material. Even if a market for the material
cannot be found, the composting process reduces volume and weight
of the waste by over 50 percent.
At present, no yard waste collected by the City'S sanitation
crews is diverted from the landfill. A pilot composting facility
- 15 -
was operated on Santa Monica Airport property between 1986 and
1988 and produced several hundred tons of compost from the Parks
and Cemetery Divisions' landscape waste and tree trimmings.
Given the tremendous potential benefits to be gained from
composting, City staff has begun an in-depth analysis of the
feasibility of reestablishing a composting facility in Santa
Monica.
Clearly, for a highly urbanized community such as Santa Monica,
composting is made more difficult because of siting constraints.
Staff has identified potential sites for the establishment of a
composting facility which could provide adequate space for the
operation and allow mitigation of adverse impacts to neighborhood
residents and businesses. Two of these potential composting
sites are located on Santa Monica Airport property and the third
site could be established at the city Yard by relocating some
existing uses. staff also proposes to meet with representatives
of neighboring jurisdictions to examine the feasibility of a
shared cornposting facility located at a site outside of Santa
Monica.
Another problem associated with establishment of a composting
facility is development of a market for the composted material.
In an attempt to identify existing markets or creation of new
markets, staff has contacted soil amendment companies in the Los
Angeles area and has received a response from at least one of
these companies which is interested in using the finished compost
product from Santa Monica. It is critically important that a
market for the compost be identified prior to the establishment
- 16 -
of the facility since a significant investment would be required
for equipment and personnel at the compost facility, as well as
equipment and personnel to collect separated yard waste from
Santa Monica residents.
One option which is being investigated by City staff would
involve only a one-step processing of yard waste through a large
grinder. The resulting unfinished product could then be marketed
to established composting companies for final compost processing
at their site and inclusion in their marketed soil amendment
products. A grinder-only operation would require considerably
less space than a full composting facility.
Implementation of a composting program will also require a
partial restructuring of current refuse collection procedures.
For example, each single family house or mUlti-family building
would be required to separate their yard waste from the rest of
their refuse for collection and transport to the composting
facility. The current disposal practices for City-generated
landscape waste and tree trimming debris would also need to be
changed. These changes in the refuse collection operation would
involve additional initial costs for purchase of equipment and
hiring of additional staff. In the long run, however, these
additional investments would result in significant avoided
hauling costs and landfill disposal fees.
Since establishment of a composting facility involves significant
modifications to our current solid waste practices and presents a
complex set of siting issues, it is proposed that the services of
- 17 -
a professional consultant be retained to assist and advise City
staff as to the most cost-effective means to pursue this
important objective.
LANDFILLING
For the forseeable future, landfilling will remain an essential
part of an integrated solid waste management plan. Current
regulations require landfills to provide daily cover, landfill
liners, leachate control, landfill gas collection systems, and
environmental monitoring.
Siting of landfills has become increasingly difficult due to
opposition from surrounding residents, space requirements, and
environmental hazards. The state's Waste Management Board
estimates Los Angeles County will begin to experience the same
type of landfill crisis as has become commonplace in other states
during the last few years as existing landfills reach capacity
and siting of new landfills becomes more difficult. It is
estimated that most California cities will face closure of their
present landfills within the next 10 years. As a result, cities
will have few options but to implement alternative solid waste
management strategies.
INCREASED EFFICIENCY OF REFUSE COLLECTION AND DISPOSAL
A more efficient refuse collection and disposal system in single
family areas can be accomplished through implementation of
automated collection in conjunction with an increase in recycling
collection service from once every two weeks to once per week.
Many cities have implemented automated refuse collection, a
- 18 -
system where the sanitation worker remains in the truck
throughout the collection process. Automated collection also has
the advantage of providing a means to offer financial recycling
incentives to single family and small multi-family buildings.
These financial incentives would be possible since the different
sizes of standardized containers which will be provided by the
City to residents as a part of automated collection service would
allow establishment of a ufee-for-volume" rate structure. This
fee-for-volume system will charge residents based on the size and
number of containers which they request. Rates would therefore
more closely reflect the actual waste disposal service which each
resident receives from the city.
Corollary benefits to the city from automated collection are
lowered operating costs resulting from increased efficiencies;
reduced injury hazard to employees; and a cleaner, more efficient
collection process. Currently, three single family refuse
collection routes service 4,950 single family homes. It is
projected that automated collection would allow the city to
consolidate the three existing routes into two routes.
Another benefit from automation would be obtained from the
conversion of the present twice weekly refuse collection service
in single family zones to a system of once per week regular trash
collection and once per week recycling collection. This change
to once per week regular trash collection and once per week
recycling collection is consistent with staff's projection of
increased recycling participation in single family areas once the
new proposed programs are implemented.
- 19 -
A comprehensive community education program explaining the
benefits of these proposed changes would be undertaken before the
implementation of the new automated system. The most important
component of the public outreach efforts will entail assisting
residents in choosing the standard refuse container size which
best meets their household's needs.
Automated collection requires significant start-up costs for both
new trucks and purchase of the standardized containers which the
City will provide to single family and small mUlti-family
residences. It is projected, however, that in the first year
following implementation of the automated trash collection system
annual savings for increased operating efficiencies will begin to
accrue to the City.
CONCLUSION
The proposed solid waste management plan which is described in
this report lays the foundation for the accomplishment of a 25
percent diversion of the city's solid waste stream over the next
four years. Each of the program enhancements which is discussed
will require the commitment of financial resources from the
city's Refuse Fund and will consequently impact the level of
refuse rate increase which is necessary to maintain a positive
fund balance over the next two years.
A staff report has been distributed to Council which outlines the
current financial status of the Refuse Fund and recommends a rate
increase sufficient to finance the operations of the enterprise
through the next two fiscal years. The specific costs associated
- 20 -
with the enhancements summarized above are detailed in the staff
report. The rate adjustment which is reco~~ended incorporates
the two year costs of these enhancements. The staff report also
discusses some of the remaining unknowns which could impact the
fiscal needs of the Refuse Fund within the next two year planning
period.
Prepared by:
stan Scholl, Director of General Services
Neil Miller, Maintenance Manager
Craig Perkins, Administrative Services Manager
Susan Munves, Administrative Analyst
- 21 -
RESOLUTION NO. 7826(CCS)
(CITY COUNCIL SERIES)
A RESOLUTION OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY
OF SANTA MONICA REVISING FEES CHARGED FOR
GENERAL CITY SANITATION SERVICES, SANITATION
BIN RENTAL AND ROLL-OUT SERVICES
WHEREAS, Municipal .Code section 5233 allows fees for
general City sanitation services to be set by resolution; and
WHEREAS, Municipal Code Section 5228D allows fees for
city sanitation bin rental and roll-out fees to be set by
resolution; and
WHEREAS, a study has determined the need to increase
all sanitation fees so that the city can recover its costs for
providing sanitation services;
WHEREAS, it lS in the best long-term lnterest of the
City to adopt a cOJl1prehensive solid waste management plan with
.
enhanced recycllng and waste reduction programs; and
WHEREAS, the fees established by this Resolution are no
more than necessary to recover the costs of the services
provlded,
NOW, THEREFORE, THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF SANTA
MONICA DOES RESOLVE AS FOLLOWS:
SECTION 1.
The charges for sanitation service, as
provided for In Municipal Code Section 5233, shall be as follows:
Type of Service
Monthly Charqe
$ 14.63 per unit
Residential Slngle Family
1 -
MUlti-Family
Apartments, 2-50 units
Apartments, 51-100 units
Apartments, 100 or more units
$ 7.40 per unit
$ 6.73 per unit
$ 6.22 per unit
Boarding Houses, Sleeping Rooms $ 6.22
and Miscellaneous services
Water Accounts Not Using city
Refuse Service $ 9.74
Business and Commercial
without Approved Bins
Twice Weekly
Three Times Weekly
Six Times Weekly
Customers
$ 30.00 per 1/2 cubic yard
$ 44.96 per 1/2 cubic yard
$ 89.93 per 1/2 cubic yard
Business and Commercial
Using 2 Yard Blns
TWlce Weekly
Three Times Weekly
six Times Weekly
Customers
$ 66.82"
$100.18
$200.37
SECTION 2. The fees for bin rental from the city, as
provided for ln Munlclpal Code Section 52280, shall be as
follows:
Type of Bin
Frequency of Collection
Twice Weekly 6 Times Weekly
2 cubic yard
$lO.60/month
$31. 78/month
SECTION 3. The fees for roll-out charges, as provided
for in Municipal Code section 5228D, shall be as follows:
Twice Weekly Collection
six Times Weekly Collection
$14.97/month
$44.70/month
SECTION 4.
The fees which are established by this
Resolution shall become effective on July I, 1989.
SECTION 5, Upon the effective date of this Resolution,
all Resolutions'of the Clty Councll of the City of Santa Monica
inconsistent with the provislons of this Resolution, to the
- 2
. -
extent of such inconsistencies only and no further, are repealed
or modified to the extent necessary to affect the provisions of
th1s Resolution.
SECTION 6.
The city Clerk shall certify to the
adoption of this Resolution, and thenceforth and thereafter the
same shall be in full force and effect.
APPROVED AS TO FORM:
.~~~
ROBERT M. MYERS
City Attorney
- 3
Adopted and approved this 20th day of June, 1989.
~~
Mayor Pro Tempore
I hereby certify that the foregoing Resolution No. 7826(CCS)
. was duly adopted by the City Council of the City of Santa Monica
at a meeting thereof held on June 20 I 1989 by the following
Council vote:
Ayes: Councilmembers: Abdo, Genser, Katz, Jennings,
Reed, Mayor ,pro Tempore Finkel
Noes: Councilmembers: None
Abstain: Councilmembers: None
Absent: Counci1members: Mayor Zane
ATTEST:
Cllfrk