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Bylaw #02-02
Solid Waste Bylaw
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1 This Bylaw is entitled the "Town of Oxford Solid Waste Bylaw".
Definitions
2 In this Bylaw:
(a) "Construction and demolition debris" means materials which are normally used in the
construction of buildings, structures, roadways, walls and other landscaping material
and includes, but is not limited to, soil, asphalt, brick, mortar, plaster, cellulose,
fiberglass fibers, gyproc, lumber, wood, and metals and such other materials as may
be permitted from time to time by regulations of the Province of Nova Scotia for
disposal at a designated disposal site for construction and demolition debris;
(b) "CJSMA" means the Cumberland Joint Services Management Authority, which is an
inter-municipal committee created by the Towns of Amherst, Oxford, Springhill and
Parrsboro and the Municipality of the County of Cumberland, which among other
activities, operates the Cumberland Central Landfill located at Little Forks,
Cumberland County;
(c) "Cumberland Central Landfill" means the entire solid waste processing and disposal
complex operated by the CJSMA at Little Forks. Cumberland County and any
portion or component thereof.
(d) "Curb" means that portion of a street right-of-way between the traveled portion of the
right-of-way and the abutting property line which parallels the street center line;
(e) "Hazardous waste" means any waste that may be harmful to humans, animals, plant
life or natural resources including, but not restricted to, industrial chemicals, toxic
waste, flammable waste, corrosive waste, radioactive waste, reactive, pathological,
PCB waste, oil, gasoline, paint solvent, wood preservatives, ink, battery acid,
pesticides, insecticides and any other materials defined as such from time to time by
the laws or regulations of the Province of Nova Scotia;
(f) "Oxford Transfer Station" means the solid waste transfer site located on the old
Pugwash Road, Cumberland County; for the express use of residents of the Town of
Oxford and residents of the Municipality of Cumberland.
(g) "Town Council" means the Town of Oxford;
(h) "Person" means any person, individually or collectively, or any corporate entity;
(i) "Public education documents" includes any newsletters, pamphlets, flyers or other
written material circulated by mail or electronic communication or delivery by or for
the Town or the CJSMA and any newspaper or radio advertisements by or for the
Town or the CJSMA.
(j) "container recyclables" means redeemable beverage containers steel, tin or aluminum
food containers, jars and bottles, low density polyethylene bags and packaging, high
density polyethylene bags, containers and packaging, polycoat containers for milk,
milk products, soya milk, concentrates or other liquids or powders and any such other
items as may, from time to time, be identified in public education documents
distributed by the Town or CJSMA as suitable for municipal container recyclables
collection;
(k) "fibre recyclables" means corrugated cardboard, newsprint, catalogues, bond paper,
glossy flyers and magazines, paper egg cartons, boxboard, computer paper, telephone
and other soft cover books, and any such other items as may, from time to time, be
identified in public education documents distributed by the Town of Oxford or
CJSMA as suitable for municipal fibre recyclables collection.
(l) "Redeemable beverage container" means a container of less than 5 litres which
contains or has contained a beverage and was sealed by the manufacturer after the
beverage was placed in it, other than a container for milk, milk products, soya milk or
concentrates which may be redeemed at a designated facility for consideration;
(m) "Residual garbage" means any household waste other than:
(i)
recyclable material:
(ii)
leaf and yard waste:
(iii)
material identified in this By-Law as material not to be placed for
municipal collection or not to be deposited at a municipal solid waste
management facility or material identified in this By-Law as to be placed
for collection only upon special collection dates:
(iv)
waste or solid waste which is not placed for collection in accordance with
the requirements of this By-Law including waste having limitations on the
size, weight, volume, packaging or bundling identified herein or which is
placed for collection contrary to limitations or specifications on garbage
collection identified from time to time in public education documents
distributed by the Town; but notwithstanding Subparagraph (a) hereof,
residual garbage may include recyclable materials to the extent that
separation of recyclable material is not reasonably possible for the waste
generator due to the fusing or bonding together of materials in the state in
which the waste generator received them or because of the reasonable
cross-contamination of materials in the ordinary course of use by the
waste generator if such contamination was unavoidable by the exercise of
due diligence by the waste generator;
(n) "Solid waste" includes recyclables, compostables, residual garbage, construction and
demolition debris, leaf and yard waste, contaminated soil and any other waste or
discarded tangible personal property of an owner or occupant;
(o) "Yard waste" or "leaf and yard waste" means vegetative matter resulting from
gardening, horticulture, landscaping or land-clearing operations, including but not
necessarily limited to materials such as tree and shrub trimmings, plant remains, grass
clippings, leaves, trees and stumps, but excludes construction and demolition debris
or contaminated organic matter.
Municipal Solid Waste Management Facilities
3 The following sites are designated as municipal solid waste management facilities:
(a) For construction and demolition debris; the Cumberland Central Landfill;
(b) For compostables: the Cumberland Central Landfill and/or the Oxford Transfer Station;
(c) For recyclable materials: the Cumberland Central Landfill and/or the Oxford Transfer
Station;
(d) For residual garbage: the Cumberland Central Landfill and/or the Oxford Transfer
Station;
(e) For contaminated soil: the Cumberland Central Landfill.
Permissible Solid Waste
4 Except for the placement of solid waste for collection in accordance with this Bylaw, no
person shall deposit, cause to be deposited or permit to be deposited any solid waste at any
place in the Town other than at a municipal solid waste management facility designated by
the Town as being for the applicable type of solid waste, or at a site approved for the
purpose by the Province of Nova Scotia, with the following exceptions:
(a) Subject to bylaws, orders, statues, regulations or laws of the Town, Province of Nova
Scotia or Canada to the contrary, residential backyard composting carried out by
residents of the Town in such manner as to not constitute a nuisance is permissible;
(b) Subject to bylaws, orders, statutes, regulations or laws of the Town, Province of Nova
Scotia or Canada to the contrary, the unconcentrated disposal of waste trees, brush or
portions thereof or other organic farm or forestry waste by decay on forest or farm land
is permissible; and
(c) Subject to bylaws, orders, statutes, regulations or laws of the Town, Province of Nova
Scotia or Canada to the contrary, the nuisance-free disposal of aggregate, soil, bricks,
mortar, concrete, asphalt pavement, porcelain or ceramic materials as fill is permissible.
5 No person shall place, cause to be placed or permit to be placed in a municipal solid waste
management facility any material or quantity of material in contravention of
(a) Any federal or provincial statute or regulation, including by not limited to any
regulation requiring the diversion of particular types or quantities of waste or waste
products from particular types of solid waste management facilities;
(b) This bylaw or any resolution of the Town concerning the use of a municipal solid waste
management facility, including but not limited to any resolution requiring the diversion
of particular types or quantities of waste or waste products from any or a particular type
of municipal solid waste management facility;
(c) The directions of the operator or staff of a municipal solid waste management facility
with respect to the weighing, measuring, timing, volume, method, location or other
conditions of placement of solid waste, or particular types, loads or items of solid waste.
6 No person shall place, cause to be placed or permit to be placed at, in or adjacent to a
municipal solid waste management facility any solid waste when the facility is not open or
when for whatever reasons the operator or municipal staff of the municipal solid waste
management facility refuses to accept a load or loads or item or items of solid waste.
7 Except by contract with the Town or with the express approval of the operator of the
municipal solid waste management facility obtained in advance, given after the operator is
fully informed as to the nature and origin of the solid waste, no person shall place, cause to
be placed or permit to be placed in a municipal solid waste management facility;
(a) Any solid waste which is not permitted by any bylaw, order, statue, regulation or law of
the Town or the Province of Nova Scotia to be placed for municipal collection; or
(b) repealed August 30, 2021, Special Town Council Meeting.
8 No person shall place, cause to be place or permit to be placed in a municipal solid waste
management facility any solid waste that is not separated as required by Section 13 of this
bylaw or which is falsely or misleadingly presented or packaged as solid waste of a
particular kind, type, stream or place of origin or which is concealed within or inter-mingled
with solid waste of another kind, type, stream or place of origin.
9 The operator or staff at a municipal solid waste management facility may refuse solid waste
originating from the Town:
(a) Which contains waste for which that facility is not a designated site;
(b) For which a tipping fee has not been set or negotiated with the generator or collector or
for which a tipping fee has not been paid or for which tipping fee payment arrangements
satisfactory to the Town have not been made;
(c) Which is being delivered by an unlicensed collector;
(d) Which the facility is unable to weigh, measure or process for any reason, including, but
not restricted to, excessive inventory of solid waste or shortage of space, mechanical or
electrical break down or labour dispute; or
(e) Which would be deposited or place in contravention of any order, by-law, statute,
regulation or law of the Town or the Province of Nova Scotia.
Removal, Separation and Storage of Solid Waste
10 No occupant or owner of property in the Town shall permit the accumulation of solid waste
in or around the property to the extent that it is or is likely to become a nuisance or hazard to
the public or public health.
11 Storage of food scraps and spoiled or waste food or foodstuffs, shall be removed from every
property in the Town by the occupant or owner as the case may be no less than once every
two (2) weeks and disposed of according to the provisions of this bylaw.
12 Occupants and owners of property in Town are responsible for providing for the lawful
collection and disposal of all solid waste that is not otherwise subject to municipal collection
pursuant to this bylaw.
13 Occupants and owners of property in the Town shall at the time of generation, storage,
placement for collection and disposal of all solid waste, separate solid waste into
uncontaminated separate solid waste streams as follows:
(1) Container recyclables;
(2) Fibre recyclables
(3) Residual garbage;
(4) Compostable material;
(5) Construction and demolition debris;
(6) Solid waste of any type which is not accepted at a municipal solid waste management
facility, with each such type isolated in its own stream; and
(7) Solid waste of any type which is only accepted on the occasion of special collections, or
by contract or by express approval in advance of the operator of a municipal solid waste
management facility, with each such type isolated in its own stream.
14 The occupant and owner of every property in the Town shall provide sufficient and
adequate receptacles or containers for solid waste which may accumulate from time to time
on the property, and, without limited the generality of the foregoing, recyclables and
residual garbage shall be stored inside buildings or in receptacles or containers that are
water-proof, impervious to domestic and wild animals and rodents, and which are designed
to avoid the entrapment of children.
15 Occupants and owners of property shall ensure that waste refrigerators and freezers shall be
stored inside a locked or childproof building or shall ensure that the doors are removed
from the waste appliance prior to its storage.
Collection of Solid Waste
16 Town Council presently provides solid waste collection by means of the Oxford Transfer
Station and the methods presently utilized at this location. However, Town Council may by
resolution or order provide for general municipal collection of solid waste by its own
employees or by a contractor in some or all areas of the Town and for greater certainty and
without limiting Council's discretion to employ different collection classifications. Council
may limit collection to particular types of solid waste, to properties containing not more than
a specified number of residential households to properties which are not seasonal and of
commercial solid waste generators of a particular type or size or generating not more than a
specified volume of solid waste and Council may provide different collection services for
any different class of waste generator.
17 Town Council may by resolution or order provide for special municipal solid waste
collections on an occasional basis or may provide for municipal collection from a drop-off
site, of particular types of solid waste, included but not limited to items such as discarded
Christmas trees, bulky items not eligible for regular municipal collection, leaf and yard
waste, household hazardous waste or other specified solid waste and may limit such special
collection to particular areas of the Town, to properties containing not more than a specified
number of residential households and to commercial solid waste generators of a particular
type or size or generating not more than a specified volume of solid waste.
18 Except to the extent authorized by contract with the Town or by public education documents
distributed by the Town from time to time, including, but not restricted to, public education
documents or notices published in connection with special collection days, persons,
businesses, commercial establishments and institutions within the Town placing solid waste
for collection shall comply with the following:
(a) Residual garbage shall be placed in a securely tied, transparent, colorless, plastic,
disposable water-proof bag(s) of a dimension not less than 60cm. x 80 cm., and no more
than 100 cm. x 150 cm., and each bag shall not exceed a weight of 25 kg.:
(b) Container recyclables and fibre recyclables shall be placed in separate and securely tied,
colorless or blue transparent, plastic, disposable, waterproof bags of a dimension no less
than 60 cm. x 80 cm., no more than 100 cm. x 150 cm., and each bag shall not exceed a
weigh of 25 kg;
(c) Compostable material shall be placed in the white plastic compost bucket (pail) provided
by the Town of Oxford, provided that;
(i)
The box has a secure lid;
(ii)
The box has a support or handle to facilitate the contents being dumped
(d) Corrugated cardboard shall be flattened out and securely tied with twine or rope in
bundles not exceeding 20 kg. per bundle;
(e) Refrigerators and freezers placed for special collection shall:
(i)
Have any coolant contained in the unit professionally removed and affixed
with a "coolant removal sticker" attached to and visible on the appliance;
and
(ii)
Have the door removed from the appliance
(f) Subject to maintaining uncontaminated separate solid waste streams, solid waste other
than compostables may be placed for collection in waste collection boxes provided that:
(i)
The box has a securely hinged lid or lids;
(ii)
The box has a support to hold the lid open while the contents are being
emptied;
(iii)
The box is designed to avoid the entrapment of children; and
(iv)
The solid waste is placed within the box in accordance with all other
requirements of this section, including placement in specified bags.
19 No person shall place solid waste for collection on a property other than a property owned or
occupied by that person or in respect of which the person has obtained the consent of the
owner or occupier for that purpose.
20 Except to the extent authorized by contract with the Town or by public education documents
distributed by the Town from time to time, no person shall place for collection any
hazardous waste, hospital and pharmaceutical waste, asbestos, septic waste, hot ashes, dead
animals, industrial waste (including non-residential farm, forestry or fishing waste), tires,
waste generated outside the Town or any other materials or solid waste as may be identified
as unacceptable for collection in public education documents distributed by the Town from
time to time.
21 Except as authorized by the Town, no person shall remove recyclables or other solid waste
placed or apparently placed by waste generators, owners or occupants for municipal
collection and all recyclables shall become the property of the Town from the moment of
placement by the waste generator, owner or occupant for municipal collection. Nothing in
this section otherwise relieves a waste generator, owner or occupant from their obligations
pursuant to this bylaw.
Prohibitions
22 No person shall export or remove solid waste material generated within the Town of Oxford
outside the boundaries of Cumberland County and all such solid waste shall be disposed of
within the boundaries of Cumberland County in accordance with this By-Law, except when
and as authorized by a Resolution of Council.
23 For the purpose of Section 22, solid waste means solid waste materials, including but not
limited to, residual waste, industrial, commercial and institutional waste, construction and
demolition waste, mixed waste, and organic materials, but does not include recyclable
materials from industrial, commercial and institutional sector premises, pathogenic or
biomedical waste, or hazardous waste, materials.
Enforcement and Penalty
24 Any person who contravenes any provision of this bylaw is punishable on summary
conviction by a fine of not less than $100.00 and not more than $2,000.00 and to
imprisonment for no more than 30 days in default of payment thereof.
25 Proof that solid waste that was deposited or placed in contravention of this by-law originated
from a particular person shall be evidence that the person so deposited or placed the solid
waste or did cause or permit it to be so deposited or placed, in the absence of evidence to the
contrary.