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Town of Truro - Bylaws
Subject:
A Bylaw Regarding Solid Waste
Bylaw Number:
B-150-002
Approval Date:
January 7, 2013, as amended to February 3, 2020
Departments:
Public Works
Solid Waste Bylaw
1.
This Bylaw may be cited as the "Solid Waste Bylaw".
Definitions
2.
In this Bylaw:
(1)
"Administrator" means the person appointed by the Chief Administrative Officer
of the Town to administer this Bylaw, or their designate;
(2)
"Adverse effect" means an effect that impairs or damages the environment, the
health of humans or the reasonable enjoyment of life or property;
(3)
"Asbestos" means a friable waste material containing asbestos fibre or asbestos dust
in a concentration greater than 0.5% by weight;
(4)
"Backyard composting" means the composting at a residential property of organic
solid waste, comprised of leaf and yard waste and food, but excluding meat, fish,
eggs or dairy products, where:
(a)
The waste is generated by the residents of the property or neighbouring
properties or both; and
(b)
The annual production of compost on any property lot does not exceed 10
cubic metres.
(5)
"Beverage" means any liquid that is a ready to serve drink, but does not include
milk, milk products, soya milk or concentrates;
(6)
"Beverage container" means a container of 5 litres or less which contains or has
contained a beverage and was sealed by the manufacturer after the beverage was
placed in it;
(7)
"Box board" means cereal boxes, shoe boxes, tissue boxes, detergent boxes, cracker
boxes, cookie boxes, baking product boxes and frozen food boxes or other similar
items, toilet paper rolls and paper towel rolls or other similar items, with plastics
removed;
(8)
"Bulky items" means large items of a household nature including but not limited to
furniture, stoves, refrigerators, dishwashers, mattresses, bed springs, empty hot
water and oil tanks, toys, bicycles and lawn furniture. "Bulky items" also includes
a small amount of debris from renovation, construction or demolition that does not
exceed twenty-five (25) kilograms per unit and one (1) cubic metre in size;
(9)
"Chlorofluorocarbons" means an ozone depleting substance that is required under
the Ozone Layer Depletion Regulations of the Province of Nova Scotia to be
removed in a controlled fashion to prevent its release into the environment, and is
a substance found in refrigeration and cooling units;
(10)
"Collector" means an individual or company that is in the business of the collection
and disposal of residual garbage, recyclables or compostables or combination
thereof;
(11)
"Compostables" means food scraps and spoiled or waste food or foodstuff including
vegetable peelings, meat, fish, eggs, bones, waste food products, pet litter, soiled
and wet and soiled paper products such as table napkins, paper towels, pizza boxes,
leaves and grass clippings, branches and bushes that are four feet or less in length
and two centimetres or less in diameter, together with such other compostable
materials as may be identified in public education documents distributed by the
Town or the Municipality from time to time; and
(12)
"Composting" means the nuisance-free biological decomposition of organic
materials, substances or objects under controlled circumstances to a condition
sufficiently stable for nuisance-free storage and for safe use in land applications as
identified by the Nova Scotia Environment's Solid Waste Management Resource
Regulations;
(13)
"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, drywall,
plaster, cellulose, fiberglass fibers, gyproc, lumber, wood, asphalt shingles, and
metals and such other materials as may be permitted by applicable laws;
(14)
"Contaminant" means a substance that causes or may cause an adverse effect;
(15)
"Contaminated soil" means any soil which has been polluted with an organic or
inorganic contaminant in excess of standards prescribed or adopted by the Minister,
and that has caused, is causing, or may cause an adverse effect;
(16)
"Council" means the Council for the Town;
(17)
"Curb" means the three metre distance from the travelled portion of a public street
or road where it joins the sidewalk or shoulder to the public property, but it does
not include the ditch;
(18)
"Hazardous waste" means waste that may be harmful to humans, animals, plant life
or natural resources, including but not restricted to, industrial chemicals, explosive,
toxic, flammable, corrosive, radioactive, reactive, pathological and PCB waste, oil,
gasoline, paint solvent, wood preservatives, ink, battery acid, pesticides and
insecticides or any substance or material declared or defined to be a hazardous or
toxic substance in or pursuant to any applicable law;
(19)
"Household hazardous waste" means waste of a potentially hazardous nature
typically generated in residential households including but not restricted to,
solvents, glues, cleaners, paints and finishes, asphalt sealers, gasoline, diesel,
kerosene, pesticides, lawn and garden chemicals, poisons, propane tanks, roofing
tar, pool chemicals, lubricating oil, batteries, and automotive fluids, but does not
include PCB waste, radioactive materials, explosives, fireworks, pathological
wastes, or ammunition;
(20)
"Hospital and pharmaceutical waste" means waste generated at hospitals, clinics,
pharmacies, veterinary clinics, dentist offices and includes, but not limited to used
needles, drugs, dressings, excluding pathological waste;
(21)
"Industrial waste" means residual waste typically generated in the industrial,
commercial and institutional sector;
(22)
"Land" means surface land, land covered by water, subsoil, matter beneath the
subsoil or any combination or part thereof;
(23)
"Leaf and yard waste" means vegetative matter resulting from gardening,
horticulture, landscaping or land clearing operations, including materials such as
tree and shrub trimmings, plant remains, grass clippings, leaves, trees and stumps,
but excludes construction and demolition debris or contaminated soil or any other
organic material that has been contaminated;
(24)
"Litter" means any material left or abandoned in a place other than a container or
place intended or approved for receiving such material;
(25)
"Minister" means the Minister of Environment for the Province of Nova Scotia;
(26)
"Municipality" means the Municipality of the County of Colchester;
(27)
"Organics cart" means a wheeled aerated cart designed to be emptied by hydraulic
lifting devices and approved by the Town for the storage and municipal collection
of compostables;
(28)
"Pathological waste" means any part of the human body excepting hair, nail
clippings and the like, any part of a dead animal infected with a communicable
disease, and non-anatomical waste infected with a communicable disease;
(29)
"Public education documents" includes newspaper, radio and local television
advertisements, information posted to the Town's or the Municipality's website,
and newsletters, pamphlets, flyers or other material circulated electronically or by
ordinary mail or delivery by or for the Town, the Municipality or the Minister;
(30)
"Recyclable container materials" means redeemable beverage containers, steel, tin
or aluminum food containers or cans, glass food containers, jars and bottles, low
density polyethylene bags and packaging, high density bags, containers and
packaging, polycoat containers for milk, milk products, soya milk, concentrates or
other liquids or powders, tetrapacks together with such other plastic recyclable
materials as may be identified in public education documents distributed by the
Town or the Municipality from time to time;
(31)
"Recyclable paper materials" means corrugated cardboard, egg cartons, box board,
newsprint, bond paper, computer paper, glossy flyers and magazines, together with
such other paper recyclable materials as may be identified in public education
documents distributed by the Town or the Municipality from time to time;
(32)
"Recyclables" means recyclable paper materials or recyclable container materials
as defined in this Bylaw;
(33)
"Redeemable beverage container" means a beverage container for which a
consumer was required to pay a deposit;
(34)
"Residual garbage" means waste other than:
(a)
Recyclables;
(b)
Compostables;
(c)
Leaf and yard waste; and
(d)
Any other waste that is prohibited from disposal by way of municipal
collection or at a municipal solid waste management facility designated for
residue garbage by this Bylaw or by the Minister;
(35) "Sharps" means syringes, lancets and pen needles;
(36) "Solid waste" means residual garbage, recyclables and compostables, as well as any
other type of waste defined in this Bylaw and specifically referred to in this Bylaw
as permitted or prohibited for disposal at a municipal solid waste management
facility;
(37) "Septic waste" means the liquid and solid material removed from septic tanks,
sewage treatment plants, and manholes, cesspools, privies and portable toilets;
(38) "Tires" means tires that are not designated under the Province of Nova Scotia's tire
recycling program;
(39) "Town" means the Town of Truro;
(40) "Waste" means any substance that would cause or tend to cause an adverse effect
if added to the environment, and includes garbage, recyclables, compostables,
refuse, sludge, rubbish, tailings, debris, litter and other discarded materials resulting
from residential, commercial, institutional and industrial activities which are
commonly accepted at a municipal solid waste resource management facilities, but
excludes wastes from industrial activities which are regulated by an approval issued
by the Minister;
(41) "Waste diversion" means waste reduction, reuse, recycling or composting;
(42) "Wood" means wood materials that are not contaminated with other non-wood
materials, such as are dimensional lumber, wooden chairs, fencing etc.
Disposal of Solid Waste
3.
Every person shall dispose of solid waste in accordance with this Bylaw.
No Illegal Dumping
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 solid waste at any
place in the Town other than at a site authorized by the Town and approved for the purpose
by the Minister.
5.
Subject to section 4, the following depositing activities are permissible:
(1)
backyard composting, provided that:
(a)
the composting container or pile is not located within 10 metres of any
window or door of a structure on an adjacent property; and
(b)
the activity carried out in such manner as not to constitute a nuisance.
(2)
the concentrated disposal of trees, brush or portions thereof or other farm or forestry
waste by decay on forest or farm land, provided this activity is carried out in
compliance with all applicable laws of the Province of Nova Scotia; and
(3)
the nuisance-free disposal of aggregate, soil, bricks, mortar, concrete, asphalt
pavement, porcelain or ceramic materials as clean fill, provided this activity is
carried out in compliance with all applicable laws of the Province of Nova Scotia.
No Salvaging
6.
No person shall pick up, remove, disturb or otherwise interfere with solid waste placed at
the curb for collection by the Town or by a collector, except as authorized by the Town.
No Solid Waste Burning
7.
No person shall burn solid waste in a barrel, stove or other device or in the open as a method
of waste disposal, except for brush, tree limbs and milled wood that is free from adhesives,
coatings and preservatives, but only where such burning of brush, tree limbs and milled
wood is otherwise permitted by the Town's Open Air Burning Bylaw and by other
applicable laws.
Litter Abatement
8.
No person shall release or cause litter to be released into the environment, except in
accordance with this Bylaw.
Storage, Separation and Removal of Solid Waste
9.
(1)
No owner or occupant of a 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 cause an adverse effect.
(2)
Where an owner or occupant permits the accumulation of solid waste contrary to
subsection (1), the Administrator may enter the property to collect and dispose of
the accumulated solid waste, the expense of which will be charged to the owner or
occupant who has contravened subsection (1).
(3)
For greater clarity, the Administrator may enter the property to collect and dispose
of any uncollected solid waste scattered by animals, pests or weather that an owner
or occupant fails to remove pursuant to section 23(4) of this Bylaw, the expense of
which will be charged to the owner or occupant.
Municipal Collection
10.
Owners and occupants of every property in the Town that is subject to municipal collection
shall ensure that all solid waste is properly stored and placed for collection and disposal.
11.
(1)
Council may provide for general municipal collection of solid waste by its own
employees or by a contractor in some or all areas of the Town.
(2)
Without limiting the generality of subsection (1), Council may, at its discretion, use
different classifications for municipal collection of solid waste, including different
classifications of collection services and different classifications of waste
generators.
(3)
Without limiting the generality of subsections (1) and (2), Council may, at its
discretion, limit collection to:
(a)
Particular types of solid waste;
(b)
Properties containing not more than a specified number of residential
households;
(c)
Properties which are seasonal; and
(d)
Properties generating industrial waste of a particular type or size or
generating not more than a specified volume of solid waste.
12.
(1)
Owners and occupants of every property in the Town that is not made subject to
municipal collection are responsible for providing for the lawful collection and
disposal of all solid waste in accordance with this Bylaw, and for paying any
associated collection, disposal or tipping fees.
(2)
For greater certainty, owners and occupiers of every property in the Town that is
not made subject to municipal collection are responsible for separating solid waste
in accordance with this Bylaw.
13.
(1)
The Town may contract with owners and occupiers whose properties are ineligible
for municipal collection pursuant this Bylaw, to provide collection of their solid
waste.
(2)
The limitations and restrictions in this Bylaw applicable to general municipal
collection shall apply to the owners and occupiers in subsection (1), except to the
extent that those limitations or restrictions are expressly varied in any contract
reached between the Town and the owner or occupier pursuant to subsection (1).
Special Collections
14.
(1)
Council may, at its discretion,
(a)
Provide for special municipal solid waste collections on an occasional basis,
or
(b)
Provide for municipal collection from a drop-off site
Of particular types of solid waste, 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.
(2)
When providing for special collections pursuant to subsection (1), Council may
limit such special collection to
(a)
Particular areas of the Town,
(b)
Properties containing not more than a specified number of residential
households, or
(c)
Properties generating industrial waste of a particular type or size or
generating not more than a specified volume of solid waste.
Separation and Storage
15.
(1)
Owners and occupants of every property in the Town shall separate solid waste at
the time and place of generation into the following streams:
(a)
Compostables;
(b)
Recyclable container materials;
(c)
Recyclable paper materials;
(d)
Residual garbage;
(e)
Construction and demolition debris;
(f)
Contaminated soil;
(g)
Asbestos;
(h)
Solid waste of any type which is not acceptable for municipal collection or
accepted at a municipal solid waste management facility, each such type
separated in its own stream; and
(i)
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, each such type separated
in its own stream;
(2)
Owners and occupants of every property in the Town shall take positive steps to
ensure that all solid waste separated in accordance with subsection (1) remains
separated and uncontaminated by any other type of solid waste.
(3)
For greater certainty, the obligations to separate and maintain separation of solid
waste in subsections (1) and (2) extend to owners, management and staff of
restaurants and other establishments serving the public, which must also provide
containers to facilitate separation and non-contamination of solid waste streams by
owners, management, staff and clientele as appropriate for the type of
establishment.
(4)
Subject to subsection (1), residual garbage may include compostables or recyclable
materials to the extent that separation of compostables and recyclables was not
reasonably possible because of
(a)
the fusing or bonding together of materials in the state in which the waste
received, or
(b)
the reasonable cross-contamination of materials in the ordinary course of
use, if such contamination is unavoidable even by the exercise of due
diligence.
16.
Owners and occupants of every property in the Town shall provide sufficient and adequate
space and containers for the storage, collection and disposal of any solid waste which may
accumulate from time to time on the property.
17.
Without limiting the generality of section 16, owners and occupants of every property in
the Town shall provide space and containers in accordance with the following provisions:
(1)
Compostables shall be stored in organics carts or in other containers that are
waterproof, impervious to domestic and wild animals and rodents and designed to
avoid the entrapment of children, and such organics cart or container shall be kept
at least six (6) metres from all streets and other public rights-of-way.
(2)
Recyclables and residual garbage shall be stored inside buildings that are
waterproof, impervious to domestic and wild animals and rodents and designed to
avoid the entrapment of children.
(3)
Despite subsection (2), recyclables and residual garbage may be stored in a waste
collection bin or container if the bin or container:
(a)
is impervious to rodents and domestic and wild animals and is designed to
avoid the entrapment of children;
(b)
has a securely hinged lid; and
(c)
is situated at least six (6) metres from all streets and other public rights-of-
way.
18.
Owners and occupants of every property in the Town which is eligible for municipal
collection of solid waste are responsible for keeping all containers in a clean and useable
state and to ensure that they are maintained so as to not become a nuisance.
19.
Bulk commercial containers used for the collection or storage of solid waste:
(1)
Shall be sturdily constructed, water-proof and impervious to domestic and wild
animals and rodents;
(2)
Shall be designed to avoid the entrapment of children;
(3)
Shall be equipped with a tight-fitting lid with a positive closing device which shall
be kept closed except when the container is being loaded or unloaded;
(4)
Shall be kept clean and in a good state of repair;
(5)
Shall not be loaded in a manner which permits waste to extend beyond the internal
volume of the container when the lid is closed;
(6)
Shall be labeled for the purpose of identifying what materials the container
contains;
(7)
Shall have sufficient space or sectioning to store solid waste separated in
accordance with the provisions of this Bylaw in such a manner that can ensures that
separated solid waste remains separated and uncontaminated by other types of solid
waste;
(8)
Shall be kept at least six (6) metres from all streets and other public rights-of-way.
20.
Owners or occupants of premises serviced by a bulk commercial container shall:
(1)
Keep the area surrounding the container free from any type of waste; and
(2)
Provide instruction to any tenants, visitors or employees to ensure proper disposal
and separation and disposal.
21.
Any solid waste that is a bulky item that has a door, lid or other apparatus that enables the
bulky item to be closed, including but not limited to refrigerators and freezers, shall either
be stored inside an enclosed, locked or child-proof building or shall have their door, lid or
other closing apparatus removed from the bulky item.
22.
Where a person wishes to dispose of solid waste containing chloroflourocarbons, that
person must:
(1)
Safely deliver the solid waste to the Colchester Balefill Facility to have the
chloroflourocarbons removed by a certified technician, or
(2)
Arrange to have the chloroflourocarbons removed by a certified technician and
accordingly labelled by the certified technician in accordance with the Ozone Layer
Protection Regulations of the Nova Scotia Environment Act, and safely deliver that
solid waste to the Colchester Balefill Facility.
Rules for Municipal Collection
23.
Except as authorized by the Town from time to time, including but not restricted to public
education documents published in connection with special collection days, persons placing
solid waste for municipal collection shall comply with the following:
(1)
Solid waste shall be placed for collection on the curb directly in front of the property
that is the source of the solid waste, and shall be placed in such a manner as to
interfere as little as possible with pedestrian traffic and snow removal;
(2)
Solid waste shall be placed for collection by 7:00 a.m. on the day of collection;
(3)
Solid waste shall not be placed for collection before 6:00 p.m. on the day preceding
the collection date for that property and for the appropriate type or stream of solid
waste;
(4)
Uncollected solid waste and any solid waste scattered by animals, pest or weather
shall be removed by the owner or occupant of the property from which that solid
waste was placed for collection not later than 9:00 p.m. on the collection date for
that property;
(5)
Residual garbage shall be placed for collection in securely tied, clear, transparent,
plastic, water-proof bags and shall not exceed a weight of 25 kilograms per bag;
(6)
Not more than six (6) bags and/or containers containing bags of residual garbage
shall be placed for collection on any one collection day;
(7)
Residual garbage placed pursuant to subsection (6) must be placed in transparent
bags as required by subsection (5), except that one (1) bag of residual garbage per
collection may be placed in a bag that is non-transparent, in which residual garbage
of a private or personal nature may be placed;
(8)
Recyclables shall be placed for collection in securely tied, blue-tinted or clear,
plastic, waterproof bags and shall not exceed a weight of 25 kilograms per bag;
(9)
Notwithstanding any other provision of this Bylaw, owners and occupants of
properties in the Town on Harmony Road and Camden Road that are subject to
municipal collection may place residual garbage and recyclables for collection in
waste collection boxes located on the curb, provided that:
(a)
All residual garbage and recyclables are properly bagged as required by
this Bylaw;
(b)
The box is impervious to domestic and wild animals, rodents, and insects,
and is designed to avoid the entrapment of children;
(c)
The box has a securely hinged lid or lids;
(d)
The box has a support to hold the lid open when the contents are being
emptied;
(e)
The box is never buried by snow or ice to the extent that it cannot be
collected in a safe manner by the collector;
(f)
The solid waste is placed within the box in accordance with all other
requirements of this section, including separation of solid waste streams and
placement in specified bags;
(10)
Compostables shall be placed for collection in organics carts;
(11)
Bulky items placed for collection as authorized for municipal collection by the
Town shall not exceed 25 kilograms in weight for any one bundle or container and
not exceed 1 cubic metre in size, with the exception of furniture or appliance items,
and shall not exceed 325 kilograms for all bulky items for any one residential unit;
(12)
When bulky items are authorized for municipal collection by the Town, no more
than one of each type of appliance is permitted per collection; and
(13)
When Christmas tree waste is authorized for municipal collection by the Town, it
shall not have any decorations, ornaments, stands, plastic bags, wires or nails
attached and shall not exceed three (3) metres in length.
24.
No person shall place solid waste for collection on a property other than a property owned
or occupied by that person or a property which that person has obtained the consent of the
owner or occupier for the purpose of placing solid waste for collection.
Solid Waste Not Permitted for Municipal Collection
25.
Except where authorized by the Town, no person shall place for collection:
(1)
Hazardous waste;
(2)
Sharps;
(3)
Pathological waste;
(4)
Hospital and pharmaceutical waste;
(5)
Asbestos;
(6)
Septic waste;
(7)
Hot ashes;
(8)
Dead animal carcasses larger than 10 kg;
(9)
Industrial waste, including non-residential, farm, forestry or fishing waste;
(10)
Materials that are prohibited from disposal by municipal collection by the laws of
the Province of Nova Scotia;
(11)
Solid waste generated outside the Town;
(12)
Construction and demolition debris that exceeds the dimensions or weight
allowable for bulky item collection by the provisions of this Bylaw; and
(13)
Other materials or solid waste as may be identified as unacceptable for municipal
collection by the Town, including but not restricted to identification in public
education documents distributed by the Town or the Municipality from time to
time.
Offense and Penalty
Violation of Bylaw
26.
(1)
Notwithstanding any other Bylaw of the Town, any person violating any provision
of this Bylaw shall be liable upon conviction to a penalty of not more than $5,000,
and in default of payment thereof to a term imprisonment for not more than 60 days.
(2)
Each day that a person commits an offence under this Bylaw constitutes a separate
offence.
27.
In the event of a contravention of this Bylaw and regardless of whether a prosecution has
occurred or will occur, the Town may remedy the contravention, including removing,
disposing, and destroying solid waste, containers, waste collection boxes, or other things.
28.
The cost of remedying a contravention of this Bylaw pursuant to section 27 shall be charged
and collected as a first lien on the property upon which, or for the benefit of which, the
work was done.