Athens City Code

1. (1) Residential refuse containers (tote carts) shall be issued by the city for use in the city's automated collection system at each residence where refuse and rubbish is generated and refuse and rubbish collection normally occurs. The city will not pick up garbage in privately owned containers or tote carts. Refuse containers shall likewise be issued by the city to certain business establishments. These containers are owned by and will be replaced by the city if they become damaged due to normal wear and tear. When the user associated with a collection site, whether a residence or business, relocates from the collection site, the refuse container shall be returned to public works as the container is not the property of the owner of a residence or business to which the container was assigned. Each refuse container shall be equipped with tightfitting lids or covers to preclude the free access of flies and insects and to prevent the containers from collecting water during rain or snow events. The lids or covers shall be kept in place at all times except when refuse is being deposited therein or removed therefrom by the collector.
2. (2) Refuse containers shall be maintained in good order and repair. They shall be placed in the location shown by the city, and failure to place it in the right place, obstructing the container by placing it too close to an object, not bagging garbage placed in the container, overloading the container, or placing improper materials in the container shall be reason for the container to be passed up for that week.
3. (3) Business and industrial establishments shall deposit, in city-owned refuse receptacles provided for multiple use, all refuse from their establishments in the receptacle assigned to them. They shall break down or nest all cardboard boxes prior to depositing them in the receptacles. Business and industrial establishments utilizing the city-owned receptacles are exempt from the requirements in subsection (1) of this section.
4. (4) Business and industrial establishments not served by a city-owned dumpster shall be provided with city-owned tote cart sufficient in number of containers to fully contain all refuse accumulated between collection periods. They will be limited to three containers, and any user which would generate more garbage than the three tote carts will hold will be required to use dumpster services.
5. (5) Refuse containers must be located outside of buildings. They shall be placed where they will not become a traffic or fire hazard and will be accessible to city sanitation employees.
6. (6) The user at each collection site shall place the refuse containers or other solid waste adjacent to the street, curbside, sidewalk and/or alley. City-issued waste containers, including refuse containers (tote carts), shall not be placed adjacent to the street, curbside, sidewalk or alley for more than 24 hours prior to any regularly scheduled collection or for more than 24 hours after collection occurs, to inhibit and prevent theft and vandalism of the city-owned containers and to keep city streets, curbsides, sidewalks and/or alleys free from obstacles. If a city-issued and -owned container is vandalized or stolen, the assigned user at the collection site must file a police report within 48 hours of theft or vandalism. Provided theft or vandalism is reported within 48 hours thereof, and theft or vandalism occurred during the time the container is permitted to be located at the street, curbside, sidewalk, and/or alley for collection, the container will be replaced by the city through its public works department. It shall be the responsibility of the user at the collection site to provide the public works department with a copy of the police report. In the event it is determined that theft or vandalism occurred due to the user not removing the refuse container from the street, curbside, sidewalk, and/or alley within 24 hours of collection, the resident will be responsible for the costs to replace the container for failure to timely remove the container from the street, curbside, sidewalk and/or alley.

(Code 1972, § 8-104; Code 1995, § 17-104; Ord. No. 905, 12-17-2002; Ord. No. 982, 2-16-2010)