“Can” means a receptacle that is watertight, galvanized, sheet metal or plastic not exceeding 32 gallons in capacity, four cubic feet or 12 pounds when empty and 65 pounds when full, fitted with two sturdy looped handles, one on each side; and fitted with a tight cover equipped with a handle. Cans shall be rodent and insect proof and shall be kept in a sanitary condition at all times. Any can exceeding the size or weight restrictions above shall be subject to an additional charge as set forth in the schedule of charges section of this chapter. Alternate receptacles such as bags, boxes and bundles may be used in place of cans; provided, that a customer’s primary receptacle shall always be a can or cart.

“Cart” means a wheeled receptacle with attached lid with handles and a tight-fitting cover, capable of being mechanically unloaded into collection vehicles operated by the contractor in accordance with the contract specifications and which is less than one cubic yard in capacity. Carts shall be rodent and insect resistant.

“Collector” or “collector of solid waste and/or recyclables” means a person, company or contractor with whom or which the city has entered into a contract by which such person or firm collects and removes solid waste and/or recyclables as provided in this chapter, and in such contract.

“Container” means a detachable container which is to be left at a customer’s premises and to be emptied into the collector’s truck and which is lifted by mechanical means. All such containers shall be metal or of another material found by the collector to be equally good for such purpose, easily cleanable and insect proof and rodent proof and approved by the city. If the containers are to be used for wet waste of any kind they shall be watertight and have metal or plastic lids.

“Customer” means every person, firm, partnership, association, institution and corporation utilizing solid waste collection or recyclables collection services in the city of Vancouver. The term shall also mean the occupant and/or the owner of the premises for which service mentioned in this chapter is rendered.

“Drop box” means a container which is placed on a collector’s truck by mechanical means, hauled to the disposal site and returned to customer’s premises.

“Dwelling unit” means any building or portion thereof which contains living facilities, including provision for sleeping, eating, cooking and sanitation, and including not more than one kitchen for not more than one family.

“Food scraps” means all compostable pre- and post-consumer food waste, such as whole or partial pieces of produce, meats, bones, cheese, bread, cereals, coffee grounds, and eggshells. “Food scraps” shall not include dead animals, plastics, diapers, cat litter, liquid wastes, ashes, pet wastes, or other materials prohibited by the city’s selected composting facility. This does not include compostable service ware, soiled paper or other materials prohibited by the organics processor (or composting facility). “Food scraps” includes compostable plastic or paper bags used to contain materials, as approved by the organics processor.

“Garbage” means all putrescible and nonputrescible solid and semi-solid wastes, including, but not limited to, rubbish, ashes, industrial wastes, swill, demolition and construction wastes, dead small animals completely wrapped in plastic and weighing less than 15 pounds, and discarded commodities that are placed by customers in appropriate receptacles for collection and disposal by the collector. The term “garbage” shall not include hazardous wastes, source-separated recyclable materials, or source-separated organics.

“Hazardous wastes” are those waste products which the city collector is unable to collect, transport or dispose of because of potential danger therefrom to personnel, equipment or landfill site or which rules of the health department, the Washington State Department of Ecology, the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality, or the Environmental Protection Agency prohibit it from collecting, transporting or disposing of through the designated disposal system.

“Health officer” means the city or county health officer, as defined in RCW 70.04.020, 70.04.030 and 70.06.020, or his or her authorized representatives.

“Multifamily residence” means a multiple-unit residence with five or more dwelling units on a consolidated solid waste collection bill.

“Organics” means any organic waste material that is source-separated for processing or composting, such as yard debris and food scraps generated by any residential or commercial customers.

“Person” means every person, firm, partnership, association, institution and corporation. The term shall also mean the occupant and/or the owner of the premises for which service mentioned in this chapter is rendered.

“Private drive” means a privately owned or maintained way serving fewer than four residences or serving less than one residence for every 100 yards in length.

“Private road” means a privately owned and maintained way that allows for access by a service truck and which serves four or more residences.

“Public street” means any public way used by the public for travel, including alleys.

“Recyclable materials” means materials which have passed through their originally intended usage, have use or value as a commercial commodity, and are intentionally separated from solid waste by their original consumer for collection for the purpose of recycling, reuse, reprocessing or remanufacture in accordance with the methods prescribed in this chapter and Chapter 5.62 VMC. “Recyclable materials” include but are not limited to paper, cardboard, metal, aluminum, glass, plastic, yard debris, used motor oil or other materials as may be designated now or hereafter by city administrative rule and/or the Clark County comprehensive solid waste management plan.

“Recyclables processing surcharge” means a monthly fee added to residential customer bills on an interim basis, and subject to annual increases or decreases, to assure that per-ton charges assessed at the direction of Clark County at the recycling facility for these materials are sufficient to offset increased operational costs for processing and market factors.

“Recycling” means transforming or remanufacturing materials into usable or marketable materials for use other than landfill disposal or incineration; except in the case of source-separated wood waste which has limited material use for use as fuel. “Recycling” includes composting of source-separated organics but not composting of mixed waste.

“Recycling facility” means a facility which separates, transforms or manufactures solid waste recyclable materials received from the public or other third-party generators into usable or marketable material for reuse or resale rather than disposal by landfilling or incineration.

“Residence” or “residential” means any house, dwelling, multiunit residence, apartment house, trailer court or any building put to residential use.

“Residual waste” means a byproduct of the transformation or remanufacture of a recyclable material into a usable or marketable material.

“Single-family residence” means all one-unit houses, as well as duplexes, triplexes, fourplexes or mobile homes with individual collection and billing located on a public street, private drive or private road. Single-family residences located in an area that the city determines does not allow safe access, turnaround, or clearance for collection vehicles or on a private drive will be deemed to be single-family residences if materials are set out adjacent to a public street or private road.

“Solid waste” means and includes all forms of putrescible and nonputrescible wastes including but not limited to garbage, rubbish, refuse, household animal waste, dead animals under 200 pounds, nonrigid containers (bags), rigid pesticide containers that have been properly decontaminated by jet or multiple rinsing, residential ashes, industrial wastes, swill, demolition waste, special waste and construction wastes, other materials and substances that are currently or may in the future be included in the definition of “solid waste” in ORS 459.005 or RCW 70.95.030 and which are accumulated in any public or private residence or commercial, business or industrial establishment; provided, for the purposes of this chapter and Chapter 5.62 VMC, “solid waste” shall not include industrial byproducts, nor sewage, and shall not include hazardous wastes, or recyclable material which is source-separated and set out for recycling purposes as such terms are defined in this chapter.

“Source-separate” means the separation of recyclable or organic materials from solid waste, for the purpose of recycling or composting, at the place where the recyclable or compostable material and solid waste originate.

“Space-constrained locations” means commercial or multifamily sites located in the city core area or locations zoned urban high density and commercial and mixed use, where the area of the enclosure, solid waste room or other spaces for storing garbage, recycling and organics collection containers or carts between collection days does not allow for once per week collection service. The director of public works in consultation with the collector shall make the final determination on whether particular commercial or multifamily customers qualify for reduced fees from the regular container rates of VMC 6.12.210 applied to the frequency and size of containers utilized.

“Special pickup” means collection of regular service, upon request of the customer, on a day or at a time other than the regularly scheduled day and time. Any amount collected upon such request which is in excess of the regularly scheduled service shall be charged for at the extra can or extra yard rate, as applicable.

“Special waste” means solid waste to be collected by the city collector (even though it may be a part of a delivered load of solid waste) requiring special preparation by the customer prior to collection and special handling by either the collector or the county disposal system transfer station operator due to its large size or volume, dustiness, or other unique feature which is subject to special compensation as defined in Article 12 of the “Contract Regarding Solid Waste Recycling, Transfer, Transport and Out-of-County Disposal Between Clark County, Washington, and Columbia Resource Company, L.P.,” dated January 1, 2006. “Special waste” includes but is not limited to:

“Special waste handling and removal contractors” means commercial contractors who are certified and/or meet applicable laws and regulations to handle certain special wastes including medical waste, asbestos, residue or debris from a cleanup of a spill or release of chemical substances, street sweeping debris, catch basin cleanout waste and other special wastes as may be now or hereafter designated by city administrative rule or the Clark County comprehensive solid waste management plan, of which self-hauling these wastes is an incidental part of their business.

“Yard debris” means leaves, grass, prunings, garden trimmings, branches and small trees. Materials larger than four inches in diameter or four feet in length are excluded. Bundles of yard debris up to two feet in diameter by four feet in length and no more than 55 pounds shall be allowed, and shall be secured by degradable string or twine, not nylon or other synthetic materials. Unflocked, undecorated whole Christmas trees cut to less than six feet in height are acceptable. Kraft paper bags or cans labeled “Yard Debris” may also be used to contain extra yard debris. (Ord. M-4264 § 2, 2019; Ord. M-3193 § 1, 1995)