South Lake Tahoe Municipal Code Art. I In General

"Containers"

are litter storage bins, composed of metal or heavy plastic, and designed to provide sufficient capacity so as to prevent their contents from overflowing into surrounding areas, and to have a closure system which discourages animals and insects."Litter" is any quantity of misplaced solid waste, including but not limited to discarded furniture and appliances, overflowing residential and commercial trash cans, pieces of lumber and scrap metal left at a construction site, uncontainerized paper such as fast-food packages, candy wrappers, cigarette butts, and/or plastic, glass, trash, debris, rubbish, refuse, garbage or junk parts and scrap materials.

"Littering"

is the discarding, dropping or scattering of small quantities of waste matter ordinarily carried on or about the person, including but not limited to beverage containers and closures, packaging, wrappers, wastepaper, newspapers and magazines, in a place other than a container maintained for the proper disposal thereof, and including waste matter which escapes or is allowed to escape from a vehicle, container, receptacle or package.

"Public property"

includes, but is not limited to, the following exterior locations: streets, street medians, roads, road medians, catch basins, sidewalks, lanes, alleys, public right-of-way, public parking lots, school grounds, municipal grounds, municipal vacant lots, parks, beaches, playgrounds, other publicly owned recreation facilities and municipal waterways and bodies of water.

"Private property"

includes, but is not limited to, the following exterior locations owned by private individuals, firms, corporations, institutions or organizations: yards, grounds, driveways, entranceways, passageways, parking areas, working areas, storage areas, vacant lots and recreation facilities.

(Ord. 717 § 1; Code 1997 § 17-61)

The city council, after several public discussions and hearings, makes the following findings of fact, thereby declaring its purpose:

A. That the existence or accumulation of litter, trash, scrap materials, junk parts, garbage, or refuse of any kind upon private or public real property constitutes a public nuisance affecting visual and aesthetic health and welfare; provided, that said refuse is visible to occupants of an adjacent or nearby parcel of real property, or to the user of any right-of-way.

B. That excessive amounts of litter and waste materials accumulate in single-family residential lots, multiple-family residential lots, commercial and industrial areas, and are deposited in the streets and public right-of-ways within the city.

C. That the public health, safety, and welfare of the citizens of and visitors to the city require that the collection, removal and disposal of litter, rubbish and waste material from all areas within the city must be managed to ensure the greatest good and least possible inconvenience, cost and maintenance to the city and the citizens thereof.

D. That the collection, removal and disposal of litter, rubbish and waste material from all areas within the city benefits all owners, occupants or per sons in possession, charge or control of all such areas where said material accumulates and requires removal therefrom on a regular and or as needed basis, and that liability for payment of such services, irrespective of actual use of those services, shall be as set forth in SLTCC § 4.150.300.

(Ord. 717 § 1; Code 1997 § 17-62)