State College Borough residents and businesses will be separating their trash in the near future following the borough council's enactment of a mandatory recycling ordinance.
The council passed the ordinance at last night's meeting. But it will not take effect until the Recycling Program Agreement, which sets the terms under which the Centre County Solid Waste Authority may implement a recycling program within borough boundaries, is established.
The Rules and Regulations section, specifying the conditions for the collection of materials, is still being composed. Under Pennsylvania Act 101: The Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling and Waste Reduction Act, the ordinance must be enacted by September 1990.
The borough is the first municipality in the state to pass a recycling ordinance. Bellefonte has started curb-side collection, but has not passed other parts of the recycling package.
Under the ordinance, occupants in the borough will be required to separate recyclable materials, including aluminium, bi-metal or steel cans or other products; glass; corrugated computer printout or high-grade office paper; newspapers, magazines, plastic containers and leaf waste.
The materials will either be collected at the curb-side, at a drop- off center or in bins designated for commercial, municipal, institutional or multi-family housing establishments.
Pick-up services will be provided by the Centre County Solid Waste Authority. Persons retrieving recyclable materials without permission will be fined.
Fines also will be given to borough occupants who do not participate in the program. Violation notices will be sent through the mail and will carry a $5 charge, due within seven days. Three violations or more will result in a $25 fine per violation.
A model ordinance for adoption by the Centre Region municipalities originally was presented to the COG Executive Committee by the Waste Authority in April, and was based upon a model ordinance supplied by the Department of Environmental Resources.
"It's about time (this ordinance was passed)," said Councilwoman Ruth Lavin after the council unanimously approved the ordinance.
The establishment of a recycling program was suggested by University students.
In 1985, a group of students asked the council to allow recycling collection in a local shopping center. Although the idea was rejected by council for technical reasons, the members promised the students they would look into recycling programs, Lavin said.
The borough then approached COG, which put its public works commission on the job. The idea grew and the commission decided it should be handed over to the waste authority, who has been working on putting ordinances and agreements together with the Centre Region municipalities, she said.
