Subchapter E: Recycling Processing Facilities

§ 4-51 Definitions.

As used in this subchapter, the following terms have the following meanings:

   Commissioner. The term "Commissioner" means the commissioner of sanitation.

   Department. The term "Department" means the department of sanitation.

   Department-marked item. The term "Department-marked item" means any refrigerant-containing item that: (i) has written upon it a Department service identification number that has been provided to the property owner by a 311 or Department representative, or (ii) has affixed upon it an official decal or sticker indicating that such item is designated for future servicing of refrigerant removal by the Department, or (iii) has affixed upon it an official decal or sticker indicating that such item has already been serviced for refrigerant removal by the Department.

   ECB. The term "ECB" means the environmental control board.

   Ferrous. The term "ferrous" means metals and alloys that contain iron, such as mild steel, carbon steel, stainless steel, cast iron, and wrought iron.

   Non-ferrous. The term "non-ferrous" means metals and alloys that do not contain iron, such as aluminum, brass, copper, nickel, tin, lead, zinc, and precious metals including gold and silver.

   Not-for-profit corporation. The term "not-for-profit corporation" means a not-for-profit corporation as defined in subparagraph five or subparagraph seven of subdivision a of section 102 of the New York state not-for-profit corporation law.

   Organic Waste. The term "organic waste" shall have the same meaning as set forth in § 16-303 of the Administrative Code of the city of New York, except that organic waste shall not include food that is donated to a third party, food that is sold to farmers for feedstock, and meat by-products that are sold to a rendering company.

   Person. The term "person" means any individual, corporation, partnership, association, firm, trust, estate or any other legal entity whatsoever.

   Recyclable material. The term "recyclable material" means material that may be separated, collected, processed, marketed and returned to the economy in the form of raw materials or products, including but not limited to, ferrous or non-ferrous metal, glass, paper, cardboard, rigid plastic, food waste, tires and yard waste.

   Recycling processing facility. The term "recycling processing facility" means a facility that is registered or permitted by the New York state department of environmental conservation and/or the Department where recyclable materials, other than organic waste, are delivered separately from solid waste or where source-separated recyclable materials, other than organic waste, are processed for the purpose of reuse or sale. This term also includes scrap metal processors licensed by the department of consumer affairs.

   Refrigerant. The term "refrigerant" means any substance consisting in whole or in part of a class I or class II ozone-depleting substance, which is used for heat transfer purposes and provides a cooling effect, including, but not limited to, chlorofluorocarbons, hydro-chlorofluorocarbons, or any other substitute substance as may be defined by the United States environmental protection agency. A class I or class II ozone-depleting substance shall be those substances as defined by the United States environmental protection agency in section 602 of the United States clean air act. A substitute substance shall be any environmental protection agency approved replacement for a class I or II ozone-depleting substance in a refrigeration or air-conditioning end-use.

   Refrigerant-containing item. The term "refrigerant-containing item" means any recyclable material that uses a refrigerant that must be removed prior to disposal, including, but not limited to, any air conditioner, refrigerator, water cooler, or freezer.

   Scrap metal. The term "scrap metal" means ferrous or non-ferrous metal that is used for the production of raw material for remelting purposes for steel mills, foundries, smelters, refiners, and similar users.

   Scrap metal processor. The term "scrap metal processor" means an establishment that purchases, sells, accepts, stores or processes scrap metal destined for recycling, but shall not include a redemption center, dealer or distributor as defined in section 27-1003 of the New York state environmental conservation law, or an electronic waste collection site, electronic waste consolidation facility or electronic waste recycling facility as defined in section 27-2601 of the New York state environmental conservation law.

(Added City Record 9/23/2016, eff. 10/23/2016)

§ 4-52 Registration of Recycling Processing Facilities.

   (a)   No person shall operate a recycling processing facility within the city of New York, unless, in addition to any other permit or authorization required by law, such person obtains a registration from the Commissioner as required by this subchapter.

   (b)   Within 90 days of the effective date of this rule, any recycling processing facility that is currently in operation must register with the Department using a form prescribed by the Department.

   (c)   Any recycling processing facility that commences operations after the effective date of this rule must register with the Department using a form prescribed by the Department no less than 30 days prior to operating such recycling processing facility.

   (d)   Registration forms may be obtained from the Department's website or by written request to:

      New York City Department of Sanitation
      125 Worth Street, Room 723
      New York, New York 10013
      Attn: Recycling Processing Facility Registration

   (e)   A registration must include, at a minimum:

      (1)   The business name, business address and telephone number of the recycling processing facility. A post office box is not an acceptable address;

      (2)   The names of the principals and/or officers, on-site managers, and a contact person to whom all official Department correspondence may be sent regarding the recycling processing facility;

      (3)   Copies of all registrations, permits, licenses or other authorizations to operate required under federal, state, or local laws, rules or regulations; and

      (4)   The days and hours of operation of such recycling processing facility.

   (f)   (1)   A registration issued to a recycling processing facility shall not be transferrable or assignable to any other party. In the event there is a change in ownership or a sale of the recycling processing facility, the new owner of the facility must register the recycling processing facility within 30 days of such purchase.

      (2)   A recycling processing facility that terminates its business must notify the Department immediately of the date of cessation of its operations.

      (3)   A recycling processing facility must advise the Department within 30 days of any changes to the information submitted pursuant to subdivision (e) of this section.

   (g)   This section will not apply to a redemption center, dealer or distributor as defined in section 27-1003 of the environmental conservation law, or to any person that, using a motor vehicle, collects recyclable containers in bulk and is required to be registered pursuant to Chapter 4-D of Title 16 of the Administrative Code of the City of New York.

   (h)   Registration of a recycling processing facility is an official act of a ministerial nature, involving no exercise of discretion for purposes of the state environmental quality review act, codified as article 8 of the environmental conservation law and part 617 of title 6 of the New York codes, rules, and regulations and the rules of procedure for city environmental quality review codified as 62 RCNY Chapter 5.

(Added City Record 9/23/2016, eff. 10/23/2016)

§ 4-53 Posting of Registration.

   Any recycling processing facility must conspicuously post the registration issued by the Commissioner at the place of business.

(Added City Record 9/23/2016, eff. 10/23/2016)

§ 4-54 Receipt and Handling of Recyclable Material.

   (a)   External storage of paper and other recyclables whose marketability may be adversely affected by exposure to the sun or weather conditions is prohibited unless stored in covered containers or in a manner otherwise acceptable to the Department.

   (b)   No recycling processing facility shall store recyclable materials in such a manner that they become a nuisance or a sanitary or environmental problem.

(Added City Record 9/23/2016, eff. 10/23/2016)

§ 4-55 Receipt of a Department-Marked Item.

   No recycling processing facility shall receive for storage, collection or processing any Department-marked item from any person other than an authorized employee or agent of the Department. A written agreement between the owner of a residential building or an authorized agent of such owner, and anyone delivering a Department-marked item to a recycling processing facility shall not be a defense in any proceeding before the environmental control board to the improper receipt of such item.

(Added City Record 9/23/2016, eff. 10/23/2016)

§ 4-56 Receipt of Refrigerant-Containing Item.

   Any recycling processing facility that receives for storage, collection or processing any refrigerant-containing item shall ensure that the refrigerant has been removed from the item previously or that any removal of refrigerant from such item by the recycling processing facility complies with all applicable city, state and federal laws and regulations.

(Added City Record 9/23/2016, eff. 10/23/2016)

§ 4-57 Quarterly reporting requirements.

   (a)   Every registered recycling processing facility must submit to the Department a copy of any report required to be filed with the New York state department of environmental conservation pursuant to part 360 of title 6 of the New York codes, rules, and regulations, if applicable. Any such report must be submitted to the Department at the same time it is submitted to the New York state department of environmental conservation.

   (b)   Every registered recycling processing facility, other than a scrap metal processor, must submit to the Department quarterly reports that contain the following information, calculated by weight in tons on a monthly basis:

      (1)   the total amount of recyclable material received;

      (2)   the origin of the recyclable material received; and

      (3)   the destination of the recyclable material removed, including a listing, by type, of recyclable material.

   (c)   Every scrap metal processor must report to the Department quarterly the total amount of recyclable material, by type, calculated by weight in tons, that it has transported out from the facility and the destination of the recyclable material by state and county. Such report shall not separate ferrous and non-ferrous metal, but shall report the total amount of metal transported from the facility as one category.

   (d)   Quarterly reports must be submitted on forms prescribed by or acceptable to the Department. Such report must include a description of any changes in operation that occurred in the previous quarter, if applicable.

   (e)   The report for the quarter ending on March 31 shall be due on May 1; the report for the quarter ending on June 30 shall be due on August 1; the report for the quarter ending September 30 shall be due on November 1; and the report for the quarter ending December 31 shall be due on February 1.

   (f)   The first such report shall be due on May 1, 2017 for the quarterly reporting period from January 1, 2017 through March 31, 2017.

(Added City Record 9/23/2016, eff. 10/23/2016)

§ 4-58 Compliance with Federal, State and Local Laws.

   Every person who owns, operates, maintains or otherwise controls a recycling processing facility regulated by this subchapter shall comply fully with all applicable federal, state and local laws, rules and regulations of any governmental authorities having jurisdiction over any of the registrant's activities. Failure to comply with these laws, rules or regulations shall be grounds for suspension and/or revocation of the registration, in addition to any other penalty provided by law.

(Added City Record 9/23/2016, eff. 10/23/2016)