For the purposes of this Chapter, the following words have the following meanings:
“100% Affordable Housing Project” means a building where 100% of the residential units (not including a manager’s unit or ancillary commercial use) is subject to a recorded regulatory restriction to ensure affordability based on income, or where 100% of the residential units (not including a manager’s unit or ancillary commercial use) are funded by a nonprofit charitable organization and provide permanent housing for Homeless or formerly Homeless persons.
“Adequate Refuse Collection Service” means that a dwelling or commercial property is serviced by a Collector for recyclables, compostables, and trash, and that the level of service is sufficient to contain the refuse generated at that dwelling or commercial property.
“Audit” means a thorough and systematic visual inspection of the contents of refuse collection container(s) upon their removal from the container which may be conducted through analysis of representative sample(s) that results a finding of the approximate percentages of contaminants or materials not appropriate for that type of container (i.e., recyclables, compostables, or trash).
“City” means the City and County of San Francisco.
“Collection” means taking physical possession of and removing discarded material from the place of generation for subsequent off-site management of that material.
“Collection Container” means the receptacle that is provided, designated and serviced by the collector for the collection of recyclables, compostables or trash.
“Collector” means a person, firm or corporation licensed and permitted to collect refuse by the Director of Public Health pursuant to the provisions of the Refuse Collection and Disposal Ordinance adopted November 8, 1932, as amended, and any other collectors of discarded material not excluded under that ordinance.
“Commercial Property” means a parcel or any portion of real property where refuse is generated that is not a dwelling, including schools, institutions, and City properties.
“Compostable” means any material that can be broken down into, or otherwise become part of, usable compost (e.g., soil-conditioning material) in a safe and timely manner as accepted in San Francisco’s compostables collection program, such as food scraps, soiled paper and plant trimmings. Compostable materials can also include disposable plastic food service ware and bags if labeled “Compostable”, in accordance with the Food Service Waste Reduction Ordinance (No. 295-06) and Department of the Environment regulations for easy identification, meeting the ASTM Standard Specification (D6400) for compostable plastics, and consistent with State labeling law (California Public Resources Code Section 42359) that any plastic bag or food container labeled “Compostable” must meet the ASTM Standard Specification for compostable plastics.
“Construction and Demolition Debris” means building materials generated from construction and demolition activities including, but not limited to, fully-cured asphalt, concrete, brick, rock, soil, lumber, gypsum wallboard, cardboard and other associated packaging, roofing material, ceramic tile, carpeting, fixtures, plastic pipe, metals, tree stumps, and other vegetative matter resulting from land clearing and landscaping for construction, deconstruction, demolition or land developments. Hazardous waste, as defined in California Health and Safety Code Sections 25100 et seq., is not construction and demolition debris for purposes of this Chapter.
“Customer” means any person being served food from a food vendor or event.
“Department” means the San Francisco Department of the Environment.
“Designated” means clearly labeled and color-coded for a material type, such as labeled blue receptacles for recyclables, green for compostables and black for trash.
“Director” means the Director of the Department of the Environment or his or her designee.
“Disposable Food Service Ware” means all containers, bowls, plates, trays, carton, cups, lids, straws, forks, spoons, knives, napkins and other items that are designed for one-time use for serving food.
“Dwelling” means a residence, flat, apartment, or other facility, used for housing one or more persons.
“Event” means any function that serves food and is permitted through any agency, including, but not limited to, the Department of Parking and Traffic, the Recreation and Park Department, the Port of San Francisco or, to the extent permitted by law, the National Park Service.
“Food Vendor” means any and all sales outlets, stores, shops, vehicles or other places of business located or operating in the city that operate primarily to sell or convey foods or beverages to consumers, and stores that sell food or beverages in combination with a gasoline station.
“Janitor” means the person who is hired by owners and managers of commercial properties and their contractors to process refuse on-site before it leaves the premises.
“Large Refuse Generator” means a property refuse account holder, or a City-owned and operated facility in the City, that has roll-off compactor service or generates 40 cubic yards or more of uncompacted refuse per week. Where a roll-off or other compactor is used, the volume of compacted refuse shall be multiplied times three to account for its compaction.
“Manager” means the authorized agent for the owner of a building, structure or property, who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of said building, structure or property.
“Multifamily Property” means a property that includes multiple residential households and has a single account with collector(s) for recyclables, compostables and trash.
“Non-Profit Food Provider” means a non-profit food hall, food bank, or food pantry, whose primary purpose is to store and/or provide food or meals for indigent persons at no cost or at a subsidized cost.
“Organic Waste” means Refuse containing material originated from living organisms and their metabolic waste products, including but not limited to food, green material, landscape and pruning waste, organic textiles and carpets, lumber, wood, paper products, manure, biosolids, digestate, and sludges.
“Person” means a natural person (including a resident, employee, or visitor), a firm, business concern, association, partnership, corporation or governmental entity, including the City and County of San Francisco and its departments, boards and commissions, and successors or assigns.
“Public Trash Container” means any trash receptacle installed by a public agency at a public sidewalk, park or other public area and that is not under the control, unless otherwise required by this Chapter, of a private or commercial property, food vendor or event manager; or any trash receptacle placed or managed by a private entity, including a business improvement district or community benefit district authorized by the City, and located on a sidewalk, park or other public area, including areas designated as dedicated public access by the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission, provided, however, that materials disposed by the general public in such receptacles are not co-mingled with refuse generated by any other generator.
“Recyclable” means any material that can be sorted and reconstituted, for the purpose of using the altered form in the manufacture of a new product, as accepted in San Francisco’s recycling collection program, such as paper, bottles and cans. Recycling does not include burning, incinerating, converting, or otherwise thermally destroying solid waste.
“Refuse” has the meaning set forth in the Refuse Collection and Disposal Ordinance adopted November 8, 1932, as amended, and includes recyclables, compostables, and trash, but not construction and demolition debris or hazardous waste, all as defined in this Chapter.
“Source Separate” means to divide refuse at the place of discard generation, prior to collection, into separate containers that are designated for recyclables, compostables or trash.
“Transfer Station” means a facility that is permitted under Health Code Section 294 to receive discarded materials and transport them to a landfill for disposal.
“Trash” means material that is designated for landfill disposal by the collector and does not include either recyclable or compostable materials. The term “trash” does not include hazardous waste, as defined in California Health and Safety Code Sections 25100 et seq., or construction and demolition debris as defined in this Chapter.
“Zero Waste Facilitator” means a person(s) serving exclusively in the capacity to manage refuse materials within a given property, including material sorting and movement, to achieve proper refuse source separation in compliance with this Chapter 19.