(A) Legislative findings.
(1) As an incident to the enactment of this section, the County Council has made the following legislative findings. The county currently operates a construction and demolition debris landfill, transfer station, recycling center, convenience centers and solid waste, garbage and refuse.
(2) Local governments, including counties, are required pursuant to S.C. Code § 44-96-90 to determine the full cost of solid waste management services within their respective service areas.
(3) The County Council has determined that it is necessary and appropriate to discharge its responsibilities for the collection, transportation, storage, handling, separation, treatment, reduction, recycling, reuse and disposal of household solid waste generated within the unincorporated area of the county through the establishment, equipping, construction and operation of solid waste collection and disposal sites and facilities which shall be funded by the assessment and levy of ad valorem property taxes, the establishment of a special tax district, uniform service charges or all of the methods of funding and by rates, fees and charges for the use of county solid waste collection facilities. The County Council finds that the rates, fees and charges for the disposal of permitted solid waste at the county municipal solid waste landfill are in compliance with federal and state statutes, laws and regulations.
(4) The Council finds that the schedule of rates, fees and charges established by this section is reasonable, proper and appropriate to provide for the operation, administration and maintenance of the county municipal solid waste landfill and other county solid waste collection, storage, handling, separation, treatment, recycling and disposal facilities.
(B) Establishment of permanent rates, fees and charges. The following schedule of rates, fees and charges is hereby established and shall apply to the deposit or disposal of solid waste, garbage or refuse permitted by law to be deposited at the county municipal solid waste landfill(s):
(1) For permitted MSW such as household solid waste, garbage or refuse delivered by all providers, including, but not limited to municipalities, commercial haulers, businesses and county convenience centers, the tipping fee shall be $49 per ton, with a minimum charge of $5 per load;
(2) For permitted LCD, such as yard waste, waste wood, clearing debris and other cellulosic materials, $36 per ton, with a minimum charge of $5 per load;
(3) For automobile and truck tires, $75 per ton, with a minimum charge of $10 per load; (For heavy equipment oversized tires (larger than 11 inches by 24.5 inches), $.088 per pound, with a minimum charge of $10 per load. If, upon delivery of automobile or truck tires to the landfill, the owner of the tires presents an invoice clearly demonstrating that the owner has paid the $2 per new tire fee for those tires as required by the South Carolina Solid Waste Policy and Management Act of 1991, the owner will not be required to pay any county disposal fee for those tires for which the new tire fee for those tires has been paid. This exemption is not applicable to heavy equipment oversized tires.)
(4) For white goods and waste and scrap metals, $20 per ton, with a minimum $5 charge per load.
(5) For construction and demolition debris, the tipping fee shall be $42 per ton, effective with a $5 minimum charge per load.
(6) For items requiring special handling or special provisions for disposal, including, but not limited to items requiring issuance of a special waste disposal permit by either the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control or the county, $50 per ton, with a minimum charge of $25 per load; and (For large, bulky or difficult to handle or accommodate items, $70 per ton, with a minimum charge of $35 per load for special handling: fees, rates and charges for permitted solid waste, garbage or refuse requiring special handling to be determined based on the weight, special handling required and circumstances of each case.)
(7) For all other items or materials, the disposal rate shall be in accordance with policies and procedures of the county’s solid waste disposal and recovery department and in no case less than $20 per ton, with a minimum charge of $5 per load.
(8) For all vehicles and/or trailers with unsecured loads arriving at the York County Landfill and Transfer Station, the county shall charge operators of the vehicles the following fee:
Passenger Licensed vehicles and trailers $ 25.00
Commercial vehicles, commercial flatbeds, commercial tandem trucks and trailers $ 50.00
(9) For recyclable material delivered to the York County Material Recovery Facility by all providers, including, but not limited to municipalities, commercial haulers and businesses, the tipping fee shall be $50 per ton, with a minimum charge of $5 per load.
(a) The York County Material Recovery Facility will only accept material generated and/or collected within York County.
(b) Acceptance of recyclable material subject to an agreement approved by the Public Works Director or his/her designee.
(C) Foreign waste prohibited. Non-residents of the county shall not be permitted to deposit solid waste in the county municipal solid waste landfill except by special permit issued by the office of the county manager. No person or private licensed contractor shall deposit any solid waste that has been generated, collected or transported from any county other than York County in any municipal solid waste landfill, convenience center or other county solid waste collection, treatment or disposal facility except by special permit from the office of the county manager.
(D) Payment of rates, fees and charges. Rates, fees or charges for the deposit, treatment or disposal of solid waste at the municipal solid waste landfill or at any county solid waste collection or disposal facility shall be paid, collected, received and deposited in accordance with the ordinances of the county and the policies and procedures established by the County Council and administrative policies and procedures established or promulgated by the county manager.
(E) Fee Exemptions.
(1) Individual residents delivering solid waste from their primary residence shall be exempt from solid waste tipping fees as long as they meet the following conditions.
(a) The combined weight of items to be disposed will not exceed one ton (2,000 pounds).
(b) Commercial vehicles, commercial flatbeds, commercial tandem trucks, and commercial trailers do not qualify for fee exceptions.
(c) Each individual primary residential address may dump a maximum of one ton (2,000 pounds) of material each month.
(d) To claim the exemption, an individual must prove residency in York County by showing a valid South Carolina driver’s license or identification card or another proof of residency from the origin of waste, including but not limited to a voter registration card, utility bill, or vehicle registration. The proof of residency must contain the name of the individual and a current York County address.
(2) Adopt-a-Highway litter delivered by the State Department of Transportation shall be exempt from payment of tipping fees.
(3) The County Manager may, at his or her discretion, exempt/waive any or all fees in the event of a natural disaster or documented emergency weather events, such as a tornadic or hurricane related event, with the occurrence of a thunderstorm and associated winds not rising to the level of this exemption/waiver authority.
(F) Solid waste credit accounts.
(1) The Solid Waste Department may extend credit to landfill customers subject to policies and procedures authorized by the County Manager.
(2) Customers may apply for a credit account with the Solid Waste Department by filling out a credit application. Customers who do not meet the new account requirements may establish a credit account by depositing an amount equivalent to the estimated two month average of future estimated monthly invoices. If the actual monthly charges are 10% more than the estimated monthly charges, the customer must increase the deposit to make it equivalent to the average of two actual monthly charges or the County will permanently suspend the account. The County will refund the deposit if the account is paid on time for twenty-four consecutive months or is closed with no remaining balance.
(3) Payments for credit accounts are due upon receipt and must be paid within 45 days after receipt of the invoice. The County will apply a 4.5% monthly compound interest charge to all credit accounts not paid within 45 days.
(4) The county will suspend disposal privileges for a customer with a credit account balance past due by more than 60 days, unless a customer pays the entire balance over 45 days past due. If the customer paid a deposit, then the county will apply the deposit to a balance past due by more than 60 days.
(5) The county may permanently suspend accounts past due by more than 60 days. The County will notify the customer in writing of the suspension, and the customer may dispose of solid waste by paying cash for each load only after the entire account balance, including the late fee, is paid in full.
(‘77 Code, § 7-37) (Ord. 4293, passed 11-15-93; Am. Ord. 6795, passed 12-19-95; Am. Ord. 1404, passed 6-21-04; Am. Ord. 2808, passed 6-16-08; Am. Ord. 2815, passed 8-17-15; Am. Ord. 5517, passed 11-6-17; Am. Ord. 2319, passed 6-17-19; Am. Ord. 2421, passed 6-7-21; Am. Ord. 3823, passed 6-20-23; Am. Ord. 3124, passed 6-17-24)