(a) 
The city shall provide services for the collection of furniture, mattresses, box springs, water heaters, lumber, and roofing material, as described in subsections (d) and (e) of this section.
(b) 
Heavy bulky waste as described in subsection (a) of this section shall not be placed in an approved container, but shall be placed in such a way as to allow for the collection of items without the threat of damage or obstruction of access to property, water meters, vehicles, mailboxes, etc. This service shall not be provided to any vacant lot or unoccupied property within the city.
(c) 
Should heavy bulky waste or any other matter not be placed in the manner described by this section, the city shall not collect same.
(d) 
Schedule; additional waste services:
(1) 
Heavy bulky waste collections as described in subsection (d)(2) of this section will be scheduled every four to six weeks, unless restricted by inclement weather or other factors beyond the city's control for single-family and multifamily residential customers, mobile home residential customers, and recreation vehicle residential customers. It shall be unlawful for any customer to place for collection bulky items other than the week of the city website published announcement of brush collection by the city or the week prior. The fee for heavy bulky waste collections is included in the residential, mobile home and recreation vehicle residential garbage rates noted in section 38-69(1) through (4).
(2) 
Heavy bulky waste collections as described in subsection (a) of this section for all residential category customers shall be restricted to a pile of waste no larger than two cubic yards per month. Additional waste collection services may be provided upon request at the special pick-up rate as specified in section 38-70.
(e) 
Nothing herein shall require the collection and disposition by the city of items such as brick, broken concrete, cinders, plaster, gravel, sand, ashes, automobile frames and parts, metal, and other bulky, heavy material which are of such a nature in size as to not allow for the collection and disposition thereof by the personnel, equipment, and facilities of the city used for the collection and disposition of garbage and trash. It is the responsibility of the persons disposing such items to arrange for the removal and disposition thereof.
(f) 
Heavy bulky waste collections for commercial customers shall be provided upon request. The fee for collecting heavy bulky waste from commercial customers shall be based on the special pick-up rate specified in section 38-70.
(Code 1973, § 14-2; Code 1997, § 50.02; Ordinance 53-21, adopted 6/29/1953; Ordinance 82-18, adopted 3/2/1982; Ordinance 08-60, adopted 9/15/2008; Ordinance 2024-55 adopted 9/18/2024)
The city shall, from time to time, acquire, by purchase or lease, real property for the purpose of excavating thereon and burying and covering the garbage and trash accumulated within the city. Such garbage and trash disposal areas shall be used by city owned and city operated vehicles collecting garbage and trash within the city, for the depositing and burying in such garbage and trash disposal areas. Citizen entities of the city may, without charge to the city or without charge to such citizen entities, deliver to such city owned and city maintained garbage and trash disposal areas, garbage and trash which has accumulated within and is located within the City of Harlingen for disposal and burial in such garbage and trash disposal areas. The city administration shall, from time to time, satisfactorily determine that entities purporting to be City of Harlingen entities are in fact such City of Harlingen entities, proposing to deliver and deposit garbage and trash from the City of Harlingen to the City of Harlingen owned and maintained garbage and trash disposal areas, further determining that such garbage and trash has, in fact, accumulated and is located within the City of Harlingen for such disposal and burial. The city may refuse the right of any noncitizen entity to deliver and dispose of garbage and trash in the city owned and city maintained garbage and trash disposal areas. The city may also grant the right of any noncitizen entity to deliver garbage and trash to the city owned garbage and trash disposal and burial areas, from time to time. The city shall also be authorized to determine and charge uniform rates for delivering garbage and trash by other municipal corporations to the city garbage and trash disposal areas, and to charge uniform rates to non-citizens and nongovernmental entities for the delivery of garbage and trash to the city owned and city maintained garbage and trash disposal areas for such garbage and trash accumulated outside of and located outside of the city.
(Code 1973, § 14-3.1; Code 1997, § 50.04; Ordinance 72-32, adopted 10/18/1972)
(a) 
Every resident, householder, owner, lessee, tenant, or occupant of any building, premises, or place within the city shall provide or cause to be provided, and at all times keep in good order and repair, one or more receptacles suitable for receiving and holding all garbage or trash that may accumulate in or upon such residence, household, place of business, or premises, or any portion thereof, where such person may reside, or be engaged in business, or shall otherwise have under his possession and control.
(b) 
Such receptacle for the temporary deposit of garbage shall be made of metal or plastic material, watertight, and shall be provided with a tight, closely fitting lid or cover. Such receptacle for each single-family occupied residential unit in the city shall have two handles, and shall be of a size 96 gallon capacity. Each container or plastic bag, when full, may not exceed 50 pounds. Such receptacle for each commercial, industrial, other business, public, or charitable entity in the city, as hereinabove enumerated, shall be of such size and shape as shall be determined by the department of public works of the city, from time to time; provided that such determined size and shape of such receptacle shall be uniform and standard as to each such entity and the specifications of same shall be furnished to each such entity by the city as a prerequisite to the enforcement hereof.
(c) 
Each customer shall be responsible to maintain the area around containers free of weeds and garbage. The city will not collect garbage or trash unless it is prepared in the manner specified in this article.
(d) 
In the event one such receptacle for any single-family residential unit or any single commercial, industrial, other business, public, or charitable entity shall be insufficient for the purposes herein provided for, additional such receptacles shall be provided and maintained to meet such purposes.
(Code 1973, § 14-5; Code 1997, § 50.06; Ordinance of 5/25/1938; Ordinance 66-20, adopted 7/6/1966; Ordinance 82-16, adopted 3/2/1982; Ordinance 2024-55 adopted 9/18/2024)
In inspections conducted by the director of environmental health or his designee of receptacles for storing garbage and waste disposal, as provided for herein, it is hereby provided that, upon detecting any such receptacles not meeting the standard requirements of section 38-31, director of environmental health or his designee is hereby authorized and instructed to confiscate such receptacles. In the event of such confiscation, the owner and/or occupant of the premises where such receptacle may be confiscated shall remain and continue subject to the other provisions of this article requiring the maintenance of such a receptacle in accordance with the standard requirements of this article pertaining thereto.
(Code 1973, § 14-6; Code 1997, § 50.07; Ordinance of 5/25/1938; Ordinance 52-24, adopted 9/3/1952; Ordinance 74-9A, adopted 4/17/1974; Ordinance 77-69, adopted 11/22/1977; Ordinance 2024-55 adopted 9/18/2024)
(a) 
It shall be the duty of the owner to place the garbage container within five feet of the property line where services are being rendered in the alley as to not obstruct service with placing the trash bin next to an obstruction such as gas lines, water meters, parked vehicles, brush piles, etc.
(b) 
All garbage bins should be accessible not later than 6:30 a.m. on the day of scheduled collection and retrieved to the side yard or back yard prior to 8:00 p.m. on such day.
(c) 
Where there is no alley, garbage, brush and rubbish should be placed inside the curbline of the street. Upon notification, the official designated by the city may require that garbage, brush and rubbish be placed on curbline instead of the alley.
(Code 1973, § 14-7; Code 1997, § 50.08; Ordinance of 5/25/1938; Ordinance 82-16, adopted 3/2/1982; Ordinance 2024-55 adopted 9/18/2024)
(a) 
It shall be the duty of any person in possession or control of any premises to place or cause to be placed in the receptacle required in this article all garbage, trash, rubbish, and miscellaneous waste which may accumulate upon such premises.
(b) 
All household trash must be bagged.
(Code 1973, § 14-8; Code 1997, § 50.09; Ordinance of 5/25/1938; Ordinance 2024-55 adopted 9/18/2024)
It shall be the duty of every person placing garbage in any receptacle required by this article to eliminate as far as possible all water and liquid from such garbage, and to securely wrap the same in paper before placing the same in such receptacle. It shall be unlawful to pour water or liquid over such garbage or into any receptacle.
(Code 1973, § 14-9; Code 1997, § 50.10; Ordinance of 5/25/1938; Ordinance 2024-55 adopted 9/18/2024)
(a) 
All persons shall keep and maintain any receptacle required by this article in such manner that it shall not become or constitute a public nuisance to or in the neighborhood of such premises.
(b) 
It shall be unlawful for any person to allow any garbage receptacle, after the same has been emptied by the garbage collector, to be left in, on, or about the street or about the right-of-way on which the same is kept in such manner as to be a nuisance or offensive to the public or other residents of the neighborhood of such premises.
(c) 
All garbage receptacles shall be kept covered at all times except when matter is being deposited therein.
(d) 
Lots containing more than two residential units, commercial lots, or lots with industrial uses, shall provide a garbage receptacle enclosure within the private property boundary as determined by the public works director or designee.
(e) 
It shall be considered an offense for any item to be placed in commercial containers that, because of size, weight, or any other physical property, could cause damage to the collection vehicle. These items include, but are not limited to, any one item over three feet in any dimension, any one item in excess of 50 pounds, any concrete, bricks, dirt, blocks, or other earthen material, boards (over three feet long), pallets, timbers, and the like. These items shall be placed in a roll-off container for disposal.
(f) 
Any person granted a permit shall keep the enclosure used in the operation and maintenance of such business in a neat and orderly condition.
(g) 
The director, or designee, for just cause (health and or sanitation reasons, insufficient capacity, nuisance, littering) may increase the size of the commercial-type container(s), quantity of containers and/or frequency of collection and apply appropriate monthly charges without prior customer approval.
(h) 
In the event that the placement of an enclosure is uncertain for approach with our refuse trucks, a drawing clearly indicating maneuvering dimensions for ingress, egress, and approach of a city refuse truck shall be required.
(i) 
The public works director or designee shall determine the number, size and frequency of the service required for a multifamily complex. At a minimum, a multifamily complex shall be determined to provide one two-cubic-yard dumpster to be serviced twice per week per every ten dwelling units.
(Code 1973, §§ 14-10, 14-11, 14-13; Code 1997, § 50.11; Ordinance of 5/25/1938; Ordinance 2023-45, § I, adopted 11/1/2023; Ordinance 2024-55 adopted 9/18/2024)
Dead animals and fowl shall not be placed in any receptacle required by this article, but the fact of the presence of any dead animal or fowl upon any such premises, or in the street or alley adjacent thereto, must be promptly reported to city hall by the person in control of such premises.
(Code 1973, § 14-12; Code 1997, § 50.12; Ordinance of 5/25/1938; Ordinance 2024-55 adopted 9/18/2024)
(a) 
It shall be unlawful for any person other than one legally authorized to do so, to remove, displace, uncover, or in any manner move or disturb any garbage receptacle.
(b) 
It shall be unlawful for any person to rummage through and otherwise examine, handle, inspect, or tamper with garbage and waste, as such garbage and waste is contained in receptacles, containers, or other places as provided and required for in this article; or as such garbage and waste is retained in the garbage and waste collection trucks of the city; or as such garbage and waste may be gathered in areas provided for, for its final disposal and/or burial by the city.
(Code 1973, § 14-14; Code 1997, § 50.13; Ordinance of 5/25/1938; Ordinance 54-1, adopted 1/20/1954; Ordinance 2024-55 adopted 9/18/2024)
(a) 
The city shall provide services for the collection of tree limbs, brush trimmings, garden clippings or other vegetable matter as described in subsections (d) and (e) of this section.
(b) 
Tree limbs and brush shall be cut in lengths not exceeding five feet and shall be bundled and placed for collection in the manner described in section 38-33. Cardboard boxes and tubes shall be broken down in bundles with each bundle not weighing more than 50 pounds and placed in container. This service shall not be provided to any vacant lot or unoccupied property within the city. The city shall publish the time when such service shall be available to a particular neighborhood.
(c) 
Should brush or any other matter not be prepared in the manner described by this section, the city shall not collect same.
(d) 
Schedule; additional waste services:
(1) 
Brush/yard waste collections in the amounts described in subsection (d)(2) of this section will be scheduled once a month, unless restricted by inclement weather or other factors beyond the city's control for single-family and multifamily residential customers, mobile home residential customers and recreation vehicle residential customers. The fee for brush collections is included in the residential, mobile home and recreation vehicle residential garbage rates noted in section 38-69(1) through (4).
(2) 
Brush/yard waste collections for all residential category customers shall be restricted to a pile of brush no larger than one brush truck load per month. Additional brush collection services may be provided upon request at the special pick-up rate as specified in section 38-70.
(e) 
Brush/yard waste collections for commercial customers shall be provided upon request. The fee for collecting brush from commercial customers shall be based on the special pick-up rate specified in section 38-70.
(f) 
It shall be unlawful for any customer to place any brush for collection at other than the designated places provided for in section 38-33. It shall be unlawful:
(1) 
For any person to place any brush in an approved container provided for in this chapter;
(2) 
For any customer to place for collection other than the week of the city-website published announcement of brush collection by the city or the week prior; or
(3) 
For any person to place any brush so as to obstruct access to a mailbox, or covering water meter boxes, telephone pedestal, gas meters, cable guywires, or any other public fixture.
(g) 
Criminal prosecution:
Any person that violated or continues to violate this section shall be liable to criminal prosecution to the fullest extent of the law, and shall be subject to a criminal penalty of not more than $500.00 dollars per violation.
(h) 
All loose leaves must be bagged.
(Code 1973, § 14-15; Code 1997, § 50.14; Ordinance 82-16, adopted 3/2/1982; Ordinance 06-51, adopted 8/23/2006; Ordinance 08-60, adopted 9/15/2008; Ordinance 2024-55 adopted 9/18/2024)
The owner or occupant of any lot or other real property in the city which abuts a dedicated alley shall maintain the area between the property line and the centerline of such alley in a condition free from accumulations of weeds, rubbish, or any other unsightly, objectionable, or unsanitary matter.
(Code 1973, § 14-16; Code 1997, § 50.15; Ordinance 87-58, adopted 8/5/1987; Ordinance 2024-55 adopted 9/18/2024)