Definitions.

Tampa City Code § 26-202

in effect

Sec. 26-202. - Definitions. For purpose of this article, certain abbreviations, terms, phrases, words, and their derivatives shall have the following meaning: Buy-back center means supervised processing or intermediate collection facilities that pay consumers for the recyclable or recovered materials received. Commercial recyclable collection means departmental or private recycling service for commercial establishments and all other places not classified as residential which produce or accumulate recyclable or recovered materials and maintain centralized locations for recycling bins or other containers. Contaminated recycling means the placement of items that are not accepted in the program guidelines in the recycling bin/container. Curbside recycling means the collection of recyclables or recovered materials from that area from within an unobstructed arm reach from the curb or edge of the pavement of a public street or alley serviced by the Department, its contractor or permitted private recycling service. Department means the Department of Solid Waste and Environmental Program Management. Director means the director of the Department or their designee. Drop-off center means either manned or unmanned facilities that rely upon customers to contribute collected recyclables or recovered materials without pay. Material recycling facility (MRF) means a central location involved in source separating, processing, recovering, storing and marketing recyclable or recovered materials. Permitted recycling location means a bin, location or other designated area permitted by the city under this article, clearly designated and marked for collecting, sorting, processing and recovery of recyclable or recovered materials. Private recycling means recycling by any person involved in the business of collecting, separating, processing, storing or transporting recyclable or recovered materials. Recovered materials means metal, paper, glass, plastic, textile, or rubber, materials that have known recycling potential, can be feasibly recycled, and have been diverted and source separated or have been removed from the solid waste stream for sale, use, or reuse as raw materials, whether or not the materials required subsequent processing or separation from each other, but does not include materials destined for any use that constitutes disposal. Recovered materials as described herein are not solid waste. Recyclable material means those materials which are capable of being recycled and which would otherwise be processed or disposed of as solid waste. Recycling means any process by which solid waste, or materials which would otherwise become solid waste, are collected, separated, or processed and reused or returned to use in the form of raw materials or products. Residential recyclable collection means the departmental or private recycling service collection or transportation of recyclable or recovered materials from residences. Source separated means the recovered materials are separated from solid waste where the recovered materials and solid waste are generated. The term does not require that various types of recovered materials be separated from each other and recognized de minimis solid waste, in accordance with industry standards and practices, may be included in the recovered materials. Transporting means to convey recyclable or recovered materials or cause to convey recyclable or recovered materials from one address to another address. Yard waste includes trees, limbs, boughs, brush or bushes which are susceptible to grinding, shredding or chipping. (Ord. No. 91-83, § 8, 5-16-91; Ord. No. 98-247, § 3, 11-5-98; Ord. No. 2022-4, § 3, 1-13-2022)

Source: City of Tampa, Code of Ordinances and Charter and Related Laws (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/fl/tampa/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=COOR_CH26UT_ARTVREREMA_S26-202DEFetched: 10/28/2026