Maintaining Closed Trash Receptacles, and Cleaning of Paved Areas

Trash, debris and food remnants from restaurants can harbor illness-causing pathogens (i.e. bacteria, viruses), and are pollutants when exposed to storm water.  Storm water discharges to the City of Santa Monica and/or Los Angeles County Department of Public Works storm drain systems enter the Santa Monica Bay (Bay) untreated. Pollutants adversely affect the quality of water in the Bay, and can lead to illness in people who enter or are exposed to Bay water.

Collection, Storage and Minimization of Runoff, and specifically that:

4) Commercial tenants, multi-family building managers and industrial owners shall inspect trash receptacles and refuse storage areas on a weekly basis for loose garbage and liquid waste residue, and shall not allow such garbage and residue to enter the storm drain system. Trash receptacles shall have solid covers and shall be closed (at all times) to prevent the entry of rain and the exit of wind-blown (or scavenger-removed) litter. Trash receptacles shall be maintained without broken covers and leaks.  Los Angeles County Department of Health Services similarly has a requirement that watertight receptacles with close-fitting lids be employed. 

Trash receptacles and bins are especially attractive to scavenging activity by people and by birds.  Training of your employees to implement the above good housekeeping practices is essential to help prevent garbage, residue and pathogens from entering the storm drain system.  Your consideration to exchange current and/or damaged bins and receptacles without lockable covers with bins and receptacles with lockable covers is strongly encouraged.  This switch may help prevent potential scavenging activity.  Your solid waste service provider may be able to provide such bins and receptacles.                             

SMMC section 5.20.040 Prohibited discharge standards states that:

(a) No person shall contribute or cause to be contributed, directly or indirectly to the publicly owned treatment works (P.O.T.W.), the storm drain system or the waters of the State, any pollutant or wastewater which may cause interference or pass through. These general prohibitions apply to all users of the P.O.T.W. and storm drain system whether or not the user is subject to categorical pretreatment standards or any other national, State or local pretreatment standards or requirement. Furthermore, no person may contribute the following substances to the P.O.T.W. storm drain system or waters of the State as discussed in (a) (1) through (24); prohibition of waste discharges to the storm drain or sewer systems.

You, your staff and any maintenance people serving your facility should also be made aware that it is prohibited to allow any waste water from your facility, including hose down and wash water from patios, walkways, floor mats and trash receptacle areas, to discharge to an alley, street or storm drain.  Such waste water must be collected and conveyed to the sanitary sewer in a manner which does not create a sewer blockage.

City of Santa Monica Solid Waste Management can be reached at (310) 458-2223.  Private waste haulers may also be able to provide these containers.   The Santa Monica Municipal Code may be accessed at: 

http://www.codemanage.com/santamonica/

Your cooperation with these concerns, and especially during the rainy season, is vital to ensuring the water quality health of the Bay.  Violations of SMMC sections may result in informal or formal enforcement action, up to and including an administrative fine. 

Thank you for your attention to these concerns. If you have any questions regarding this correspondence, please contact Jeff Mack at (310) 458-8235 or Neal Shapiro at (310) 458-8223.

Sincerely,