Chapter 3736 | Recycling, Waste Reduction, Litter Prevention

Section 3736.01 | Recycling, waste reduction, litter prevention definitions.

• Effective: September 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly

As used in this chapter:

(A) "Litter" means garbage, trash, waste, rubbish, ashes, cans, bottles, wire, paper, cartons, boxes, automobile parts, furniture, glass, or anything else of an unsightly or unsanitary nature thrown, dropped, discarded, placed, or deposited by a person on public property, on private property not owned by the person, or in or on waters of the state unless one of the following applies:

(1) The person has been directed to do so by a public official as part of a litter collection drive.

(2) The person has thrown, dropped, discarded, placed, or deposited the material in a receptacle in a manner that prevented its being carried away by the elements.

(3) The person has been issued a permit or license covering the material pursuant to Chapter 3734. or 6111. of the Revised Code.

(B) "Recycling" means the process of collecting, sorting, cleansing, treating, and reconstituting waste or other discarded materials for the purpose of recovering and reusing the materials.

(C) "Agency of the state" includes, but is not limited to, an agency subject to Chapter 119. of the Revised Code and a state university or college as defined in section 3345.12 of the Revised Code.

(D) "Source reduction" means activities that decrease the initial production of waste materials at their point of origin.

(E) "Enterprise" means a business with its principal place of business in this state and that proposes to engage in research and development or recycling in this state.

(F) "Research and development" means inquiry, experimentation, or demonstration to advance basic scientific or technical knowledge or the application, adaptation, or use of existing or newly discovered scientific or technical knowledge regarding recycling, source reduction, or litter prevention.

(G) "Recyclables" means waste materials that are collected, separated, or processed and used as raw materials or products.

(H) "Recycling market development" means activities that stimulate the demand for recycled products, provide for a consistent supply of recyclables to meet the needs of recycling industries, or both.

(I) "Solid waste management districts" means solid waste management districts established under Chapter 343. of the Revised Code.

(J) "Synthetic rubber" means produced or extended rubber and products made from a synthetic rubber base material originating from petrochemical feedstocks, including scrap tires, tire molds, automobile engine belts, brake pads and hoses, weather stripping, fittings, electrical insulation, and other molded objects and parts.

(K) "Auxiliary container" has the same meaning as in section 3767.32 of the Revised Code.

Last updated August 18, 2021 at 2:03 PM

Section 3736.02 | Statewide source reduction, recycling, recycling market development and litter prevention programs.

• Effective: September 10, 2012
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 487 - 129th General Assembly

(A) The director of environmental protection shall establish and implement statewide source reduction, recycling, recycling market development, and litter prevention programs that are consistent with the state solid waste management plan adopted under section 3734.50 of the Revised Code. The programs shall include all of the following:

(1) The assessment of waste generation within the state and implementation of source reduction practices;

(2) The implementation of recycling and recycling market development activities and projects, including all of the following:

(a) Collection of recyclables;

(b) Separation of recyclables;

(c) Processing of recyclables;

(d) Facilitation and encouragement of the use of recyclables and products made with recyclables;

(e) Education and training concerning recycling and products manufactured with recyclables;

(f) Public awareness campaigns to promote recycling;

(g) Other activities and projects that promote recycling and recycling market development.

(3) Litter prevention assistance to enforce antilitter laws, educate the public, and stimulate collection and containment of litter;

(4) Research and development regarding source reduction, recycling, and litter prevention, including, without limitation, research and development regarding materials or products manufactured with recyclables.

(B) The director may enter into contracts or other agreements and may execute any instruments necessary or incidental to the discharge of the director's responsibilities under this chapter.

Section 3736.021 | Auxiliary containers.

• Effective: September 30, 2021
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 110 - 134th General Assembly

A person may use an auxiliary container for purposes of commerce or otherwise.

Nothing in this section shall be construed to prohibit or limit the authority of any county, municipal corporation, or solid waste management district to implement a voluntary recycling program.

Last updated September 9, 2021 at 1:03 PM

Section 3736.03 | Recycling and litter prevention fund.

• Effective: September 29, 2015
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 64 - 131st General Assembly

(A) There is hereby created in the state treasury the recycling and litter prevention fund, consisting of moneys distributed to it from fees, including the fee levied under division (A)(2) of section 3714.073 of the Revised Code, gifts, donations, grants, reimbursements, and other sources, including investment earnings.

(B) The director of environmental protection shall do all of the following:

(1) Use moneys credited to the fund exclusively for the purposes set forth in sections 3734.49, 3736.02, 3736.05, and 3745.014 of the Revised Code, with particular emphasis on programs relating to recycling;

(2) Require recipients of grants under section 3736.05 of the Revised Code, as a condition of receiving and retaining them, to do all of the following:

(a) Create a separate account for the grants and any cash donations received that qualify for the donor credit allowed by section 5733.064 of the Revised Code;

(b) Make expenditures from the account exclusively for the purposes for which the grants were received;

(c) Use any auditing and accounting practices the director considers necessary regarding the account;

(d) Report to the director information regarding the amount and donor of cash donations received as described by section 5733.064 of the Revised Code;

(e) Use grants received to supplement and not to replace any existing funding for such purposes.

(3) Report to the tax commissioner information the director receives pursuant to division (B)(2)(d) of this section.

Section 3736.05 | Making grants - matching contributions.

• Effective: September 29, 2015
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 64 - 131st General Assembly

(A) The director of environmental protection, pursuant to division (F)(6) of section 3734.49 of the Revised Code, may make grants from the recycling and litter prevention fund created in section 3736.03 of the Revised Code to accomplish the purposes of the programs established under section 3736.02 of the Revised Code.

(B) Except as provided in division (C) of this section, the director may require any eligible applicant certified by the materials management advisory council under division (F)(6) of section 3734.49 of the Revised Code that applies for a grant for an activity or project that is intended to further the purposes of any program established under division (A)(1), (2), or (4) of section 3736.02 of the Revised Code to provide a matching contribution of not more than fifty per cent of the grant.

(C) Notwithstanding division (B) of this section, any grant awarded under division (A) of this section to foster cooperative research and development regarding recycling or the cooperative establishment or expansion of private recycling facilities or programs shall be made in conjunction with a contribution to the project by a cooperating enterprise that maintains or proposes to maintain a relevant research and development or recycling facility or program in this state or by an agency of the state, provided that funding provided by a state agency shall not be provided from general revenue funds appropriated by the general assembly. No grant made under division (A) of this section for the purposes described in this division shall exceed the contribution made by the cooperating enterprise or state agency. The director may consider cooperating contributions in the form of state of the art new equipment or in other forms if the director determines that the contribution is essential to the successful implementation of the project.

Grants made under division (A) of this section for the purposes described in this division shall be made in such form and conditioned on such terms as the director considers to be appropriate.

(D)(1) The director may require any eligible applicant certified by the advisory council under division (F)(6) of section 3734.49 of the Revised Code that applies for a grant that is intended to further the purposes of the program established under division (A)(3) of section 3736.02 of the Revised Code, except any eligible applicant that is or is located in a county that has a per capita income equal to or below ninety per cent of the median county per capita income of the state as determined by the director using the most recently available figures from the United States census bureau, to provide a matching contribution as follows:

(a) Up to ten per cent of the grant from any eligible applicant that is or is located in a county that has a per capita income above ninety per cent of the median county per capita income of the state, but equal to or below one hundred per cent of the median county per capita income of the state;

(b) Up to twenty per cent of the grant from any eligible applicant that is or is located in a county that has a per capita income above the median county per capita income of the state.

(2) If the eligible applicant is a joint solid waste management district or is filing a joint application on behalf of two or more counties, the matching contribution required under division (D)(1) of this section shall be the average of the matching contributions of all of the counties covered by the application as determined in accordance with that division. The matching contribution of a county that has a per capita income equal to or below ninety per cent of the median county per capita income of the state shall be included as zero in calculating the average matching contribution.

(E) The director shall ensure that not less than fifty per cent of the moneys distributed as grants under this section shall be expended for the purposes of recycling and recycling market development.

(F) No information that is submitted to, acquired by, or exchanged with employees of the environmental protection agency who administer or provide services under this section and that is submitted, acquired, or exchanged in order to obtain a grant pursuant to division (A) of this section shall be used in any manner for the purpose of the enforcement of any requirement established in an environmental law or used as evidence in any judicial or administrative enforcement proceeding unless that information reveals a clear and immediate danger to the environment or to the health, safety, or welfare of the public.

(G) Nothing in this section confers immunity on persons from enforcement that is based on information that is obtained by the director or the director's authorized representatives who are not employees of the agency who administer or provide services under this section.

(H) As used in this section, "environmental law" means a law that is administered by the environmental protection agency.

Section 3736.06 | Designating liaison - political subdivision participation.

• Effective: September 29, 2015
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 64 - 131st General Assembly

(A) Agencies of the state certified pursuant to section 3734.49 of the Revised Code as eligible to receive a grant shall designate an employee as the liaison with the director of environmental protection to cooperate with the director in carrying out the director's duties under this chapter.

(B) The executive and legislative authorities of municipal corporations, counties, and townships and the boards of park commissioners of township park districts created under section 511.18 of the Revised Code, boards of park commissioners of park districts created under section 1545.04 of the Revised Code, and boards of education of city, exempted village, local, and joint vocational school districts may participate in the programs established under section 3736.02 of the Revised Code.

Section 3736.07 | Metal beverage containers not requiring a separate opener prohibited.

• Effective: September 10, 2012
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 487 - 129th General Assembly

No person, agency of the state, municipal corporation, county, or township shall sell or offer for sale any beer or mixed beverages as defined in section 4301.01 of the Revised Code, or any soft drink as defined in section 913.22 of the Revised Code, in a metal container that is so designed that it may be opened by removing from the container a part of the container without using a separate opener. However, nothing in this section prohibits the sale or offering for sale of a container the only detachable part of which is a piece of tape or other similar adhesive material.

Section 3736.99 | Penalty.

• Effective: September 10, 2012
• Latest Legislation: House Bill 487 - 129th General Assembly

Whoever violates section 3736.07 of the Revised Code is guilty of a minor misdemeanor. Each day of violation constitutes a separate offense.