A. "Automated recycling container or cart" means a wheeled, plastic receptacle designated for the collection of recyclables and designed to be picked up and emptied by mechanical means into the company's collection vehicle. It may also be referred to as a "toter."

B. "Cities" means the cities and towns within Pierce County that have signed interlocal agreements with the County Executive to adopt and implement the Tacoma-Pierce County Solid Waste Management Plan and to use the Pierce County solid waste disposal system.

C. "Commodity credit" means the amount of recycling revenue returned to residential customers from the sale of recyclable materials collected through curbside residential programs, as required by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission.

D. "Company recycling plan" means a plan required by RCW 81.77.185 which must be submitted to the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) by a certificated solid waste collection company. The Plan must be certified by Pierce County as being consistent with the Tacoma-Pierce County Solid Waste Management Plan and must describe the proposed recycling program, how the company proposes to measure changes in the recycling rate, and how money retained under revenue sharing will be used to increase recycling.

E. "Dual-stream collection" is the collection of recyclables in two containers, generally with most recyclables commingled in one container, and a single item, such as glass, in the other bin.

F. "Mobile Home Park" means a tract of land designed and maintained under a single ownership of unified control where two or more spaces or pads are provided solely for the placement of mobile or manufactured homes for residential purposes with or without charge. The mobile home park is billed for solid waste collection service as a whole and not by individual dwelling units.

G. "Multi-family residence" means any residential structure containing three or more dwelling units with the units joined to one another and where the structure is billed for solid waste collection service as a whole and not by individual dwelling units. This may include, but is not limited to, apartments and condominiums.

H. "LRI" means the company with which the County contracts for disposal services – Pierce County Recycling, Composting and Disposal, LLC d/b/a LRI.

I. "Recycling bin" means a receptacle, smaller than an automated cart, for the collection of a specific, designated recyclable material which must be lifted by the driver to be emptied into the company's collection vehicle. It may be stackable with other similar bins.

J. "Recyclable materials" or "recyclables" means those solid wastes that are separated for recycling or reuse and thus diverted from landfill disposal.

K. "Recycling rate" means the percentage rate achieved by dividing the total tonnage of recyclables by the sum of the total tonnage of waste disposed added to the total tonnage of recyclables.

L. "Set-out counts" means the number of single-family residential customers that set-out their recyclables or yardwaste containers every collection day; or a monthly average of the set-outs as compared to total number of single-family customers.

M. "Single-family residence" means any residential dwelling receiving solid waste and recycling collection service where the owner or tenant is billed for solid waste collection service to the dwelling as an individual unit. This may include, but is not limited to, duplexes, mobile homes within mobile home subdivisions, or attached single-family structures such as townhouses, row houses, or triplexes.

N. "Single-stream collection" means the collection of designated recyclables commingled in one container, generally collected with automated or semi-automated trucks.

O. "Solid waste collection company" means a solid waste and recycling hauling company which provides collection services in unincorporated areas of Pierce County and is regulated by the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission (WUTC) under the provisions of Chapter 81.77 RCW. The companies may be collectively referred to as "certificated haulers" and means every person or his lessees, receivers, or trustees, owning, controlling, operating or managing vehicles used in the business of transporting solid waste for collection and/or disposal for compensation over any public highway whether as a "common carrier" or as a "contract carrier."

P. "Source separation" means the separation of different kinds of solid waste at the place where the waste originates.

Q. "Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission" or "WUTC" means the State agency which regulates privately-owned solid waste collection companies who provide collection service to the unincorporated areas under a franchise G certificate.

R. "Yardwaste or yard debris" means plant material grown on residential properties and commonly created in the course of maintaining yards and gardens through horticulture, gardening, landscaping or similar activities. Yardwaste includes, but is not limited to, grass clippings, leaves, branches or tree limbs, brush, flowers, roots, weeds, and clean holiday trees. It excludes rocks, sod, soil, plastics and synthetic fibers, treated dimensional lumber, pet wastes, and discarded pieces of metal.