2023 CODE OF GEORGIA › Title 12 - CONSERVATION AND NATURAL RESOURCES (§§ 12-1-1 — 12-17-6) › Chapter 8 - WASTE MANAGEMENT (§§ 12-8-1 — 12-8-211) › Article 2 - SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT (§§ 12-8-20 — 12-8-59.2) › Part 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS (§§ 12-8-20 — 12-8-41) › Section 12-8-39 - Cost reimbursement fees; surcharges; exempt contracts; reporting

(a)
Effective January 1, 1992, each city or county which operates a municipal solid waste disposal facility is authorized and required to impose a cost reimbursement fee upon each ton of municipal solid waste or the volume equivalent of a ton, as determined by rules of the division, for each ton of municipal solid waste received at a municipal solid waste disposal facility regardless of its source. The fee imposed may be equal to, or a portion of, the true cost of providing solid waste management services on a per ton or volume equivalent as determined pursuant to the forms, rules, and procedures developed by the Department of Community Affairs.
(b)
A minimum of $1.00 per ton or volume equivalent of the cost reimbursement fee specified in this Code section which is received by the city or county, if implemented after March 30, 1990, shall be paid into a local restricted account and shall be used for solid waste management purposes only.
(c)
Effective January 1, 1992, when a municipal solid waste disposal facility is operated as a joint venture by more than one city or county or combination thereof, by a special solid waste district, or by an authority, the cost reimbursement fee specified in this Code section shall be imposed by the joint operators, district, or authority and the cost reimbursement fee received shall be administered as outlined in subsection (b) of this Code section and shall be remitted into a restricted account established by the participating local governments.
(d)
(1)
(A)
Until June 30, 2019, when a municipal solid waste disposal facility is operated by private enterprise, the host local government is authorized and required to impose a surcharge of $1.00 per ton or volume equivalent, in addition to any other negotiated charges or fees which shall be imposed by and paid to the host local government for the facility. Except as otherwise provided in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, effective July 1, 2019, when a municipal solid waste disposal facility is owned by private enterprise, the host local government is authorized and required to impose a surcharge of $2.50 per ton or volume equivalent, in addition to any other negotiated charges or fees which shall be imposed by and paid to the host local government for the facility.
(B)
When a municipal solid waste disposal facility is operated by private enterprise, the host local government is authorized and required to impose a surcharge of $1.00 per ton or volume equivalent for construction or demolition waste or inert waste, in addition to any other negotiated charges or fees which shall be imposed by and paid to the host local government for the facility.
(C)
Any contract in existence on September 1, 2020, shall be exempt from the provisions of this subsection until such time as the contract is renewed, replaced, extended, amended, or otherwise changed.
(2)
(A)
At least 20 percent of the surcharges collected pursuant to this subsection shall be expended for the following purposes:
(i)
To offset the impact of the facility;
(ii)
Public education efforts for solid waste management, hazardous waste management, and litter control;
(iii)
The cost of solid waste management;
(iv)
Administration of the local or regional solid waste management plan;
(v)
Repair of damage to roads and highways associated with the facility;
(vi)
Enhancement of litter control programs;
(vii)
Ground-water and air monitoring and protection associated with the location of the facility;
(viii)
Remediation and monitoring of closed or abandoned facilities within the jurisdiction of the host local government;
(ix)
Infrastructure improvements associated with the facility;
(x)
Allocation of such funds in any fiscal year to a reserve fund designated for use for the above purposes in future fiscal years; and
(xi)
For the acquisition of property and interests in property adjacent to or in reasonable proximity to the facility upon a determination by the host local government that such acquisition will serve beautification, environmental, buffering, or recreational purposes such as will ameliorate the impact of the facility.
(B)
Those surcharges not expended or allocated as provided for in subparagraph (A) of this paragraph may be used for other governmental expenses to the extent not required to meet the above or other solid waste management needs.
(3)
Host local governments may negotiate for and obtain by contract surcharges higher than those set forth in this subsection; furthermore, nothing in this subsection shall reduce any such surcharge in existence on July 1, 2019.
(e)
Owners or operators of any solid waste disposal facility other than an inert waste landfill as defined in regulations promulgated by the board or a private industry solid waste disposal facility shall assess and collect on behalf of the division from each disposer of waste a surcharge of 75¢ per ton of solid waste disposed. Two percent of said surcharge collected may be retained by the owner or operator of any solid waste disposal facility collecting said surcharge to pay for costs associated with collecting said surcharge. Surcharges assessed and collected on behalf of the division shall be paid to the division not later than the first day of July of each year for the preceding calendar year. Any facility permitted exclusively for the disposal of construction or demolition waste that conducts recycling activities for construction or demolition materials shall receive a credit toward the surcharge listed above per ton of material recycled at the facility.
(f)
Reserved.
(g)
Unless the requirement for the surcharge required by subsection (e) of this Code section is reimposed by the General Assembly, no such surcharge shall be collected after June 30, 2032. The director shall make an annual report to the House Committee on Natural Resources and Environment and the Senate Natural Resources and the Environment Committee regarding the status of the activities funded by the Hazardous Waste Trust Fund.
(h)
The division shall advertise to the public the surcharges imposed pursuant to subsection (e) of this Code section in accordance with rules promulgated by the board.
Amended by 2021 Ga. Laws 290,§ 4, eff. 7/1/2022.
Amended by 2020 Ga. Laws 376,§ 2, eff. 6/29/2020.
Amended by 2019 Ga. Laws 55,§ 1, eff. 6/30/2019.
Amended by 2018 Ga. Laws 340,§ 1, eff. 6/30/2018.
Amended by 2013 Ga. Laws 270,§ 1, eff. 5/7/2013.
Amended by 2012 Ga. Laws 684,§ 12, eff. 5/1/2012.
Amended by 2011 Ga. Laws 70,§ 2, eff. 5/11/2011.
Amended by 2002 Ga. Laws 853, § 1, eff. 7/1/2002.