Terms Used In Rhode Island General Laws > Chapter 37-15 - Litter Control and Recycling

• Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
• Complaint: A written statement by the plaintiff stating the wrongs allegedly committed by the defendant.
• Contract: A legal written agreement that becomes binding when signed.
• Corporation: A legal entity owned by the holders of shares of stock that have been issued, and that can own, receive, and transfer property, and carry on business in its own name.
• Department: means the department of environmental management. See Rhode Island General Laws 37-15-3
• Director: means the director of the department of environmental management. See Rhode Island General Laws 37-15-3
• Jurisdiction: (1) The legal authority of a court to hear and decide a case. Concurrent jurisdiction exists when two courts have simultaneous responsibility for the same case. (2) The geographic area over which the court has authority to decide cases.
• 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 the person has:

  (i)  Been directed to do so by a public official as part of a litter collection drive;

  (ii)  Discarded, thrown, dropped, placed, or discarded the material in a litter receptacle in a manner that prevented the material from being carried away by the elements; or

  (iii)  Been issued a license or permit covering the material pursuant to chapters 18. See Rhode Island General Laws 37-15-3

• Litter receptacle: means those containers adopted by the department of environmental management and which may be standardized as to size, shape, capacity, and color and which shall bear the state anti litter symbol, as well as any other receptacles suitable for the depositing of litter. See Rhode Island General Laws 37-15-3
• Partnership: A voluntary contract between two or more persons to pool some or all of their assets into a business, with the agreement that there will be a proportional sharing of profits and losses.
• Person: means any natural person, political subdivision, government agency, public or private corporation, partnership, joint venture, association, firm, individual proprietorship, or other entity whatsoever. See Rhode Island General Laws 37-15-3
• Program: means those activities of the department to encourage, manage, and fund litter control and recycling pursuant to this chapter. See Rhode Island General Laws 37-15-3
• Public place: means any area that is used or held out for use by the public whether owned or operated by public or private interests. See Rhode Island General Laws 37-15-3
• Recycling: means the reuse of recovered resources in manufacturing, agriculture, power production, or other processes. See Rhode Island General Laws 37-15-3
• Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
• Restitution: The court-ordered payment of money by the defendant to the victim for damages caused by the criminal action.
• Summons: Another word for subpoena used by the criminal justice system.
• town: may be construed to include city; the words "town council" include city council; the words "town clerk" include city clerk; the words "ward clerk" include clerk of election district; the words "town treasurer" include city treasurer; and the words "town sergeant" include city sergeant. See Rhode Island General Laws 43-3-9