A debated proposal for a trash-collection overhaul will return Monday night to State College Borough Council.

So will a pitch for revisions to the borough's noise-control approach.

The trash proposal, introduced by the borough administration in 2011, follows a Borough Council priority to reduce greenhouse-gas emissions and improve environmental practices. It calls for the expansion of organics-waste collection throughout the borough neighborhoods and the increased automation of all residential refuse collection.

The latter would be achieved primarily through new, higher-efficiency vehicles that would allow a long-term reduction in labor costs. Details of the concept are outlined in this earlier report and via the borough website. When they took up the matter late last year, council members found no unanimity over the proposal.

Separately, the noise proposal, also developed by the borough administration, would establish two new ordinances to replace the current noise-control ordinance. The existing ordinance sets precise decibel levels as maximum standards.

But, in the dense environment of State College, it's often almost impossible to obtain an accurate decibel measurement of any one noise source, police Chief Tom King has said.

As a result, police have long cited offenders for disorderly conduct -- not a specific noise violation -- when they create too much noise. The maximum fine for disorderly conduct is $300.

Under the new proposed rules, officers would not attempt to take specific decibel readings. Instead, in responding to a noise complaint, they would take into consideration the time of day, the day of week, any previous warnings and other conditions, King has said. He said they would review "the totality of circumstances."

Details of the proposal are available via the borough website and in this earlier news report. A penalty section in the latest plan suggests a minimum fine of $500 and a maximum fine of $1,000 for an initial offense. For a second offense, the suggested fines would range from not less than $750 to not more than $1,000. And for third and subsequent offenses in any 180-day period, the suggested fine would be $1,000.

District judges set the actual fines for each such offense.

The Monday council meeting is scheduled to begin at 7:30 p.m. in the State College Borough Municipal Building, 243 S. Allen St.