YORK COUNTY SOLID WASTE AUTHORITY APPROVES 2021 BUDGET WITH $2.50/TON INCREASE IN THE COST FOR WASTE DISPOSAL

The York County Solid Waste Authority has approved its budget for fiscal 2021. The tip fee (cost for disposal) for York County processible municipal solid waste at the York County Resource Recovery Center (RRC) for 2021 will increase from $65 per ton to $67.50 per ton.  This increase represents a 3.8 percent increase. The minimum fee to dispose of waste will remain at $20 for up to 580 pounds.

The tipping fee and revenue from the sale of electricity support Authority operations which include the York County Resource Recovery Center, the Small Load Drop-off Facility, the Recycling Drop-off Center, the Education Center, the York County Sanitary Landfill/Hopewell Area Recreation Complex, electronics recycling and community outreach efforts and other programs aimed at waste reduction and recycling.  The tip fee does not include collection costs charged by waste hauling companies hired to provide trash removal services.  In most cases waste hauling companies charge customers a fee that covers the Authority’s tipping fee, as well as costs for waste collection, hauling and curbside recycling.

Notes Dave Vollero, Authority Executive Director, “Under this increase, the cost of waste disposal alone for an average York County household will be approximately $1.42 per week, a 5-cent increase from $1.37.  This is based on an average household waste generation rate of 1.1 tons of trash per year.   The household annual average cost to York County residents for waste collection and disposal services is approximately $260 a year, of which, just $74 accounts for the disposal portion of those fees.

This increase in the tip fee is a response to fiscal pressures created by rising operational costs, a significant decrease in energy revenues and a decrease in the price for metals separated from combustion ash for recycling.

Stabilizing the cost for disposal of waste has always been a top priority for the Authority and has been achieved through a process of effective operation and budget management.  Moving forward, the Authority will continue to operate in a fiscally responsible manner to serve the citizens of York County.

The Authority facilitates responsible solid waste management through an integrated strategy that emphasizes waste reduction, reuse, recycling and resource recovery.  The operations of the Authority are supported by its two revenue streams: the cost of disposal, or “tipping fee” at the York County Resource Recovery Center and the sale of electricity generated by the facility.