2026 Tour Scholarships Announced: About 800 York County Students to Learn How Garbage is Managed

The York County Solid Waste Authority is pleased to announce that ten school groups totaling approximately 800 students will participate in the Authority’s Tour Scholarship Program in 2026. The Tour Scholarship awardees for 2026 are: Stony Brook Elementary- Laken Payne, Grade 3; Leib Elementary- John Marc Murphy, Grade 4; Dover Elementary- Julie rang, Grade 2; Hanover Middle School – Bryan Beichler, Grade 8; Spring Grove Area High School – Christopher Fake, Grades 9-12; Washington Elementary- Brooks Keeney, Grade 2; Roundtown Elementary- Mark Fife, Grade 3; Washington Elementary- Amy Gotwals, Grades 3; Phineas Davis Pre-K – Alicia Hammock, Grades 1-2,  and Manheim Elementary- Jenell McKowen, Grade 2.

For more than 31 years, the Tour Scholarship Program has been offered by the Authority to local schools to pay the costs of buses and drivers needed for classes to take field trips to the York County Resource Recovery Center (RRC) and Education Center.  In return for the tour scholarship, participants complete an activity or project on an aspect of solid waste management such as recycling or litter prevention.

The RRC is York County’s waste-to-energy facility where household trash is used as “fuel” to produce electricity. Tour participants get a first-hand glimpse into this process beginning with a presentation followed by a walking tour of key areas of the facility.

YCSWA facilitates responsible solid waste management through an integrated strategy that emphasizes waste reduction, education, recycling, and resource recovery. YCSWA is the owner of the York County Resource Recovery Center, a Small Load Drop Off Facility, a Recyclable Materials Drop-off Center, an Ash Recycling & Processing Facility, an Education Center, and the closed York County Sanitary Landfill which hosts the Hopewell Area Recreational Complex. Click here for more information about YCSWA.