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FAQs

You Have Questions. We Have Answers.

YCSWA does not collect your garbage. We do not own trash trucks or provide dumpsters.

Instead, haulers bring the garbage they collect to the York County Resource Recovery Center, owned by YCSWA. Several haulers operate throughout the county to provide waste hauling services. If you have questions about your garbage pickup, please call your hauler. If you are unsure who your hauler is, contact your municipal office.

No matter where you live in York County, your hauler delivers your garbage to the York County Resource Recovery Center. The center is a waste-to-energy facility that burns your garbage in accordance with strict environmental standards. Your garbage is the fuel used to heat boilers to make steam. The steam powers a turbine and a generator to produce electricity. We no longer put your raw garbage directly into a landfill — it is now recycled into electricity!

The York County Resource Recovery Center is indeed cost effective, and most importantly, it provides York County with what we believe is the most environmentally responsible method for managing waste. Revenue is generated through the tipping fee (cost of disposal) charged to haulers to deliver waste to the center, and through the sale of electricity.

York County tax dollars were not used to build this facility and do not support its ongoing operations. YCSWA never loses sight of the fact that we exist to serve the public now and in the future — not to make a profit from garbage disposal.

YCSWA does more than just adhere to the strict regulations set by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP). We seek ways to improve on them by tracking industry and regulatory developments, as well as advancements in technology. Our staff and facility operators are highly skilled, experienced, and technically diverse. Our facility operators and key technical staff have undergone rigorous certification programs to make them the best at what they do.

We are deliberate about educating the public about responsible solid waste management. Through community outreach and education programs, we teach others about the impact of proper trash disposal. Our Education Center is the hub for making this happen. This is where the public can tour our Resource Recovery Center and see how trash is re-purposed into energy.

YCSWA does not operate any facilities that process sludge (biosolids) or septage. In 1992, we developed (in conjunction with a community advisory committee) and adopted a plan for the management of these materials. The plan determined that current capacity needs are being met by wastewater treatment facilities already operating in York County and recommended land application as the most viable option for recycling the resulting “biosolids” (treated wastewater).

YCSWA monitors this process by registering all haulers of sludge and septage and requiring them to maintain manifests that show the volume of the material hauled, where it originated, and its disposal site. If you have an on-site septic system, make sure a licensed hauler pumps it and provides you with a manifest for your records. All registered haulers have a sticker on the driver’s side door of their vehicle that has our name, the year, and a four-digit number on it.

If you have questions about sludge or septage, call us at 717-845-1066 and speak to our Waste Monitoring Specialist.

Medical waste generated in York County is transported out of the county to other licensed medical waste management facilities. YCSWA registers all haulers of medical waste operating in York County. View our Medical Waste page to learn how to dispose of your medical waste.

YCSWA encourages composting of yard waste. We also offer yard waste disposal at our Small-Load Drop-Off Center, located at the York County Resource Recovery Center. View our Yard Waste page for more details.

Recycling

Act 101, the state’s Municipal Waste Planning, Recycling, and Waste Reduction Act, makes recycling a requirement in 18 York County municipalities. Mandatory recycling is based on the population/density of a community. If you’re unsure about recycling requirements where you live, contact your municipal office.

Approximately 99% of York County’s population has access to curbside or drop-off recycling programs.

  • 64 of 72 municipalities have contracted curbside recycling service.
  • Private-subscription curbside recycling service is available in 2 additional municipalities.
  • 17 municipalities offer drop-off recycling either as a stand-alone program or in conjunction with their curbside programs.

In addition to its successful traditional recycling programs, York County has taken recycling even further to “closed loop recycling.” The York County Solid Waste Authority uses an integrated approach to the management of waste, emphasizing waste reduction, recycling, and resource recovery. The York County Resource Recovery Center is a waste-to-energy facility that lets us process combustible municipal solid waste to generate electricity. The remaining ash is beneficially reused as alternate daily landfill cover (displacing the use of virgin soil).

YCSWA also promotes “non-traditional” recycling in the county through programs that focus on electronics recycling, Christmas tree recycling, and backyard composting.

Most municipalities offer curbside and/or drop-off recycling services. Contact your municipal office for details. Or, call us at 717-845-1066 for information about the recycling center nearest to you. York County residents can also bring some recyclables to YCSWA’s Recycling Drop-Off Center.

If you don’t recycle where you live, ask your municipal officials to consider starting a program.

YCSWA helps start and sustain recycling programs by:

  • Providing technical assistance to municipalities, businesses, and organizations in developing and implementing waste reduction and recycling programs.
  • Assisting in preparation of recycling grant applications.
  • Identifying markets for recyclables.
  • Distributing educational materials about recycling.
  • Working with recycling haulers and municipalities to create viable recycling collection programs.

Check with your curbside recycling service, but most recycling programs accept:

  • Cans (Aluminum & Steel)
  • Cardboard (Dry & flattened with no food contact)
  • Cartons
  • Glass Bottles & Jars
  • Newspapers (Clean & dry with no food contact)
  • Plastic Bottles & Jugs (#1, 2 & 5)

The YCSWA Recycling Drop-Off Center ONLY accepts:

  • Cans (Aluminum, Steel & Bi-Metal)
  • Clean Clothing & Shoes — ONLY in the Salvation Army drop-off bin
  • Corrugated Cardboard

YCSWA’s Recycling Drop-Off Center does not accept any plastic containers. However, most curbside recycling services accept plastic bottles and jugs numbered 1, 2, and 5.

YCSWA’s Recycling Drop-Off Center is located at 2685 Blackthorne Court, York, PA 17406.

It is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM and Saturdays from 8:00 AM to 12:00 PM.

See our Recycling Drop-Off Center page for information about the items we accept and directions to the center.

Disposing of Electronics & Appliances

If your electronics are in good working condition, consider donating them. Search “where to donate [item] in York, PA” to find local options.

In Pennsylvania, certain electronics are restricted by law from being disposed of in the trash due to the toxic metals they contain. The Covered Device Recycling Act (CDRA), Act 108 of 2010, requires the following “covered devices” to be recycled:

  • Computers
  • Computer Peripherals (keyboard, mouse, printer, etc.)
  • Computer Monitors
  • Televisions

These — and items such as power tools, phones, medical devices, and others — can be dropped off at the York County Resource Recovery Center. There is no tipping fee for loads consisting solely of electronics. View our Electronics page for more details.

York County residents can also take electronics that are no longer usable to Fairview or Penn Township’s recycling centers.

Televisions are restricted by law from being disposed of in the trash due to the toxic metals they contain. Bring your old TV to the York County Resource Recovery Center.

York County residents can also take old TVs that are no longer usable to Fairview or Penn Township’s recycling centers.

If your VHS tapes are in good working condition, consider donating them. Otherwise, VHS tapes — and audio/video items such as CDs, DVDs, Blu-ray players, MP3 players, projectors, amplifiers, receivers, recorders, stereos, video game consoles, etc. — can be dropped off at the York County Resource Recovery Center.

York County residents can also take electronics that are no longer usable to Fairview or Penn Township’s recycling centers.

If your computer still works, consider donating it. In Pennsylvania, computers are restricted by law from being disposed of in the trash due to the toxic metals they contain. Old computers can be dropped off at the York County Resource Recovery Center.

York County residents can also take old computers that are no longer usable to Fairview or Penn Township’s recycling centers.

If your fridge is in good working condition, consider donating it. Otherwise, it may be disposed at the York County Resource Recovery Center. Appliances containing refrigerants — such as air conditioners, dehumidifiers, freezers, and refrigerators — that are disposed at YCRRC are taken to a contractor that safely and responsibly removes and disposes of the refrigerants. Please note that food must be removed from freezers and refrigerators before disposing of these items.

If your microwave still works, consider donating it. Otherwise, microwaves can be dropped off at the York County Resource Recovery Center.

York County residents can also take old microwaves that are no longer usable to Fairview or Penn Township’s recycling centers.

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