York County Participation Rate:
Currently, 64 of 72 municipalities have contracted curbside recycling service. In addition, private subscription curbside recycling service is available to two additional municipalities. There are 17 municipalities who offer drop-off recycling either as a stand-along program or in conjunction with their curbside programs. Nearly everyone in York County has access to some form of recycling.
Act 101:
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 population/density of the community).
“Closed Loop Recycling”:
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 enables us to 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).
The Authority provides technical assistance to municipalities, businesses and organizations in developing and implementing waste reduction and recycling programs; assists in preparation of recycling grant applications; identifies markets for recyclables; distributes recycling educational materials and works with recycling haulers and municipalities to create viable recycling collection programs.
The Authority also promotes “non-traditional” recycling in the County through programs that focus on electronics recycling, Christmas tree recycling and backyard composting.