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Tours of YCSWA Facilities

We welcome visitors to the York County Resource Recovery Center and the Hopewell Area Recreation Complex. Tours are free, fun, and educational and can be scheduled throughout the year.
Schedule a Tour

All tours must be scheduled a minimum of two weeks in advance.

Tour the York County Resource Recovery Center

The tour of the YCRRC features an overview of how the authority manages waste in York County and describes the waste-to-energy process. After an orientation session in the Education Center, there is a walking tour of the main areas of the waste-to-energy facility, including stops at the Tipping Floor, the Turbine Generator Room, and the Control Room.

Free tours of the YCRRC are available by appointment Monday through Friday. Daytime and evening options are available.

A few reminders to prepare for your visit:
  • Please schedule your tour a minimum of two weeks in advance.
  • Tours are available for small or large groups of up to 60 people.
  • For safety reasons, individuals must be six years of age or older to tour the facility.
  • Our presentations are modified to suit various age levels.
  • An average tour (including the orientation session) takes approximately 45–60 minutes.
  • Participants should wear comfortable clothing and flat, closed-toe shoes.
  • All participants are required to follow facility safety rules, including the use of hard hats and safety glasses, which are provided.
  • The facility is accessible to people with disabilities. Persons requiring special accommodations are asked to contact the Authority in advance.

Waste-to-Energy

Take a video tour of the YCRRC.

Watch Video

Tour the Hopewell Area Recreation Complex

4295 Plank Road, Stewartstown, PA 17363

The HARC tour provides a look at York County’s Sanitary Landfill, which was closed in 1997. Participants will learn how the location was transformed from a landfill to a beautiful community park and wildlife habitat.

HARC has one of the largest contiguous grassland habitats in South Central PA, second only to Gettysburg National Military Park. A 1¼ -mile walk through its grassland trails features two stops at our birdwatching and wildlife viewing platforms and an overview of how a modern-day landfill functions. Participants will also learn about the environmental benefits of alternative energy while viewing the two-acre solar panel array that was installed on the property in 2014.

A few reminders to prepare for your visit:
  • Please schedule your tour a minimum of two weeks in advance.
  • The HARC tour is available for a maximum of 25 participants.
  • The minimum age to take the HARC tour is six years old.
  • The walking tour at HARC lasts about an hour.
  • The tour is held outside with little or no cover. Due to weather considerations, tours are conducted between mid-March and mid-November. If severe weather is forecasted, we may have to cancel or reschedule tours 24 hours ahead of time.
  • There is no public water available at the HARC location. Please bring water for your group.
  • If you would like to use the HARC pavilion area to have lunch after your tour, please let staff know when you schedule so we can reserve the area for you.

Tour Scholarship Program for Schools

Purpose

The York County Solid Waste Authority offers a Tour Scholarship Program to a select number of schools each year. The program provides opportunities for students in grades 1–12 enrolled in public, private, cyber, or home school in York County to experience one of two YCSWA tours by providing the transportation funding needed for the trip.

Tour Options
  • York County Resource Recovery Center

    Consists of an orientation session in the Education Center followed by a walking tour of the waste-to-energy facility, which processes garbage into electrical power.

  • Hopewell Area Recreational Center

    Conducted on the grounds of the now-closed York County Sanitary Landfill, which has been transformed into a community park and wildlife habitat.

Requirements

In exchange for the sponsored field trip, applicants must agree to complete a project related to environmental management of municipal solid waste. Written reports, artwork, photos, video, or some form of tangible results of the project must be submitted to YCSWA within one month of the tour. Schools/groups that do not turn in a project by the end of the school year in which the tour was taken will not be granted a tour scholarship for the following year. Failure to submit a tour scholarship project in a subsequent year will result in permanent ineligibility.

Provisions
  • The Tour Scholarship Program covers 100% of the cost to obtain school bus/van (non-charter) services specifically for a tour of the YCRRC or HARC.
  • If the tour group visits multiple locations the same day as the scheduled YCSWA tour, the Tour Scholarship Program will only pay the costs (mileage and/or time) for the portion of the trip that was used for the YCSWA tour.
  • The scholarship recipient is responsible for making all arrangements with the transportation company and assumes all liability for transportation of the students.
  • The recipient must submit an invoice (estimates will not be accepted) to YCSWA prior to payment. The invoice may be emailed to j.cristofoletti@ycswa.com, faxed to 717-843-1544, or mailed to YCSWA, Attn: Jennifer Cristofoletti, 2700 Blackbridge Rd, York, PA 17406.
  • YCSWA will issue payment within 45 days after the tour has been completed or within 45 days of the receipt of the invoice, whichever occurs later.
  • YCSWA will either pay the transportation company directly or reimburse your school, depending on the submitted invoice.
Reminders
  • A maximum of 60 participants (including chaperones and students) can be accommodated per field trip. However, multiple trips may be scheduled by the same school as needed.
  • All applications must be submitted to YCSWA no later than January 1 and will be considered on a first-received, first-scheduled basis.
  • Tour Scholarship recipients will be notified no later than January 31.
  • Scholarship-sponsored tours of the YCRRC must be completed within the calendar year, and tours of HARC must be completed in the calendar year between March 30 and November 20.
  • Groups that are denied a tour scholarship based on failure to submit a project may still arrange a tour at their own travel expense.

Tour Scholarship Application

You can download the Tour Scholarship Application and mail it in or drop it off at our facility. You may also fill out this online email form to submit your application.

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