Local Services
LCSWMA is Making Sustainability a Community Effort
The new year is a great time to take steps toward sustainability, and LCSWMA is here to help.
The new year is a great time to take steps toward sustainability, and LCSWMA is here to help.
Focused on managing waste as a resource to protect and benefit our community, the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority (LCSWMA) employs a multi-step approach to disposal and processing, called an Integrated System. This Integrated System not only saves significant landfill capacity, but it also creates clean and renewable energy.
With the help of dedicated waste management experts at LCSWMA and this award-winning Integrated System, our community can take simple actions that improve the sustainability of Lancaster County for generations to come—starting with recycling!
“Lancaster County’s recycling rate was an impressive 46 percent in 2021 compared to the national average of 32 percent,” said Karen Gross, Communications Manager at LCSWMA. “Source reduction and reuse through recycling is making a positive difference, and we applaud our community.”
LCSWMA believes we can do even better by encouraging the community to work together, increasing our recycling rate and creating a more sustainable future for our county.
Contrary to popular belief, not all materials are recyclable, and it’s important to put the correct items in the bin so recyclables aren’t contaminated. The material thrown away in the trash will be turned into renewable energy when it’s combusted at LCSWMA’s Waste-to-Energy Facility.
Recycle Right with LCSWMA's Big 4:
• Corrugated cardboard
• Plastics bottles and jugs
• Metal food and beverage cans
• Glass bottles and jars
After placing trash and recycling at the curb, waste haulers collect the materials and deliver them to LCSWMA facilities to manage through the Integrated System. To keep this process safe, please remember to never put rechargeable batteries including lithium-ion batteries in the trash or recycle bin. Rechargeable batteries can spark or explode when damaged, which is a risk to people and property during transportation and processing. Residents can dispose of batteries for free at LCSWMA’s Household Hazardous Waste Facility in Lancaster.
“In many communities, trash is taken directly to a landfill where it’s buried and forgotten. But in Lancaster County, only approximately four percent of waste is landfilled,” Karen said. “Through LCSWMA’s unique Integrated System that includes recycling, volume reduction, and energy recovery, we are rethinking waste for a sustainable future.”
Sustainability is a community effort, and there are so many ways we can work together to manage waste as a resource to protect and benefit our community. So let’s recycle right and make renewable energy too!
Learn more about recycling and proper waste disposal at lcswma.org.
