LCSWMA: Tipping Floors and Virtual Tours.

Wondering what happens to your trash and recycling after it leaves the curb is probably not the most pressing question on your mind.

However, realizing that the waste we create doesn’t magically disappear after it’s loaded into the back of a garbage truck is the first step to making informed waste management decisions.

For LCSWMA, the entity that manages trash and recycling for Lancaster County homes and businesses, that realization or “ah-ha moment” usually comes to people while standing on a facility tipping floor, clad in fluorescent safety gear, watching the specialized waste management process unfold before their eyes on a facility tour.

Facility tours are the most impactful way to tell the story of what happens to your trash after it’s thrown away and after COVID-19 closed LCSWMA’s in-person tour program, the organization pivoted to find an alternative that would provide an authentic experience for those interested in learning more about best waste management practices.

In fall 2020, LCSWMA launched its Virtual Facility Tours Program, which allows users to get an up-close-and-personal look at the journey their trash takes from collection to combustion.

Users can explore LCSWMA’s Transfer Station Complex, which serves as a waste consolidation hub for garbage haulers picking up trash in Lancaster County or the Lancaster Waste-to-Energy (WTE) Facility where garbage is combusted to create electricity.

Much like an in-person tour, the virtual tours feature a LCSWMA guide who is there to escort you through each location via a series of 30-60 second video clips.

Each tour features vivid 360° imagery that allows the user to pan left-to-right, as well as up-and-down, resulting in a truly immersive experience.

Throughout the tour, be on the lookout for a series of buttons known as “hotspots,” which contain additional information in the form of photos, videos, or text.

Much of the content highlighted in hotspots are things a user could not see on an in-person tour due to safety concerns or logistics, such as the boiler fire at the Lancaster WTE Facility or the loading tunnel at the Transfer Station Complex.

Discover how LCSWMA turns your waste into a resource that powers the equivalent of 1 in 5 Lancaster County homes by taking a virtual tour today.