Waste Management

York County Residents:
Bring your Mercury and other Household Hazardous Waste to the
YORK COUNTY SOLID WASTE AUTHORITY’S
Household Hazardous Waste Collection Program

(Held annually in October)
York County Solid Waste and Refuse Authority
2700 Blackbridge Road
845-1066

York County Residents: Safely manage household hazardous waste by bringing it to the collection program at the York Conty Solid Waste and Refuse Authority. There is no fee to participate in this program.

Household hazardous waste includes any products from the home, which are corrosive (drain cleaners or bleach), flammable (gasoline), reactive (chemistry kits) or toxic (pesticides). The program benefits York County by identifying hazardous wastes found in the home and providing an opportunity to manage these materials in a safe and efficient manner. All York County homeowners or residential tenants are eligible to bring their household hazardous waste to the collection site. Due to state regulatory requirements, commercial entities are not eligible to participate

Example of Accepted Items:
Auto products (transmission and brake fluids, antifreeze and batteries)
Driveway sealant
Fluorescent light bulbs
Gasoline and kerosene
Herbicides, pesticides and insecticides
Household batteries
Household cleaners (oven, drain, etc.)
Photographic and pool chemicals

Do Not Bring:
Paint or paint-related products: latex and oil-based paint, paint thinners, varnish and paint strippers or removers. These items can be placed in your regular garbage for pick-up. Seal the containers tightly to prevent spillage. The Resource Recovery Center uses an air pollution control system to safely process these items.

Also, No Aerosol Cans, Explosives, Ammunition,
Propane Tanks, Radioactive Waste Or Used Motor Oil

For a listing of collection sites accepting used motor oil from the public for recycling, call the Authority at 717-845-1066. For questions about how to safely dispose of other items, request the Authority’s “What Kind of Waste is Accepted at the Resource Recovery Center” brochure.

Why is Household Hazardous Waste a Potential Problem?

There are potential short and long-term consequences from the improper management of household hazardous wastes.

Improper storage or use of hazardous products in the home can increase the risk of accidental poisoning or injury.
Disposal of household hazardous wastes in ordinary refuse could injure sanitation workers. Some products are chemically incompatible, and may lead to fires in dumpsters or garbage trucks.
Pouring waste down the drain puts it directly into septic tanks or sewage treatment plants, which may not be able to filter out or properly treat hazardous materials. This can lead to the contamination of groundwater or surface waters where treatment plants discharge.

What Can You Do About Household Hazardous Waste?

Educate Yourself. Learn more about the products that you use in your home, garden and workshop, and about how waste is managed in your community.
As a York County resident, you can bring your household hazardous waste to the York County Solid Waste Authority’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Programs. They are opportunities for you to clean your home and storage areas of hazardous wastes.
Try to find non-hazardous or less hazardous substitutes. In some cases, substitutes may require a little more work, but are well worth the effort to protect the environment. A list of hazardous product alternatives is available form the Authority.
Store hazardous products in their original containers.

How Can I Participate?

All York County homeowners or residential tenants are eligible to participate in this program. Due to state regulatory requirements, commercial entities are not eligible to participate. In addition, homeowners and residential tenants who reside in a municipality that has contractually agreed to deliver waste only to the York County Resource Recovery Center may also participate. Those municipalities include Swatara Township, Highspire Borough, and McSherrystown Borough.
There is no fee to participate in the program. The Authority provides this service to York County residents as part of our integrated waste management system and a grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
After collection, a licensed hazardous waste commercial hauler, hired by the Authority, will transport the material to permitted hazardous waste disposal sites. At these sites, the materials will be recycled, neutralized, incinerated, or land-filled.

For more information, call the Authority at 717-845-1066

Your Garbage Explained at:
www.ycswa.com