18990_Authority_Feb_2026

The York County Solid Waste Authority (YCSWA) was created in 1971 by the York County Commissioners to facilitate responsible waste disposal for York County. Prior to building a waste-to-energy facility in 1989, YCSWA managed municipal waste by landfilling. YCSWA aims to make the disposal of garbage easy while keeping our environment top of mind. We know people want to do the right thing, so we strive to provide long-term waste management programs and infrastructures that consider waste reduction, reuse, and recycling. YCSWA has successfully managed municipal household waste for the residents of York County for over 50 years; But what about the next 50 years? YCSWA recently conducted a York County stakeholder and residential survey aimed at discerning what the community wants to see in waste management in the future. Feedback from the survey results have been compiled internally at YCSWA and will help guide the future of waste management practices. It is the mission of YCSWA to nurture and maintain a positive relationship with the community in which it operates and serves. We want to “Be the Change” our residents and customers want to see! In order to make the survey easy to access, YCSWA developed the domain, www.talktrashtous.com . This URL was used only to gather survey results. YCSWA used a multi-faceted outreach approach to promote the survey and garner as many responses as possible. Social media posts, a website announcement, electronic newsletters, and billboards were primarily used to promote the survey and direct people to the www.talktrashtous website. We know that the vast majority of people receive information digitally and they also find giving digital feedback most convenient. Therefore, our campaign relied heavily on digital media. Social media messages were posted monthly to convey to the public the importance of YCSWA knowing what the community and stakeholders prefer where trash management is concerned. A YCSWA website announcement for the survey was created for the homepage. It was placed in the top quarter of the page so it was one of the first things visitors to the site would see. Digital newsletters were distributed which highlighted the www.talktrashtous.com website and the significance of YCSWA receiving good feedback. Finally, eye-catching billboards were used throughout York County to announce the survey and lead people to the website. The survey was administered from March 2024 through December 2024. Results of these surveys indicate support for YCSWA’s current operations and a desire to continue minimizing reliance on landfills for solid waste disposal. It was encouraging to discover this information as YCSWA is committed to doing what we can to keep waste disposal as environmentally safe as possible. S Y ork C ounty S olid W aste A uthority By Jennifer Cristofolletti, Community Services Division Manager, York County Solid Waste Authority