Last updated in 2013, the 10-Year Municipal Waste Plan will be used to chart a course for administering solid waste programs and policies, through economically and environmentally sustainable methods, for the next ten years. The Municipal Waste Management Advisory Committee has been formed to review the plan during its preparation, make suggestions and propose any changes it believes appropriate. To this end, Delaware County is expanding the role of the Advisory Committee to ensure that the plan is stakeholder-driven and represents the needs and desires of the residents and businesses in the county.

Currently, the majority of the county’s non-recycled trash (370,000 tons/year) goes to the Covanta incinerator in Chester, with an additional 30,000 tons per year going to the Rolling Hills Landfill in Berks County. The updated Municipal Waste Management Plan will guide the County’s transition from this reliance on incineration and landfills to sustainable methods of materials management using Zero Waste practices. This will maximize feasible waste reduction of municipal waste and source-separated recyclable material and ensure that the County has sufficient processing and disposal capacity for its municipal waste for the next 10 years.

This comprehensive plan will also support the development of the County’s waste and resource management goals, which will be included in the Delaware County Sustainability and Climate Action Plan.