Municipal Support
Annual County Recycling Report
Each municipality's recycling report is due to Westmoreland Cleanways by February 24, 2012.
2011 Municipal Report Form - must be completed by EACH municipality, regardless of whether any data is collected. Submit to County Coordinator by end of February.
4500-FM-SW0011 – for use by Commercial, Municipal or Institutional Establishments. Submit to municipality where facility is located by February 1.
4500-FM-SW0012 - For Transporters and Other Collection Companies; Waste and/or Recycling Hauler; Document Destruction Company; Other Company Transporting Recyclables Generated in PA. Submit to municipality where facility is located by February 1.
4500-FM-SW0013 - For a Waste and/or Recycling Hauler; Document Destruction Company; Other Company Transporting Recyclables Generated in PA; Retail establishment with multiple store locations. Submit to County Coordinator by end of February.
DEP News Updates
Staff shifts and changes at the DEP Waste Minimization and Recycling office have resulted in a slow-down of news from Harrisburg. No one is quite sure who is responsible for what, or who to ask what questions. Some items that we do know:
- 1. 2011 Annual County Recycling Reports are due as always (see above)
- 2. Newly mandated municipalities (those that achieved a population =>5,000 as of the 2010 Census) must begin implementing their mandatory recycling programs. These include municipal ordinances, residential curbside recycling, a commercial recycling ordinance, education, and enforcement. Westmoreland Cleanways is available to support any newly mandated municipality, or any other municipality wishing to improve an existing program.
- 3. 902 Grants (equipment), when announced, will most likely be restricted to newly mandated municipalities, or they will at least be given preference until available funding is used up.
- 4. CDRA of 2010: The Covered Devices Recycling Act goes into effect in January of 2013. At that time, all covered devices (computers and peripherals, televisions) will be banned from landfill disposal. All manufacturers of covered devices must provide the DEP with a list of their products sold in Pennsylvania; retailers CANNOT sell covered devices unless they are registered with the DEP; and, manufacturers of covered devices must provide resources for recycling unwanted units at no charge to the consumer. At a minimum, retailers must provide consumers with a list of available electronics recyclers; they may also partner with manufacturers to sponsor consumer take-back programs. This only applies to "consumer" electronics. Businesses and institutions are not covered under the "at no charge to consumers" provision of the Act; therefore, expect to continue to pay a disposal fee for electronic waste.
Certain "home-based" computer shops are exempt from the DEP registration requirement, but must abide by the landfill ban. Westmoreland Cleanways hopes to have recycling options available to address the needs of county businesses in the coming months. Contact Westmoreland Cleanways for clarification of which business can be considered "home-based."
Westmoreland County Recycling Coordinator
Westmoreland Cleanways serves as the designated county recycling coordinator through an agreement with Westmoreland County Commissioners. Westmoreland Cleanways’ four core program areas include:
1. Recycling (public, community-based recycling activities)
2. Recycling Coordinator Activities (technical assistance to municipalities)
3. Illegal Dumping and Litter Abatement
4. Education (school and youth programs, public presentations and displays, multimedia outreach)
Technical Assistance Available:
Recycling Laws
Act 101 of 1988
Act 101 Requirements
Act 140 of 2006
Act 140 Requirements
“Building Financially Sustainable Recycling Programs: A Technical Report for Pennsylvania Local Governments”
- Prepared on behalf of the PA DEP by R. W. Beck, April 2005
“Reporting Recycling – Back to the Basics”
- Prepared by the PA DEP, 2010
Illegal Dumping/Littering*
TRAP Program (Tire Recovery Assistance Program): Assist municipalities with financial assistance to dispose of illegally dumped tires collected along municipal roadways (as funding allows).
Road Adoption Program: In conjunction with PA CleanWays’ Road Adoption Program; provide local assistance to individuals or groups wishing to clean up local municipal roads, parks, waterways, or other public spaces.
Illegal Dumping: Supports residents who wish to clean up illegal dumpsites by pulling together community resources for supplies, hauling, disposal, and other needs as the project may require.
Special Collection Events*
Household Hazardous Waste Collection (HHW): Municipal sponsorship allows municipal residents to dispose of HHW at no cost.
Hard-to-Recycle Stuff Collections: Community collections for tires, batteries, scrap metal, Freon appliances, electronics, at no cost to the municipality.
*Provisions of Act 140 require municipalities to facilitate projects for illegal dumping/littering and special waste disposal, or to support a private sector organization that does.
