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Solid Waste Authority
Executive Director/CEO: Joseph W. Vasuria, PE |
Location: 1521 N. Providence Road Rose Tree, PA |
Phone: 610-892-9627 |
Fax: 610-8892-9622 |
ABOUT THE DELAWARE COUNTY SOLID WASTE AUTHORITY
The Delaware County Solid Waste Authority (DCSWA) was established originally as the Delaware County Incinerator Authority in 1954. The County Commissioners at the time formed the Authority "to acquire, hold, construct, improve, maintain and operate an incinerator plant of plants for public uses…" Three incinerators were constructed in the late 1950's and operated until 1979 when they were closed. Two of the incinerators were established as Transfer Stations (Plant #1 in Chester Township and Plant #3 in Marple Township) to accept and handle approximately 500,000 tons of commercial and residential trash annually generated in the County. From the Transfer Station, the trash was trucked to various landfills outside of Delaware County.
In 1984 the Delaware County Council adopted a resolution requesting that the Delaware County Incinerator Authority acquire the Rolling Hills Landfill (formerly Colebrookdale Landfill) in Earl Township, Berks County, through a purchase of stock. The majority of all County trash had been disposed of at Rolling Hills for years prior to the proposed acquisition. The purchase of the Landfill was complete in 1985 and the name of Authority was changed to the Delaware County Solid Waste Authority.
All of the solid waste processed through the two Transfer Stations continued to be shipped to Rolling Hills until 1992 when the Chester Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) was opened. The RRF was owned and operated by the Westinghouse Corporation until April of 1997 when American Ref-Fuel assumed ownership. Today, approximately 400,000 tons of commercial and residential trash annually generated in the County is burned at the RRF with the ash residue shipped to Rolling Hills Landfill.
The reduction in the amount of trash processed at the RRF is a result of the curbside recycling programs run by the municipalities throughout the County and also the initiation of the glass recycling program run by the Solid Waste Management Division (SWMD) of the Authority. Dome-shaped containers commonly known as igloos are located in 51-service collection areas throughout the County and yield approximately 54 tons of glass per month.
22 Household Hazardous Waste Collections will be held yearly between the Counties of Delaware, Chester, Bucks Montgomery & Philadelphia to collect and dispose of harmful chemicals accumulated in the homes. The SWMD is also responsible for the operation of a leaf-composting farm located on the grounds of Transfer Station No. 1. In 1999 a total of 6,084 tons of township and borough collected leaves were processed at the facility and made available, free of charge to all County residents for use as topsoil and fertilizer. For County Recycling information please visit the Recycling Website.
The Solid Waste Authority is responsible for:
- Issuance of permits for all commercial and residential vehicles to dispose of trash at the Transfer Station;
- Monitoring of trash at the Transfer Stations and enforcement of County ordinances dealing with refuse collection, permitting, and disposal;
- Planning, developing, designing, and administering -- in cooperation with other appropriate departments and agencies of the government -- the expansion and modification of facilities for which Solid Waste is responsible;
- Advising County Council on matters pertaining to the responsibilities of the Authority;
- Providing management through inspection, coordination, and approval of payments for the transferal of trash materials;
- Obtaining and administering state funding available for the enhancement of recycling and other programs for which the Authority is responsible;
In October of 1999 the DCSWA received the Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA) Landfill Excellence Silver Award in recognition of its outstanding performance in operation, design, efficiency, and an overall integrated solid waste management system.
The members of the Authority are:
- Joseph W. Vasturia, P.E., CEO
- Nicholas F . Catania, Vice Chairman
- Thomas H. Killion, Secretary
- John E. Clark, Treasurer
- James Devenney, Asst. Treasurer
- David W. Woods, Member
- Thomas J. Judge, Member
- Michael F.X. Gillin, Esq., Solicitor
- Anthony Jos. Grosso, Asst. Secretary
The Delaware County Solid Waste Authority is located at Rose Tree Park in the Hunt Club Building and may be reached at 610-892-9620.