Dauphin County's recycling drop-off sites to get major upgrade with $350,000 state Department of Environmental Protection grant
HARRISBURG, PA (January 8, 2020) – As more residents recycle items at Dauphin County’s eight voluntary drop-off sites throughout the county, Commissioners Jeff Haste, Mike Pries and George P. Hartwick, III and the county’s Solid Waste Management and Recycling Department Director Keith Kepler have secured a $350,000 Recycling Development and Implementation Grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection to upgrade equipment and streamline operations.
In 2018, residents dropped off a total of 2.6 million pounds of cardboard, newspapers and inserts, magazines, aluminum cans, and plastics #1, #2 and #5 for recycling at these locations.
“We’re always looking for ways to make ‘going green’ easier for everyone,’’ said Pries, who oversees the county’s Waste Management and Recycling Department. “With this grant from the state, we’re increasing the number of recycling bins and modernizing our collection efforts.”
In the next several weeks, the following drop-off centers will receive new bins:
- Conewago Township Municipal Building, 3279 Old Hershey Rd. in Elizabethtown
- Gratz Borough Community Center, 125 North Center St.
- Halifax Borough, Rt. 225, by Deppen Park
- Harrisburg City, Uptown Shopping Plaza parking lot, 7th & Division streets
- Highspire Borough, Lumber and Broad streets, behind the mini-mall
- Lykens Borough, in the Boxers Parking Lot
- Millersburg Borough, Front Street and Keystone Rd.
- Williamstown Borough/Williams Township, Williamstown Borough Municipal Building
While the bins are being replaced, residents should place all recyclables in the temporary roll-off containers at the sites.
“This program has been a critical part of our effort to curb illegal dumping across the county,” said Board of Commissioners’ Chairman Jeff Haste. “A good drop-off program can divert a portion of the municipal waste stream.”
The grant also provides funding for the conversion of the department’s two trucks that are used for collection, allowing drivers to empty the recycling bins without getting out of the vehicle.
“The equipment upgrades will make recycling collection more efficient,” said Hartwick. “Thanks to the residents, as well as DEP, for pitching in to protect this planet for future generations.”
The drop-off centers are part of the county’s recycling programs that include the Harrisburg area-based Dauphin County Recycling Center, which offers free electronics recycling and other services six days a week, and an annual free paper shred event for Earth Day in April.
For more information about the DCRC’s recycling programs, please call the center at 717-982-6772 or visit www.DauphinCounty.org.