For more than 20 years, York County Solid Waste Authority (YCSWA) has been offering the Tour Scholarship Program to local schools, paying for the cost of buses and drivers needed to take field trips to the York County Resource Recovery Center (YCRRC). In return for this scholarship, each class completes an activity or project on an aspect of solid waste management, such as recycling or litter prevention. This year, two Eastern York School District schools - Canadochly and Wrightsville elementary schools - will be participating in the program.

"YCSWA sponsors the Tour Scholarship Program for York County schools to incentivize schools to bring their students here to learn how their trash in York County is managed and eventually recycled into electricity," said Ruthanne Jones, community services specialist for YCSWA. "It's the hope of the York County Solid Waste Authority that both students and educators, as well as parent chaperones, develop a greater appreciation for trash management and discover that their household trash does not end up in a landfill but rather comes here and is recycled into electricity."

Canadochly students in grade three will be coming for the tour on Tuesday, April 4, and Wednesday, April 5. Teacher Jodi Winter will bring three classes totaling 60 students. The students' proposed project will focus on recycling projects and reports. Students from Wrightsville Elementary School will visit on Tuesday, April 18. Teacher Lesa Uffelman will bring 54 second-graders from three classes. For their project, Wrightsville students will complete an art project designed to show what they learned on the trip.

On the tour, participants will get a firsthand look at the technologically advanced facility that uses trash as alternative fuel, Jones said. Tourgoers will take a walking tour of parts of the plant, stopping at the tip floor to see garbage trucks enter and unload garbage; the turbine generator room, where electricity is made; and a mock control room, where they will learn about the technology and pollution-control measures that are in place to ensure safe operation. "All tour participants must wear a hard hat and safety glasses on the walking part of the tour," Jones remarked. "The hard hats are always a hit with the kids."

Jones said each of the 72 municipalities in York County is contractually obligated to bring household trash to the YCSWA, and no tax dollars are used to operate the facility. "All revenue is generated from tip fees and the sale of electricity," she explained. "At full capacity, this facility generates 40 megawatts of electricity every minute of every day - enough to power 20,000 homes."