It's a busy world out there, and sometimes people don't think about their trash after it leaves the curb," said Ruthanne Jones, community services specialist for York County Solid Waste Authority (YCSWA). "We always say, the trash goes 'away.' We are 'away'!"

Learning what happens to trash after it's thrown out is part of what students take away from the YCSWA Tour Scholarship Program.

Nine school groups totaling approximately 780 students will participate in this year's tour. Locally, students in Lesa Uffelman's second-grade class at Wrightsville Elementary and Jodi Winter's third-grade class at Canadochly Elementary School will visit the facility.

For more than 30 years, the Tour Scholarship Program has been offered by the authority to local schools to pay the costs of buses and drivers needed for classes to take field trips to the York County Resource Recovery Center (RRC) and Education Center. In return for the tour scholarship, participants complete an activity or project on an aspect of solid waste management such as recycling or litter prevention.

"The primary goal of the Tour Scholarship Program is to incentivize York County schools to visit either our Resource Recovery Center (RRC) or Hopewell Area Recreational Complex, located in Stewartstown, Pa., to tour our facilities and see firsthand how YCSWA manages the county's trash," Jones shared. "We want schools in York County, regardless of finances and field trip expenses, to be able to see what happens to their trash after it leaves their curb. There are a lot of misconceptions about trash management in York County. If we can give our youth this opportunity and educate them, hopefully they will pass on their knowledge to others."

Jones noted that students are especially impressed by the waste-to-energy plant and are fascinated by the process of turning their garbage into energy in the RRC. Tour participants get a firsthand glimpse into this process beginning with a presentation followed by a walking tour of key areas of the facility.

After the tour, students complete projects reflecting on their experience. Projects range from handwritten notes to posters, dioramas, books and video/electronic presentations.

"The variety is endless, and it is always fun to see what each school presents us," said Jones, who pointed out two projects hanging in her office. One features an image of a globe with the words "Little Hands Can Do Big Things" written on it.

Jones noted that a goal of the tour is clearing up misconceptions about both what happens to trash in York after it leaves the curb and who handles what aspects of the waste management process.

"Many think that the York County Solid Waste Authority is the company that picks up the trash," she said. "We do not own any trucks. There are separate trash hauling companies in York County that bring the trash to us at the York County Solid Waste Authority."

YCSWA facilitates solid waste management through an integrated strategy that emphasizes waste reduction, education, recycling and resource recovery.

"Along with Waste-to-Energy, the York County Solid Waste Authority offers electronics recycling, household hazardous waste recycling, Christmas tree recycling, a recycling drop-off area and a free litter disposal program, all of which allow residents an outlet in York County to safely and properly dispose of waste streams to help contribute to sustainability," Jones said.

For more information on YCSWA, visit http://www.ycswa.com.