CARLISLE, Pa. — A 30-year program in Cumberland County is coming to an end.
The Cumberland County Board of Commissioners announced that the county's Yard Waste Processing Equipment Sharing program will officially end on June 30, 2024.
The program provided county-owned yard waste recycling equipment to 12 municipal partners to grind limbs, brush, leaves and other natural waste into mulch and compost for the past thirty years.
The program came under scrutiny in January when one of the program's horizontal grinders caught fire, resulting in an insurance claim, according to officials with Cumberland County. As a result, the county’s liability insurance for the program was not renewed by its carrier due to risks associated with the use of the yard waste recycling equipment when it is outside the care and control of the county.
The county reportedly solicited quotes from other insurance carriers but was unable to find a carrier that would insure the county for this type of program.
“The county recognizes the value of this program to our municipal partners and residents. Eliminating this program is not a cost-saving measure, but a liability issue,” said Cumberland County Commissioner Kelly Neiderer. “We are discontinuing the program because the county can no longer own and share yard waste equipment effective July 1, 2024, due to county’s inability to attain proper liability insurance coverage.”
The county's Recycling and Waste Department, which runs the program, has reportedly received proposals from four municipalities that want to work together and is looking to receive additional proposals.
The Board of Commissioners will make a final decision on equipment disposition by the end of 2024.
“The county has offered to assist in researching alternatives with municipalities such as municipal ownership and sharing arrangements, private sector programs, or working with private entities to rent equipment,” said Planning Director Kirk Stoner.
The Yard Waste Processing Equipment Sharing Program, the only one in the state, was created in response to Act 101 of 1988 which requires municipalities of a certain population level to adopt residential and commercial recycling programs, including the recycling of leaf waste.
Cumberland County initiated the program in 1994 to assist municipalities to cost-effectively comply with the act.
