Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority aims to install disc golf course in spring

This article was funded by LebTown donors as part of our Civic Impact Reporting Project.

Disc golf players, tee up: This spring, the Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority will launch an 18-hole course for beginners and intermediate players beside the landfill’s Union Canal walking trail.

“We want to give something back to the community,” GLRA engineering manager Jim Zendek said at a recent meeting of the authority board. “We have plenty of space and see this as an attempt to address the recreation wants and needs of the county.”

GLRA owns 500 acres, with about 100 acres currently devoted to the Schilling and Heilmandale landfills.

Initially, GLRA had envisioned a pro-level course with nine holes, but conversations with representatives of the Lebanon Valley Disc Golf Club convinced the authority to shift from attracting professional competitors to beginners and intermediate players, Zendek told the board.

“No official opening for play date has been set at this point,” said Zendek in an email, although GLRA will likely physically construct the course in April.

Besides changing the target players, GLRA also upped the course from nine to 18 holes. The extra baskets and pads will be paid for by delaying a planned upgrade of one of GLRA’s parking lots, Zendek said.

Because the course will be located outside GLRA’s perimeter fence, players can access it every day from dawn to dusk. Once complete, the course will be added to the U-disc app so people can easily find and rate the course, Zendek said.

“Other landfills have done this and have had positive experiences,” he said. “Essentially it is a low-cost public relations boost.”

The board also learned that GLRA plans to provide DEP with recalculated closure/post closure care costs as part of its annual update of its 1109 Trust. Landfills are required to have a trust that can cover all costs involved in closing a landfill and continuing to conduct water testing and gas well testing.

“Our goal is to obtain DEP concurrence with a lower cost calculation while still maintaining adequate funds to meet future closure/post closure obligations,” GLRA executive director Skip Garner said in his report to the board.

In a study of 10 sister landfills’ estimated closure/post closure care costs, GLRA determined it was basically overcontributing to its fund, Garner said. The lower-cost calculation drops the fund $10 million to $32 million.

The board approved a motion to forego contributing to the authority’s 1109 Trust in 2026.

Garner provided the board with the following information:

• GLRA will participate in sponsoring the Pick Up Pennsylvania program by providing free waste disposal of two tons to any group registered with the Keep Pennsylvania Beautiful campaign.
• Revenues from tipping fees for February exceeded budget by 3.4%.
• GLRA received 8,932 tons of waste in February. This is 274 tons more than what was received in February 2025.

Amy Mazzella di Bosco, GLRA recycling coordinator, reported the landfill had received a $75,000 grant for its battery recycling education campaign for 2025-26 as well as a $75,000 grant for its household hazardous waste education campaign for 2026-27.  Additionally, DEP reimbursed GLRA $82,575 for 50% of the recycling coordinator’s salary, benefits and expenses for 2025.

The board of the Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority meets at 1800 Russell Road. The next meeting will be 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 7. These meetings are open to the public and do not require registration.