Refuse Authority’s educational campaign drives recycling of batteries

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

The Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority has collected almost 20,000 pounds of single-use and rechargeable batteries since October 2022, when it began its battery recycling program.

Almost 3,700 pounds of batteries have been collected so far in 2026, said Amy Mazzella di Bosco, GLRA recycling coordinator, at the authority’s July board meeting. In 2025, about 7,500 pounds were recycled.

Di Bosco attributed the increase in recycling to a grant from the state Department of Environmental Protection for an educational campaign. GLRA was the first in Pennsylvania to receive the education grant to help pay for TV and digital streaming ads. The two-year, $75,000 grant pays 80% of the costs of advertising the program.

Both single-use and rechargeable batteries have been known to start fires in garbage trucks, landfills, and recycling centers.

To be accepted at GLRA’s electronics recycling facility, batteries must weigh less than 11 pounds, be under 300Wh, and be in clear plastic storage bags that are provided free to residents.

The board also was updated on a candidate to serve as co-counsel with longtime GLRA attorney Sam Weiss.

“It is our intent to introduce Colleen Gallo, a partner at Barley Snyder Attorneys, to the board and recommend hiring her as a co-counsel for the remainder of 2026,” said Skip Garner, GLRA executive director, in his report.

At June’s board meeting, Weiss had suggested GLRA pursue a co-counselor as he reduces his workload.

Revenue from tipping fees was up almost 9% for the month of June, Garner said. The volume of waste delivered was almost 12,300 tons.

GLRA’s new disc golf course is bringing people to the landfill. The roughly 2-mile course opened in June and, since then, more than 200 rounds have been played, said Jim Zendek, GLRA engineering manager.

“This is a beginner-friendly course — for people just starting to play disc golf,”  Zendek told the board. “It’s open from dawn to dusk and runs mostly along the Union Canal.”

Information about the course can be found on the UDisc disc golf app.

GLRA has decided to increase the number of loads of municipal incinerator ash from the Lancaster County Solid Waste Management Authority that is used daily to cover the refuse disposed at the landfill. Previously, GLRA used soil as daily cover.

In May, GLRA began applying two-three loads per day of the incinerator ash. No negative effects from the ash have been noted, Zendek said.

“This program has been working even better than we expected,” Zendek told the board. “We’ll keep it at six loads unless we see a change.”

LCSWMA pays GLRA $20 per ton to dispose of the ash.

In other business, the board learned:

• GLRA continues discussions with DEP on closure/post-closure care cost calculations. Funds are required by permit to be set aside to cover the costs of both closing the landfill and monitoring it for 30 years.
• No violations were noted during a routine site inspection by DEP in June.
• GLRA set a new record at its annual paper shredding event: More than 15,000 pounds of paper was collected for shredding. The 2025 amount was 11,320 pounds.
• The Renewable Energy Education facility was renovated and upgraded.

The board of the Greater Lebanon Refuse Authority meets at 1800 Russell Road. The next meeting will be 7 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 5. These meetings are open to the public and do not require registration.