The History

In the late 1980s, in response to diminishing regional landfill space, the impending closure of its own landfill, and new Pennsylvania solid waste planning requirements, Montgomery County led the successful effort to site a state-of-the-art Resource Recovery Facility (RRF) in eastern Montgomery County. (Revenues resulting from the sale of electricity generated by the RRF reduce the cost of trash disposal to users.)

As a result, 22 municipalities entered into agreements with the County and the Waste System Authority of Eastern Montgomery County (the Authority) to ensure delivery of all municipal solid waste generated within their borders to the Authority's waste system consisting of the Abington and Lower Merion transfer stations and the Resource Recovery Facility located in Plymouth Township. Each municipality adopted an ordinance to enforce this obligation.

Subsequently, similar flow control ordinances elsewhere in the United States were successfully challenged in the Federal court system and the Authority was forced to find other means to maintain waste flows to the system. In 1997 and 1998 the Authority relied on hauler contracts and commercial waste subsidies borne by residents of the participating municipalities and the Authority to help municipalities meet their waste delivery commitments.

Realizing a more equitable, long-term solution was needed, the Montgomery County Commissioners convened a Blue Ribbon Panel to study the issue. After five intensive months of work, the panel, comprised of municipal officials, waste haulers and other interests, recommended a Waste Generation Fee (WGF) System. Without the guaranteed revenue stream and waste deliveries provided by the WGF, the Blue Ribbon Panel determined that the member municipalities would be exposed to significant financial and legal risks. As a result, the Authority has adopted and the County Commissioners have endorsed a WGF system.

Initially, the Authority collected the full cost of processing non-municipally directed waste (mostly commercial) through the WGF billed to waste generators. Haulers of this waste were then permitted to deliver this waste free of charge to the system. Beginning January 1, 2001, the Authority began billing a portion of its waste processing costs to the hauler through a market-based tipping fee (MBTF). This means that less money will need to be collected from the generators through the WGF. So, while the WGF bills were reduced as a result of the supplemental market-based tipping fee charged directly to the haulers, the commercial haulers' bills to their customers increased to recover the new MBTF.

Authority Overview

The Authority is a government entity serving the waste management needs of eastern Montgomery County. The Authority is governed by a six member Board made up of municipal and county representatives who serve on a rotational basis. This Board meets monthly with the Authority's Executive Director, staff and consultants. The Board typically meets on the third Thursday of each month at 1:30 p.m. at the Authority's offices in Norristown. The meetings are advertised and open to the public.

The Executive Director oversees the day-to-day operations of the Authority, managing a team of 16 full-time employees who oversee the disposal of approximately 385,000 tons of waste per year.

What is the Waste Generation Fee?

Back to FAQs

Back to Home Page