SECCRA'S board of directors recently voted to reauthorize and expand the Community Tonnage Credit program for 2003.

Community Credits are granted to SECCRA-member municipalities for no-fee disposal of waste. Examples of how community credits have been used by municipalities in the past include: applying the credit towards their disposal bill at SECCRA, thereby saving the municipality money, funding the disposal costs for bulk item collection, and funding disposal costs for community clean-ups. One township even aided in the clean up of a local residence destroyed by fire.

For 2003, a pool of 2,000 tons of Community Credits will be issued by SECCRA, with the distribution of the credits split by population as has been done in the past. Therefore, municipalities with more residents will receive more credits than municipalities with smaller populations. These 2,000 tons of free disposal have an equivalent cash value of $98,000. This is double the amount of community credits issued for 2002. Contact SECCRA to find out how your local township or borough can use their Community Credits in 2003. In 2002, communities used approximately half of the credits issued.