Upon the passage of the Pennsylvania Solid Waste Management Act in 1968, none of the existing municipal dumps throughout the Northern Tier of the Pennsylvania could meet the stringent permit requirements. These dumps dotted our beautiful rural countryside and were quickly becoming nuisances to municipalities. In October of 1973, County Commissioners of Bradford, Sullivan and Tioga Counties passed resolutions to enter into an agreement for the purpose of forming the first multi-county solid waste authority in Pennsylvania. The Northern Tier Solid Waste Authority (NTSWA) was incorporated on December 4, 1973.

The Board of Directors, three from each participating county, and Executive Director are solely responsible for conducting the day-to-day operations, future planning, and fulfilling the requirements outlined in the NTSWA Solid Waste Management Plan. These actions are in compliance with all governmental and Department of Environmental Protection Regulations.

The NTSWA has come a long was since 1973, due to careful management and guidance. NTSWA carries no long term debts as many modern waste disposal systems in do. Some of the most recent efforts of the Board of Directors has been the assurance of future wastes coming to our facilities and programs. Waste flow control issues have been at the forefront of Board discussions and future planning. Waste flow control, which guaranteed that disposal facilities would receive wastes from designated areas through ordinance, was determined to be unconstitutional in 1994. Since then, waste management systems throughout the United States, especially those operated by local governments, have been faced with keeping their waste management facilities viable. NTSWA is no different.

Above all, NTSWA prides itself for the excellence of our integrated solid waste management system and the efforts of its employees and Board Members.