Due to severe weather conditions, all Penn Waste operations will be operating on a two-hour delay on Wednesday to ensure the safety of our dedicated team members.
Furthermore, as a result of the closure on Tuesday caused by inclement weather, our collection schedule for the remainder of this week will experience a one-day delay. Please note the following adjustments:
Tuesday customers will now be serviced on Wednesday
Wednesday customers will now be serviced on Thursday
Subsequent days will follow suit, with collection extending until Saturday
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. At Penn Waste, the well-being our dedicated crews is our utmost priority.
We appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time.
Tony Santiago, who has been at Penn Waste seven years, was hired as a driver while he was still attending York County School of Technology to be a diesel mechanic. Today, he takes pride in his work and the life the job has provided him.
Tony Santiago is a second-shift leader at Penn Waste and oversees repairs, inspections, safety checks, and training of new staff. (Photo by Orendorff Studios for Our York Media)
While most people imagine truck bays to be greasy, dusty, and dirty places, Tony Santiago knows that’s not the case at the repair garage at Penn Waste in East Manchester Township. Every day, he prides himself in ensuring his toolbox shines and the floor is spotless.
Tony was hired by the company more than seven years ago as a truck driver. He spent six months behind the wheel, learning how the vehicles work and what the job entails each day.
His real goal, though, was to fix the vehicles when they broke down. When he finished his education as a diesel mechanic at York County School of Technology, Penn Waste pulled him off the route and put him in the garage. He’s been there ever since.
Through the years, Tony Santiago’s built relationships with his crew at Penn Waste. “I’m blessed being here,” he says. (Photo by Orendorff Studios for Our York Media)
‘Proud of my career’
Today, Tony is the second-shift leader and oversees repairs, inspections, safety checks, and training of new staff.
He sees a lot of young mechanics coming up through the ranks as he did years ago. They’re curious. They want to grow. And Tony wants to help them.
“I enjoy sharing my passions with others who want to do good work,” he says. “I feel like I accomplish something when I can train someone to do something on their own. It’s rewarding to see someone succeed.”
For Tony, he finds reassurance that his job is secure.
“Everyone has trash,” he says, laughing. He feels respected by the company; he knows he’s valued.
Through the years, he’s also built relationships with his crew. Someone might come over and help him with a project at his house, or if he ever needed anything, he knows he has people he can call.
“I’m blessed being here,” Tony says. “I’m proud of my career. I feel I’ve accomplished a lot.”
Work with Penn Waste
Penn Waste, a Waste Connections company, is an Affirmative Action / Equal Opportunity Employer (Minorities/Female/Disabled Veterans). Its jobs offer an outstanding working environment, including a great atmosphere with extensive on-the-job training and top-notch equipment. The company offers opportunities for career growth as well as a competitive compensation package with attractive benefits.
Larry Sanderson was in a temp job, living in a rough neighborhood, and unable to afford a car before he found a job — and purpose — at Penn Waste eight years ago.
Larry Sanderson says he’s grateful for the better life he’s found through a consistent paycheck, health benefits, and the assurance of a retirement plan. (Photo by Orendorff Studios for Our York Media)
Larry Sanderson “wasn’t in the best life situation.” He worked a temp job at a printing company, lived in a neighborhood that struggled with crime, and couldn’t afford a car.
He saw Penn Waste was hiring a full-time sorter and thought it might be his opportunity to change his life.
Eight years later, he feels like he’s a different person.
Finding growth
That job let to numerous promotions, from sorter to control room technician to being a lead person, where he assists the management team by monitoring machines and ensuring work is completed each day.
“This is the type of industry where it’s the small things that matter,” Larry says. “I have to pay attention to the sounds or visuals on a machine because if something goes down, it’s a big deal. I really pride myself on the attention to detail.”
“I didn’t just find a job here; I found peace of mind,” says Larry Sanderson of Penn Waste. “The impact I see in my personal life was the best thing that could have happened to me.” (Photo by Orendorff Studios for Our York Media)
Larry goes home at the end of each day tired, but knowing he has a job to return to tomorrow helps him rest easy.
While he’s grown personally since he started at Penn Waste — eventually moving to a different neighborhood and buying a car, among other things — he also feels a responsibility to educate people on recycling.
“A lot of people complain about the climate and global warming, but every day when I clock in, I make a difference,” he says. “We help the environment every day by what we do.”
‘I found peace of mind’
Larry admits that life is good these days. But, he says, he’s not done growing.
He’s working hard to earn his next promotion as shift supervisor. And he is grateful for the better life he’s found through a consistent paycheck, health benefits, and the assurance of a retirement plan.
“I didn’t just find a job here; I found peace of mind,” Larry says. “The impact I see in my personal life was the best thing that could have happened to me.”
Due to poor road conditions, all Penn Waste routes (with the exception of City of Lancaster) are being canceled for today, Monday, January 17th. We will be operating on a holiday schedule the rest of this week. All Monday customers will be collected on Tuesday and so forth. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause you but the safety of our employees is our top priority.
Cold, winter weather is here which brings a new set of challenges & safety concerns for our team members. To ensure your trash & recycling gets collected, please keep the following in mind when placing your items curbside.
Dark trash bags are easier for our employees to see. White trash bags blend in with the snow. If you have a darker colored trash bag that you could use or a trash can that you can place your bag in, it will make it easier for our employees to see ensuring that your trash gets collected.
Check for schedule changes. When there are service interruptions that effect the majority of our customers, we will post updates on social media, our website, and send out email blasts.
Know when to place your bins at the curb. Customers should refrain from placing bins at the curb before snowfall or while snowing to avoid the possibility of bins either getting buried or knocked over.
Cover the openings of bins. Customers should cover the openings of their bins so that snow doesn’t add unnecessary weight. Open bins filled with snow and waste or recyclables could injure collection workers.
Shovel out spaces for bins and shovel out buried bins / bulk items. To make for easy, quick and safe collection, customers should shovel out spaces for their bins, shovel them out if they get buried in snow, and shovel out any bulk items that freeze to the ground.
Pick up bins that have been knocked over. If bins happen to get knocked over by snowplows, customers should pick them up and place them back at the curb.
Safety is our number one priority. If you have children who are playing in the snow, please be mindful of them playing close to the streets as visibility may be impaired due to weather conditions.
Slow Down Before You Go Around. If you are behind a trash or recycling truck, please make sure you slow down before you go around. Check for traffic coming in the opposite direction before going around the truck and make sure you look for our employees before trying to pass.
Thank you for working with us to help keep our employees safe!
