Pennsylvania Statutes Title 53 P.S. Municipal and Quasi-Municipal Corporations § 4000.503. Development of municipal waste management plans

(a) Advisory committee.--Prior to preparing a plan or substantial plan revisions for submission to the department in accordance with the provisions of this act, the county shall form an advisory committee, which shall include representatives of all classes of municipalities within the county, citizen organizations, industry, the private solid waste industry operating within the county, the private recycling or scrap material processing industry operating within the county, the county recycling coordinator, if one exists, and any other persons deemed appropriate by the county.  The advisory committee shall review the plan during its preparation, make suggestions and propose any changes it believes appropriate.

(b) Written notice.--The county shall provide written notice to all municipalities within the county when plan development begins and shall provide periodic written progress reports to such municipalities concerning the preparation of the plan.

(c) Review and comment.--Prior to adoption by the governing body of the county, the county shall submit copies of the proposed plan for review and comment to the department, all municipalities within the county, all areawide planning agencies and the county health department, if one exists.  The county shall also make the proposed plan available for public review and comment.  The period for review and comment shall be 90 days. The county shall hold at least one public hearing on the proposed plan during this period.  The plan subsequently submitted to the governing body of the county for adoption shall be accompanied by a document containing written responses to comments made during the comment period.

(d) Adoption and ratification of plan.--The governing body of the county shall adopt a plan within 60 days from the end of the public comment period.  Not later than ten days following adoption of a plan by the governing body of the county, the plan shall be sent to municipalities within the county for ratification.  If a municipality does not act on the plan within 90 days of its submission to such municipality, it shall be deemed to have ratified the plan.  If more than one-half of the municipalities, representing more than one-half of the county's population as determined by the most recent decennial census by the United States Bureau of the Census, ratify the plan, then the county, within ten days of ratification, shall submit the plan to the department for approval.

(e) Statement of objections.--A municipality may not disapprove of a proposed county plan unless the municipality's resolution of disapproval contains a concise statement of its objections to the plan.  Each municipality disapproving a plan shall immediately transmit a copy of its resolution of disapproval to the county and the advisory committee.  A conditional approval shall be considered a disapproval.