Recology

Description

Recology promotes recycling, composting, and other waste-reduction programs to minimize the amount of materials sent to landfills. The company has explored technologies to facilitate landfill diversion and developed programs to transform landfill-bound materials into their next best and highest use, including bulky item collection and donations, food scrap collection programs, and anaerobic digestion facilities.

The company has advanced the conversion of organics into biogas to generate electricity. Recology Hay Road uses gas captured from the landfill to power an engine that converts it to electricity, producing 1.6 megawatts of electricity continuously, which is enough to power up to 1,600 homes.

Just south of San Francisco, Recology brings solid and residential waste from Recology San Mateo County to the Shoreway Environmental Center, a large, multi-purpose recycling center and Materials Recovery Facility that is operated by South Bay Recycling, a joint venture between Recology and Potential Industries.

In early 2009, after an investigation, the company obtained a court order against various organized illegal "poachers" who were raiding curbside recycling containers to sell the contents for scrap.

As of 2015, the company employed approximately 3,000 employees, with revenues of approx $800 million. The company is 100% employee-owned through an employee stock ownership plan (ESOP). Recology is the largest ESOP in the industry.

History

The company has a long history in the Bay Area, and holds a no-bid contract for garbage collection in San Francisco. In 1932, the city granted a permanent concession to the city's 97 independent garbage collectors; shortly thereafter those 97 independents banded together to form the company that would become Norcal Waste Systems. Since that time, the company has held a permanent no-bid, no-franchise-fee contract to collect the city's garbage and recyclables. The company works closely with SF Environment to achieve the City's diversion and sustainability goals.

Organics recycling

Recology is the first company in the United States to implement a citywide curbside composting program. Through composting and landfill diversion, Recology helps offset the harmful effects of CO2 emissions. Today, Recology compost is used by growers across California, Oregon, and Washington, including over 200 vineyards in Napa and Sonoma.

Community

In an effort to increase landfill diversion and decrease refuse tonnages, Recology companies provide environmental outreach programs within the communities it serves. Such programs include informational and hands-on educational presentations and resources, as well as community clean-up programs to help customers understand and participate in collection and recycling services. Recology also partners with schools, community groups, and non-profit organizations.

Employee ownership

Recology is a 100% employee-owned corporation through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). As an ESOP, minority and/or women employees own more than 56% of the value of Recology. No individual owns more than 0.4% of the value of Recology. The ESOP was formed effective October 1, 1985.

Artist-in-residence program

Recology also created an artist-in-residence program in 1990, allowing local artists to use materials found in its materials recovery and processing facilities to create art. It was the first and for a long period only such program in the United States.

Among the program's alumni is Nathaniel Stookey, who composed Junkestra, a classical music composition for thirty instruments made out of the company's refuse. Another alum, Terry Berlier, now sits on the board of the program.

Recology has expanded the program to enable materials recovery work by artists in Portland, Oregon, through the Pacific Northwest Art Program (PNAP), now called GLEAN. The program sponsors professional artists for six months and gives them access to the transfer station, where they create art to raise awareness about over consumption and natural resource depletion.

Challenge of San Francisco franchise

In 2012, citizens of San Francisco sought to end Recology's monopoly on waste collection through a city-wide referendum. Residents Tony Kelly and retired Judge Quentin Kopp collected enough signatures to put Proposition A on the city's ballot. Proposition A sought to break up the city's current waste collection arrangement into 5 separate competitive bid contracts. Recology spent close to $1.5M on the referendum campaign, seeking to defeat the measure. Proponents of Prop A spent approximately $55,000. The measure was soundly defeated, with 77% of the vote going against Prop A.