Recology
Encyclopedia
Recology, Inc.is an integrated resource recovery
company headquartered in San Francisco, California
. The company collects and processes municipal solid waste, reclaiming useful materials that would have otherwise been buried in a landfill. The company also runs transfer stations, materials recovery facilities (MRFs), and a small number of landfills. Recology is the largest organics compost
facility operator by volume in the United States.
Recology is responsible for the highest landfill diversion rate in the country, which it achieves through collaboration with the City of San Francisco
, which created a Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance
.
In April 2009, Recology, formerly known as Norcal Waste Systems, Inc., changed its name to reflect its culture and values, and the activities in which it was already heavily invested. The name Recology is a combination of the words "recycle" and "ecology".
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 2002 the company employed approximately 2,100 people, with revenues of $351 million. The company is 100% employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Recology is the largest ESOP in the industry.
ing program in the United States, piloted in 1996.
. WASTE ZERO their rallying cry to "make the best and highest use of all resources that are manufactured, consumed, discarded and re-manufactured."
The company created one of the first household hazardous waste drop-off facilities and collection programs in California as part of municipal solid waste with the City and County of San Francisco.
It was the first, and until recently, only Artist in Residence
program in the United States.
Among the program's alumni is Nathaniel Stookey
, who composed Junkestra, a classical music
composer composition for thirty instruments made out of the company's refuse.
Recology has expanded the program to enable materials recovery work by artists in Portland
, Oregon
, through the Pacific Northwest Art Program (PNAP). The program sponsors professional artists for six months and gives them access to the transfer station, where they create art to raise awareness about overconsumption and natural resource depletion.
, guilds of "scavengers" recovered material from the rubble to reuse or resell it. In 1921 the San Francisco began to regulate refuse collecting, forming the city-chartered Scavenger's Protective Association and Sunset Scavenger Company. After a series of changes in the industry beginning around 1965, the companies expanded their services and changed their names. In order to continue to provide valuable services to the city, the companies went through a series of consolidations and in 1983 became Norcal Waste Systems.
The 1980s were a turbulent economic time for most companies working in the industry. Expenses associated with the employee stock ownership plan, and a series of acquisitions of smaller companies lead to financial difficulties in the early 1980s. Since that time, the company has made a notable turn-around, and is now economically solvent.
Resource recovery
Resource recovery is the selective extraction of disposed materials for a specific next use, such as recycling, composting or energy generation. The aim of the resource recovery is to extract the maximum practical benefits from products, delay the consumption of virgin natural resources, and to...
company headquartered in San Francisco, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
. The company collects and processes municipal solid waste, reclaiming useful materials that would have otherwise been buried in a landfill. The company also runs transfer stations, materials recovery facilities (MRFs), and a small number of landfills. Recology is the largest organics compost
Compost
Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At its most essential, the process of composting requires simply piling up waste outdoors and waiting for the materials to break down from anywhere...
facility operator by volume in the United States.
Recology is responsible for the highest landfill diversion rate in the country, which it achieves through collaboration with the City of San Francisco
City of San Francisco
The City of San Francisco was a streamlined passenger train operated jointly by the Chicago and North Western Railway, the Southern Pacific Railroad, and the Union Pacific Railroad...
, which created a Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance
San Francisco Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance
The San Francisco Mandatory Recycling and Composting Ordinance is a local municipal ordinance requiring all persons located in San Francisco to separate their recyclables, compostables and landfilled trash and to participate in recycling and composting programs...
.
In April 2009, Recology, formerly known as Norcal Waste Systems, Inc., changed its name to reflect its culture and values, and the activities in which it was already heavily invested. The name Recology is a combination of the words "recycle" and "ecology".
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. For example, at one time, the company explored the possibility of converting pet waste into methane gas. The company has advanced the conversion of organics into biogas to generate electricity.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 2002 the company employed approximately 2,100 people, with revenues of $351 million. The company is 100% employee-owned through an Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP). Recology is the largest ESOP in the industry.
Resource Recovery
Recology is the pioneer in resource recovery, having successfully created, launched, and expanded many of the first resource recovery programs in the U.S.Compost
Recology implemented the first curbside compostCompost
Compost is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment. Compost is a key ingredient in organic farming. At its most essential, the process of composting requires simply piling up waste outdoors and waiting for the materials to break down from anywhere...
ing program in the United States, piloted in 1996.
Anaerobic Digestion
Recology launched the first project to anaerobically digest source separated food scraps to create electricity in the United States, beginning in 2004.WASTE ZERO
As Recology, the company has embraced "WASTE ZERO" as their approach to resource recoveryResource recovery
Resource recovery is the selective extraction of disposed materials for a specific next use, such as recycling, composting or energy generation. The aim of the resource recovery is to extract the maximum practical benefits from products, delay the consumption of virgin natural resources, and to...
. WASTE ZERO their rallying cry to "make the best and highest use of all resources that are manufactured, consumed, discarded and re-manufactured."
The company created one of the first household hazardous waste drop-off facilities and collection programs in California as part of municipal solid waste with the City and County of San Francisco.
Recycling
The company began using the first split-body trucks for efficient recycling and garbage collection in 1999, designing and building the first large scale transfer station in the industry, which opened in November 1970.Making Art from "Garbage"
Recology also created the world renowned 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 until recently, only Artist in Residence
Artist in residence
Artist-in-residence programs and other residency opportunities allow visiting artists to stay and work so that they may apply singular focus to their art practice....
program in the United States.
Among the program's alumni is Nathaniel Stookey
Nathaniel Stookey
Nathaniel Stookey is an American classical music composer. He is the youngest composer ever commissioned for the San Francisco Symphony's New and Unusual Music Series...
, who composed Junkestra, a classical music
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
composer composition for thirty instruments made out of the company's refuse.
Recology has expanded the program to enable materials recovery work by artists in Portland
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, through the Pacific Northwest Art Program (PNAP). The program sponsors professional artists for six months and gives them access to the transfer station, where they create art to raise awareness about overconsumption and natural resource depletion.
History
The company's predecessors date back to the turn of the 20th century. After the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 was a major earthquake that struck San Francisco, California, and the coast of Northern California at 5:12 a.m. on Wednesday, April 18, 1906. The most widely accepted estimate for the magnitude of the earthquake is a moment magnitude of 7.9; however, other...
, guilds of "scavengers" recovered material from the rubble to reuse or resell it. In 1921 the San Francisco began to regulate refuse collecting, forming the city-chartered Scavenger's Protective Association and Sunset Scavenger Company. After a series of changes in the industry beginning around 1965, the companies expanded their services and changed their names. In order to continue to provide valuable services to the city, the companies went through a series of consolidations and in 1983 became Norcal Waste Systems.
The 1980s were a turbulent economic time for most companies working in the industry. Expenses associated with the employee stock ownership plan, and a series of acquisitions of smaller companies lead to financial difficulties in the early 1980s. Since that time, the company has made a notable turn-around, and is now economically solvent.
External links
- recology.com
- businesswire.com - Recology Redefines the Waste Industry For Good
- Recology Blog
- Recology Media Site