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Recology Releases 2019 Sustainability Report
The report details Recology's efforts to improve material recovery and minimize operational impacts to the environment.
2 Min Read
Jamie Kinney/Recology
San Francisco-based Recology has announced the release of its 2019 Sustainability Report, showcasing the company’s commitments to fostering sustainable and equitable communities. The report details Recology's efforts to improve material recovery and minimize operational impacts to the environment and provides insight into initiatives that support more than 140 communities where Recology operates.
“We pride ourselves on a long history of partnering with communities to recover resources [and] reduce waste sent to landfill,” said Mike Sangiacomo, president and CEO of Recology, in a statement. “Recology strives to maximize environmental sustainability throughout our operations—investing in renewable fuels, innovative processing technologies and advanced water recycling and emission management systems.”
Recology, the largest 100 percent employee-owned company in the resource recovery industry, provides recycling, compost and garbage collection and processing services on the West Coast. The company continues to champion a recovery-first business model, seeking to help communities move beyond waste.
“Recology stands at the forefront of the resource recovery industry, creating innovative programs and partnerships to address some of the greatest environmental challenges of our time,” said Sangiacomo in a statement. “Our efforts could not come at a more critical moment, as climate impacts and an alarming—and growing—concentration of plastic waste in our streams and oceans threaten the integrity of our ecosystems. Only together can we achieve a more sustainable future.”
In addition to reporting on environmental performance and initiatives, the Sustainability Report describes the company’s robust volunteer program that contributed more than 2,000 volunteer hours in 2018 to improve local schools, parks and community centers. It also provides insight into a culture of community engagement at Recology, showcasing the more than 60 employee owners holding leadership positions on local chambers of commerce, school districts and economic development councils and other community organizations.
Notable Sustainability Report highlights include:
In 2018, Recology sorted and marketed more than 1.2 billion pounds of recyclables and processed more than 1.6 billion pounds of organic material (food scraps and yard trimmings) into nutrient-rich compost and mulch products.
Recology is committed to transitioning away from conventional fossil fuels. After estimates that 50 percent of the current fleet is powered by renewable or alternative energy sources in 2018, Recology has committed to achieve 90 percent by 2022.
The company debuted two first of their kind in the United States, 100 percent electric rear-load collection vehicles in Seattle. These electric trucks add to a growing electric fleet that now includes 15 collection and support vehicles.
More than 41,000 megawatt hours of renewable energy was generated at company facilities—from both gas-to-energy engines and solar energy, including the largest privately held solar array in San Francisco.
67 percent of the company’s California-based electricity was provided through independent community choice energy partners that provide low-emission energy alternatives.
Recology hosted 22 local artists through Artist in Residence Programs in California, Oregon and Washington.
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