History - Enterprise and Reinvention
A Proud Tradition of Service
They came to San Francisco from Italy in the late 19th century and took up the trade of scavenger. At that time, scavenging in San Francisco was a disorderly and inefficient business. Hundreds of independent collectors competed wherever business seemed best. The 1906 earthquake and fire temporarily improved business, but did little to bring order to the chaos of garbage collection.
Following the quake, however, several loose confederations began to form which brought a semblance of organization to the scavenger trade in San Francisco. By the early 1920's, two major refuse companies had emerged: Scavenger's Protective Association and Sunset Scavenger Company. In 1921, San Francisco began regulating scavenger service, and by the mid-1930's was setting rates and requiring permits for operation. Scavenger's Protective Association and Sunset Scavenger Company were given exclusive refuse collection licenses for the city - licenses still held today.
While Scavenger's Protective Association - the future Golden Gate Disposal Company - collected refuse in San Francisco's financial district and surrounding neighborhoods, Sunset Scavenger Company concentrated in the outlying residential districts. Golden Gate's expertise would develop more in commercial and densely built residential areas while Sunset would specialize in neighborhood residential collection. Both enterprises expanded as California grew. Always, customer service remained a top priority.
In 1935, the city's two collection companies formed Sanitary Fill Company (today known as SF Recycling & Disposal, Inc.), the first of a number of specialized subsidiaries that the companies would own jointly. Sanitary Fill Company's charter was to develop disposal capacity for the increasingly large amount of refuse that was overwhelming San Francisco.
Throughout the 1940's and 1950's, both San Francisco collection companies grew and expanded their services to keep pace with the city's growth. In 1965, as part of a modernization program, Scavenger's Protective Association changed its name to Golden Gate Disposal Company and in 1974 moved to new headquarters on Seventh Street in San Francisco. Sunset continued to operate from a site near the San Francisco/San Mateo County line, an area which had previously been a landfill.
Between 1973 and 1982, affiliated collection companies were acquired by both companies to develop techniques in specialized fields of waste management. In 1983, in recognition of its expanding horizons, Golden Gate Disposal Company was reorganized as Norcal Solid Waste Systems just as Sunset had become Envirocal in 1973.
In 1986, Norcal was sold to its 570 employees and their Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP) to assure Norcal's independence and the continuation of a more than six decade tradition of employee ownership. Envirocal, too, began exploring the possibility of creating an ESOP. Before that occurred, in 1987, Norcal closed an historic loop by purchasing Envirocal. With the merger, Norcal became one of the nation's ten largest 100 percent employee-owned companies and one with a substantial minority representation among its shareholders.
In the early 1990s, Norcal streamlined operations, changes that strengthened the corporation's position in the market, and enhanced its reputation as an aggressive and intelligent business. Norcal offers all facets of solid waste management including collection, recycling, transfer and landfill operations. Norcal pioneered recycling five generations ago and recycled up to 50 percent of the waste stream long before recycling became fashionable -- or mandated by law.
Today, Norcal Waste Systems, Inc. looks forward to continuing and expanding a history of care, service, and commitment in waste management. Customer service remains our top priority.