Marin Sanitary Service
Marin Sanitary Service is a privately held waste management and recycling company headquartered in San Rafael, California, providing residential, multifamily, and commercial garbage, recycling, and organics collection services throughout Marin County.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1950
- HeadquartersSan Rafael, United States
- Headcount251–500
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Marin Sanitary Service does
Marin Sanitary Service is a privately held waste management and recycling company headquartered in San Rafael, California, serving residential, multifamily, and commercial customers across Marin County. Founded in 1948-1950 and continuously operated for over 75 years under the ownership of Joe Garbarino, the company provides curbside garbage collection, dual-stream recycling, compostables collection, document shredding, and debris box rental services. Its operations are anchored by an integrated facility network comprising the Marin Recycling Center, Marin Resource Recovery Center, and Marin Household Hazardous Waste Facility, which provide material sorting, transfer, and special waste handling capabilities supporting the collection routes.
The company's service portfolio reflects a deliberate orientation toward sustainability and regulatory alignment. Its dual-stream recycling program separates paper and fiber from containers at the source, and the Food 2 Energy program captures commercial food waste for energy conversion, addressing California's expanding organics diversion mandates. A California Green Business Network certification was obtained in 2022, providing third-party validation of sustainability practices. Customer-facing technology consists of a mobile app providing collection reminders and a recycling search tool, and the company runs educational programs for schools and community groups as part of its community positioning. Customer Appreciation Day in 2025 received regional media coverage from CBS Bay Area.
Revenue mechanics rely on subscription-based residential and commercial collection contracts within the defined Marin County franchise territory, supplemented by recurring fees from multifamily accounts and ancillary services including document shredding and debris box rentals. The company employs 251-500 staff, operates dedicated processing facilities, and has no disclosed funding rounds, outside capital, or M&A activity.
Marin Sanitary Service firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Marin Sanitary Service
- Legal name
- Marin Sanitary Service
- Website
- https://marinsanitaryservice.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1950
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 251–500 employees
- Short description
- Marin Sanitary Service is a privately held waste management and recycling company headquartered in San Rafael, California, providing residential, multifamily, and commercial garbage, recycling, and organics collection services throughout Marin County.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Marin Sanitary Service industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Solid Waste Collection Services
- NAICS
- Solid Waste Collection (562111), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Hazardous Waste Collection (562112), Waste Treatment and Disposal (56221)
- SIC
- Sanitary Services (4950), Refuse Systems (4953), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Municipal Solid Waste Collection (Residential/Commercial) (IMAIAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Residential Curbside Organics Programs (Municipal/Franchise) (BPALAEAF), Residential Junk Removal & Hauling (HSAKALAA), Waste & Litter Pickup / Internal Bin & Dock Area Cleaning (Non-haul) (BPABABAJ)
Keywords
Where Marin Sanitary Service is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- San Rafael
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices3 records
Markets served
Marin Sanitary Service business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Residential Waste Collection Services: Weekly curbside collection of garbage, recycling, and compostables for residential customers with subscription-based recurring service
- Multifamily Property Services: Waste collection services for multifamily residential properties including garbage, recycling, and compostables
- Commercial Waste Collection Services: Garbage, recycling, and compostables collection for commercial businesses including Food 2 Energy program for food waste
- Debris Box Rentals: Temporary roll-off debris box rentals for construction, renovation, and cleanup projects
- Mobile Document Shredding: On-site secure document shredding service with mobile shredding truck
- Public Dump / Resource Recovery Center: Indoor disposal facility for solid waste accepting residential and commercial customers on per-visit basis
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels8 records
Marin Sanitary Service product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Marin Sanitary Service provides curbside collection of garbage, dual-stream recycling, and compostables for residential, multifamily, and commercial customers in Marin County. The company also offers debris box rentals for projects, document shredding (mobile and at the facility), and operates the Food 2 Energy program that turns commercial food waste into renewable energy. Behind the collection routes, it runs an integrated network of drop-off and processing facilities including the Marin Resource Recovery Center (public drop-off/disposal), the Marin Household Hazardous Waste Facility, and the Marin Recycling Center.
Product overview
Marin Sanitary Service is a waste management company serving Marin County, California, with over 75 years of experience in resource conservation. The company operates as a single integrated service provider offering residential, multifamily, and commercial garbage, recycling, and compostables collection through its core collection services. The portfolio includes the Marin Sanitary Service Mobile App for customer account management and service alerts, the dual-stream residential recycling program with split carts, debris box rentals, mobile and stationary document shredding, and the Food 2 Energy commercial food waste program. The company manages three dedicated facilities: the Marin Recycling Center for material processing and shredding, the Marin Resource Recovery Center (indoor dump) for solid waste disposal, and the Marin Household Hazardous Waste Facility. Additional offerings include educational facility tours, school programs, and community events. The company also provides the online 'Where Does It Go, Joe?' waste sorting tool as a customer education resource.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Quantifiable outcome
- Food waste in landfill creates methane 84 times more potent than CO2 - composting food scraps reduces greenhouse gas emissions
Companies that use Marin Sanitary Service
Customer profileSegments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Marin Sanitary Service technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Marin Sanitary Service partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Marin Recycling CentercoreRelated processing facility operated by Marin Sanitary Service for all residential and commercial recyclable materials. Offers confidential document shredding and auto dismantling services at 535 Jacoby St, San Rafael.
- Marin Resource Recovery CentercoreIndoor dump facility providing enclosed solid waste disposal for citizens of Marin County. Located at 565 Jacoby St, San Rafael, open 6 days per week.
- Marin Household Hazardous Waste FacilitycoreSafe disposal of electronics, universal household hazardous waste, paint, pesticides, Sharps for residential and commercial customers in Marin County (excluding Novato). Located at 565 Jacoby St, San Rafael.
- CBS Bay AreaminorTelevision news coverage featuring Marin Sanitary Service's annual Customer Appreciation Day 2025 event with Recycled Orchestra, broadcast on CBS Bay Area.
Scale indicators2 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Marin Sanitary Service competitors and assessment
Company assessmentRegional players
- Athens Services: Athens Services is a Southern California-based family-owned waste and recycling company offering residential, commercial, and organics collection plus recycling and transfer services. Comparable as a regional, privately held, integrated hauler, though operating in a different California geography.
Broad incumbents
- Recology: Recology is a 100%-employee-owned Bay Area and Northern California integrated waste hauler offering residential, commercial, recycling, and organics collection. It is the closest direct comparable to Marin Sanitary Service in geography, service mix, and franchise-protected operating model, just at significantly larger scale.
- Waste Management, Inc. Waste Management is the largest U.S. integrated waste services provider, offering residential, commercial, recycling, and disposal services nationally. It sets competitive and pricing benchmarks for regional haulers like Marin Sanitary Service and operates competing transfer and landfill infrastructure in California.
- Republic Services: Republic Services is a major U.S. waste management company operating residential and commercial collection plus recycling and disposal services. It is a national incumbent that competes for larger commercial accounts in California and shapes regional pricing and service-quality expectations.
- Waste Connections: Waste Connections is a large North American solid waste services company with strong presence in the Western U.S., including California. It provides collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal services that directly overlap with Marin Sanitary Service's core residential and commercial offerings in the region.
Direct peers
- Clean Harbors: Clean Harbors is the leading North American provider of environmental and hazardous waste management services. Marin Sanitary Service's Household Hazardous Waste Facility operates in a directly comparable product category, though Clean Harbors operates at vastly larger industrial scale.
- GreenWaste Recovery: GreenWaste Recovery is a regional California-based waste and recycling hauler providing curbside collection, commercial hauling, organics processing, and C&D services. It closely mirrors Marin Sanitary Service's integrated recycling center / resource recovery facility model and competes in overlapping Bay Area and Northern California jurisdictions.
Emerging players
- Stericycle: Stericycle provides specialized waste disposal, including secure information destruction (shredding) and regulated waste services. Marin Sanitary Service's document shredding and household hazardous waste services are smaller-scale analogs, particularly relevant for the mobile shredding comparison.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Marin Sanitary Service social profiles
Digital presenceMarin Sanitary Service financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Marin Sanitary Service leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Marin Sanitary Service subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries3 records
Marin Sanitary Service funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Marin Sanitary Service M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Marin Sanitary Service
What does Marin Sanitary Service do?
Marin Sanitary Service provides curbside collection of garbage, dual-stream recycling, and compostables for residential, multifamily, and commercial customers in Marin County. The company also offers debris box rentals for projects, document shredding (mobile and at the facility), and operates the Food 2 Energy program that turns commercial food waste into renewable energy. Behind the collection routes, it runs an integrated network of drop-off and processing facilities including the Marin Resource Recovery Center (public drop-off/disposal), the Marin Household Hazardous Waste Facility, and the Marin Recycling Center.
Is Marin Sanitary Service a public or private company?
Marin Sanitary Service is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Marin Sanitary Service founded?
Marin Sanitary Service was founded in 1950. It employs 251 to 500 people.
Where is Marin Sanitary Service based?
Marin Sanitary Service is headquartered in San Rafael, United States, in the North America region.
How does Marin Sanitary Service make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Residential Waste Collection Services are the primary driver. The others are multifamily Property Services, commercial Waste Collection Services, debris Box Rentals, mobile Document Shredding and public Dump / Resource Recovery Center.
Who are Marin Sanitary Service's main competitors?
Athens Services is listed as a regional player. Broad incumbents are Recology, Waste Management, Inc., Republic Services and Waste Connections. Direct peers are Clean Harbors and GreenWaste Recovery. Stericycle is listed as an emerging player.
Does Marin Sanitary Service have an API?
No public API is recorded for Marin Sanitary Service.
What industry is Marin Sanitary Service in?
Marin Sanitary Service's product category is Solid Waste Collection Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is IMAIAFAA, Municipal Solid Waste Collection (Residential/Commercial), with a secondary code of BPALAEAF, Residential Curbside Organics Programs (Municipal/Franchise). Its NAICS code is 562111 and its SIC code is 4950.