Friedman Recycling Company

What Friedman Recycling Company does

Friedman Recycling Company is a family-owned waste management, recycling, and secure document destruction services provider founded in 1977 in Arizona by Abraham Friedman and now led by second-generation owners David and Morris Friedman. The company operates from primary facilities in Phoenix and Tucson, offering single-stream recycling, total facility solutions (including roll-off containers, front-end loads, compactors, and balers), direct-to-mill brokerage of recyclable commodities, and NAID AAA certified document and product destruction under its Security Data Destruction division (established 1986). Its underlying infrastructure consists of Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs) with automated sorting technology, a GPS-tracked fleet with onboard computers and cameras, and customer-facing reporting tools.

The company's revenue model is a mix of transaction-fee services (recycling brokerage, document destruction), managed services contracts (solid waste and roll-off collection), and recurring equipment rental revenue (compactors and balers on monthly subscription with no down-payment and preventative maintenance included). Pricing is quote-based rather than published, and the GTM motion is enterprise field sales — on-site visits, waste auditing, and custom program design for mid-market and enterprise accounts in Arizona, supplemented by a national account management program delivered through a vetted partner recycler network. Friedman serves a diverse customer base spanning large industrial manufacturers, multi-tenant retail facilities, financial/medical/legal organizations with secure destruction needs, commercial print shops, small businesses, and municipal clients (e.g., City of Flagstaff contract in 2023). The company emphasizes not owning landfills, allowing it to focus exclusively on maximizing material recovery and recycling.

Name

Friedman Recycling Company

Legal name

Friedman Recycling Companies

Website

https://friedmanrecycling.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1977

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Friedman Recycling Company is a family-owned Arizona-based provider of recycling, solid waste management, and NAID AAA certified document destruction services, serving industrial manufacturers, retailers, financial/medical/legal organizations, and municipalities across the Southwest and nationally via partner network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Azusa

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Recycling Services: Single stream recycling, facility solutions, and direct-to-mill brokerage for cardboard, paper, plastics, metals, and other materials. Revenue generated through service fees for material collection, sorting, and marketing of recyclable commodities.
2. Solid Waste Management: Roll off services (20yd, 30yd, 40yd containers), front-end load services, and compactor rentals for large manufacturing and warehouse facilities. Revenue from scheduled or on-call service contracts.
3. Document/Product Destruction: NAID AAA certified secure document destruction and product destruction services for financial, medical, and legal organizations. Revenue from service fees for destruction and certification.
4. Equipment Rentals: Compactors and balers rental programs including break-away and self-contained compactors, vertical and horizontal balers, with accessories and preventative maintenance included. Low-cost rental programs with no down-payment required.
5. Direct-to-Mill Brokerage: Marketing full-truck-load quantities of single commodity recyclables nationwide, supporting distribution centers, commercial print shops, and box manufacturers with market-leading pricing through 40 years of mill relationships.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Friedman Recycling Company provides integrated recycling, solid waste management, and secure document/product destruction services to enterprise and mid-market customers, primarily in Arizona with national reach through a partner network. Operations are supported by Material Recovery Facilities with automated sorting, a GPS-tracked fleet, and equipment rentals including compactors and balers, with environmental and economic impact reporting included across programs.

Product overview

Friedman Recycling Company offers an integrated suite of waste management, recycling, and document destruction services across Arizona. The company operates Materials Recovery Facilities with state-of-the-art sorting technology and a modern fleet with GPS tracking. The core product portfolio includes: Security Data Destruction (NAID AAA certified destruction service), Single Stream Recycling, Total Facility Solutions, Direct-to-Mill Brokerage, Compactors and Balers (equipment rentals), Regional & National Account Management, Environmental & Economic Impact Reporting, Roll Off Services, and Front-End Load Services. The company practices 'Achievable Sustainability'—a comprehensive approach emphasizing positive market impact, reliability, and partnership centered around recycling.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Security Data Destruction: NAID AAA certified document and product destruction service offering secure shredding of confidential documents, out-of-date food items, proprietary industrial parts, sensitive uniforms, and obsolete electronics with locked containers, uniformed drivers, and Certificate of Destruction.

Products and services

• Security Data Destruction NAID AAA certified document and product destruction service for financial, medical, and legal organizations. Uses locked containers, uniformed certified drivers, secured transport, and provides a Certificate of Destruction with a 48-hour destruction turnaround. Covers confidential files, out-of-date food items, proprietary industrial parts, sensitive uniforms, and obsolete electronics.
• Single Stream Recycling Mixed recyclables collection service where customers deposit all recyclables together without sorting. Friedman Recycling handles sorting at Material Recovery Facilities using state-of-the-art automated sorting technology to maximize recovery rates of paper, plastics, metals, cardboard, and other materials.
• Total Facility Solutions Comprehensive recycling and solid waste services for industrial manufacturers, distribution centers, multi-tenant retail facilities, and small businesses. Includes roll-off containers (20yd and 40yd), semi van trailers, flatbed services, compactors, and balers tailored to each customer's facility needs.
• Direct-to-Mill Brokerage Marketing service for full-truck-load quantities of single commodity recyclables nationwide. Specializes in serving large distribution centers, commercial print shops, and box manufacturers with market-leading pricing built on 40 years of mill relationships, plus logistics and timely reporting and payment.
• Roll Off Services Full spectrum roll-off container services with 20yd, 30yd, and 40yd open tops, plus compactor receivers and self-containers for solid waste and recycling. Trucks are equipped with on-board computers and GPS monitors to ensure on-time service delivery.
• Front-End Load Services Front-end load container service with 2yd, 3yd, 4yd, 6yd, and 8yd containers for commercial solid waste and recycling. Service frequency is customizable, and cleanup is included after each service visit.
• Compactors and Balers Equipment Rental Rental program for a full range of compactors and balers including break-away and self-contained compactors, vertical and horizontal balers, plus accessories such as cart-tippers, conveyors, and blow-systems. Offered as a low-cost monthly rental with no down-payment and preventative maintenance included.
• Regional and National Account Management Account management program providing direct service in Arizona and managing accounts nationwide through a vetted network of regional recycling companies. Provides customers a single point of contact and consolidated monthly reports on economic and environmental impact across all locations.

Quantifiable outcome

• Documents shredded within 48 hours with Certificate of Destruction provided
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• City of FlagstaffcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 November 2023Flagstaff City Council approved a contract for recycling services with Friedman Recycling Company. The company will now bring recyclables to its own facility owned and operated by Friedman rather than the City of Phoenix's Northgate Materials Recovery Facility. This represents a significant municipal client relationship in northern Arizona.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Regional players

• Recology: Employee-owned West Coast integrated waste and recycling company operating MRFs, transfer stations, and collection services. Highly comparable in landfill-free, recovery-first positioning and commercial/industrial recycling focus.
• Casella Waste Systems: Vertically integrated regional solid waste, recycling, and resource management operator in the Northeast US. Closely comparable as a regional recycler with recycling, organics, and disposal services, but with public-company capital and broader geographic reach.
• Rumpke Consolidated Companies: Family-owned regional waste and recycling company in the Midwest operating MRFs, transfer stations, and landfills. Closely comparable as a multi-generation family-owned regional recycler with similar service mix and customer segments.
• FCC Environmental (US operations): Environmental services platform operating solid waste, recycling, and organics collection in select US regions. Comparable to Friedman's commercial and industrial recycling and solid waste services in shared geographies.

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management, Inc. Largest US provider of waste management and environmental services, operating MRFs, transfer stations, and landfills nationwide. Overlaps directly with Friedman's commercial/industrial recycling, solid waste collection, and brokerage offerings, but at national scale.
• Republic Services: One of the two largest US solid waste and recycling companies, with vertically integrated collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal. Directly comparable in commercial and industrial recycling services but at vastly greater national scale and capital base.
• Cintas Corporation: Large US business services company offering document shredding alongside uniform, first aid, and facility services. Competes with Friedman's destruction business for multi-site enterprise customers, particularly via bundled services.
• GFL Environmental: Major North American diversified environmental services company providing solid waste, recycling, and soil remediation across the US and Canada. Comparable across Friedman's full service portfolio, particularly in commercial and industrial recycling.
• Iron Mountain: Global information management company offering secure shredding and data destruction alongside records storage. Comparable to Friedman's NAID AAA destruction service, with substantially broader national and global footprint.

Direct peers

• Stericycle (Shred-it): US leader in secure information destruction via its Shred-it brand, plus regulated waste services. Directly comparable to Friedman's Security Data Destruction division for NAID AAA certified document and product shredding in financial, medical, and legal accounts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Friedman Recycling Company