RethinkWaste

What RethinkWaste does

RethinkWaste is a joint powers authority (JPA) founded in 1982 and headquartered in San Carlos, California, that coordinates waste management, recycling, and organics recovery on behalf of San Mateo County member agencies including San Carlos, Foster City, Menlo Park, Belmont, and Redwood City. Its core physical asset is the Shoreway Environmental Center, which houses an upgraded Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for sorting recyclables and a Transfer Station for consolidating compost and garbage; contracted service providers — Recology San Mateo County (operating the CartSMART organics program) and South Bayside Industries — perform collection and processing under agreement with RethinkWaste. The organization operates with a small staff (11–50 employees), reflecting its role as a programmatic coordinator and contract overseer rather than a vertically integrated hauler.

The business model is funded primarily by member-agency fees and service contracts, with pricing for public-facing assets (facility tours, compost giveaways, shred/e-scrap events) set as free. Go-to-market is community-led and event-driven: RethinkWaste runs school programs, facility tours (in-person and, since May 2026, self-guided virtual tours), Shred events, e-scrap collections, compost giveaways, Earth Day and Summer Swap events, and targeted business compliance services covering California's AB 341, AB 827, AB 1826, and SB 1383 mandates.

Technically, RethinkWaste's operational backbone is the Shoreway facility plus a digital layer (website, social channels, Rethinker newsletter) used for community engagement and education; an AI/technology stack is not disclosed. Its competitive positioning rests on aggregating multi-city demand into a single regulatory-compliant infrastructure, on advocacy (co-sponsorship of SB 1215 for lithium battery stewardship), and on an award-winning facility brand that supports trust with member agencies and residents.

Name

RethinkWaste

Legal name

RethinkWaste

Website

https://rethinkwaste.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

RethinkWaste is a joint powers authority serving San Mateo County member agencies, coordinating waste management, recycling, and organics through the Shoreway Environmental Center and contracted service providers, while running community education and compliance programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Waste Management and Recycling Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Waste Management and Remediation Services (562), Hazardous Waste Collection (562112)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro primary industry

Single-Stream MRFs (Residential Curbside) (EUAIADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Single-Stream MRF Operations (Residential Curbside Sorting) (BPALADAA), Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) & Single-Stream Recycling Processing (IMAIAFAD)

Keywords

• Municipal waste management
• Recycling services
• Composting programs
• Materials recovery facility
• Community waste education

Headquarters

HQ city

San Carlos

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Member Agency Fees: RethinkWaste is a joint powers authority funded by member agencies in San Mateo County. Revenue comes from service contracts and fees paid by member cities for waste management and recycling services.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

RethinkWaste is a joint powers authority that coordinates and delivers waste management, recycling, and composting services for member agencies in San Mateo County, California. Its core offering centers on operating the Shoreway Environmental Center, which houses a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for sorting recyclables and a Transfer Station for consolidating compost and garbage. The agency supplements these operations with residential and commercial collection programs, regulatory compliance services, community events, and educational tours.

Product overview

RethinkWaste is a waste management agency serving San Mateo County, California, operating the Shoreway Environmental Center as its core facility. The organization offers a portfolio of services centered around its Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and Transfer Station, supplemented by educational programs, community events, and residential/business waste services. The product portfolio includes facility tours (virtual and in-person for public, schools, and businesses), community events (shred, e-scrap, and compost giveaways), school educational programs, residential collection services, business compliance services, and special recycling programs for batteries and hard-to-recycle materials.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Shoreway Environmental Center State-of-the-art waste processing facility in San Carlos, California, featuring a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) for sorting recyclables and a Transfer Station for consolidating compost and garbage. Serves as the centralized hub for RethinkWaste member agencies.
• Self-Guided Virtual Tour Virtual tour of the Shoreway Environmental Center allowing public, schools, and businesses to explore MRF and Transfer Station operations remotely, including views of sorting and consolidation processes.
• In-Person Tours In-person facility tours of the Shoreway Environmental Center including public, school, and business tours, providing hands-on education about recyclables processing, MRF operations, and waste management.
• Residential Waste Services Waste collection and management services for single-family and multi-family residences including collection scheduling, bill payment support, and diversion programs.
• Business Services Waste management services for businesses including compliance with California recycling laws (AB 341, AB 827, AB 1826, SB 1383), construction and demolition ordinances, and venue and event planning support.
• School Programs Educational programs for K-12 schools including facility tours, art galleries, contests, school gardens, teaching tools, and school compost giveaways.
• Community Shred Events Mobile shredding events held across multiple cities in San Mateo County where residents can bring paper documents for secure onsite shredding.
• E-Scrap Events Electronic waste collection events accepting TVs, computers, printers, monitors, laptops, cables, cell phones, and other electronics for recycling.
• Compost Giveaway Events Free compost distribution events where residents can obtain up to 1 cubic yard of compost made from yard trimmings and food scraps collected through the CartSMART organics collection program.
• Rethink Batteries Program A program for responsibly handling household batteries, addressing the proper disposal and recycling of lithium batteries and reducing battery fires at waste facilities.
• Hard-to-Recycle Collection Special collection services for batteries, bulky items, holiday trees, household hazardous waste, mattresses, and used motor oil and filters.

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• California Product Stewardship CouncilminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 2 January 2026Co-sponsored California's Senate Bill 1215 for lithium battery recycling fees, working with waste management agencies and advocacy groups to address battery fires at waste facilities.
• Recology San Mateo CountycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPrimary service provider for waste collection and processing in San Mateo County. Operates the CartSMART organics collection program and collaborates on compost giveaway events with RethinkWaste.
• South Bayside IndustriescoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorService provider listed for the RethinkWaste service area, providing waste management and recycling services.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Republic Services: One of the two largest U.S. waste haulers, providing residential, commercial, recycling, and organics services nationally including in California. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating MRFs, transfer stations, and organics processing at scale alongside RethinkWaste's contracted partners.
• Clean Harbors: Leading North American provider of hazardous waste management, environmental remediation, and recycling services. Comparable to RethinkWaste's 'Hard-to-Recycle' and battery programs as a broad incumbent handling regulated waste streams RethinkWaste must route away from its MRF.
• Waste Management Inc. Largest North American waste and recycling company operating collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal infrastructure across California. Comparable as the dominant broad incumbent whose subsidiary operations overlap with RethinkWaste's MRF and transfer-station activities.

Direct peers

• South Bayside Industries: Second contracted service provider within RethinkWaste's service area, handling waste management and recycling processing under contract. Directly comparable as a co-operator of the Shoreway facility footprint and adjacent San Mateo County services.
• StopWaste (Alameda County Waste Management Authority): Joint powers authority serving Alameda County municipalities with waste reduction, recycling, and education programs. Directly comparable to RethinkWaste as a county-level JPA operating in the Bay Area with similar member-agency governance, MRF oversight, and school/business education mandates.
• GreenWaste Recovery: Privately held California-based waste and recycling hauler operating MRFs, transfer stations, and organics processing across the Bay Area and Sacramento region. Comparable as a private-sector peer running MRF operations and organics processing infrastructure of similar character to Shoreway.
• Recology San Mateo County: Core contracted service provider for RethinkWaste, operating collection routes and the CartSMART organics program across RethinkWaste's service area. A direct operating peer in the same geography delivering the hauling and processing functions RethinkWaste oversees.

Regional players

• RecycleSmart (Santa Clara County): Joint powers authority providing recycling and waste reduction programs to member agencies in Santa Clara County. Directly analogous to RethinkWaste as a neighboring Bay Area JPA serving residential curbside programs, though operating in a different county.
• Monterey Regional Waste Management District: Special district operating the Monterey Peninsula landfill and integrated waste management services for member jurisdictions. Comparable as a regional public agency with integrated transfer, recycling, and disposal operations but in a different California geography.

Others

• California Product Stewardship Council: Statewide advocacy group promoting Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies in California. Comparable as RethinkWaste's co-sponsor on SB 1215 and a thematically related ecosystem partner influencing the same EPR regulatory environment.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/RethinkWaste
• YouTubeyoutube.com/therethinkwaste
• Facebookfacebook.com/rethinkwaste
• Instagraminstagram.com/rethinkwasteorg
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/rethinkwaste

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 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 RethinkWaste