San Luis Garbage

What San Luis Garbage does

San Luis Garbage is a vertically integrated solid waste, recycling, and organics processing company serving residential, commercial, and municipal customers across San Luis Obispo County, California. Founded in 1904 by the Rizzoli family and now a wholly-owned subsidiary of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE: WCN), the company operates alongside sister brands South County Sanitary, Mission Country Disposal, Morro Bay Garbage, and Coastal Rolloff under a regional structure that delivers collection, recovery, and disposal services 7 days a week. Revenue is generated primarily through recurring monthly subscription fees on municipal franchise agreements covering at least 12 cities and Community Services Districts (including San Luis Obispo, Pismo Beach, Grover Beach, Arroyo Grande, Morro Bay, and seven CSDs), as well as commercial and residential services.

The company operates two key pieces of process infrastructure: a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) that sorts approximately 200 tons per day of recyclables using a combination of human sorters, machines, and robots and achieves a roughly 75% landfill diversion rate, and the Kompogas SLO dry anaerobic digestion plant — North America's first such facility — which opened in 2018 with capacity to process up to 36,500 US tons of green waste and biowaste per year into renewable biogas (about 6.2 GWh/year of electricity), compost, and liquid soil conditioner. The plant is owned and operated by Hitachi Zosen Inova under a DBFOO structure, financed in part by JBIC and MUFG Bank.

San Luis Garbage's go-to-market is sales-led through municipal contract procurement, direct residential and commercial sign-ups via website, phone, and the Recycle Right SLO County mobile app (iOS/Android), and partnership-based community education through the Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA). Pricing is not publicly disclosed and varies by customer and service area; multiple municipalities have publicly heard rate increase requests, indicating negotiated rather than posted pricing. Strategic priorities center on compliance with California SB1383 organic diversion mandates, operational efficiency through route and fleet modernization (e.g., 2022 automated bucket trucks), and product surface expansion such as the June 2026 addition of carton recycling.

Name

San Luis Garbage

Legal name

Waste Connections, Inc.

Website

https://sanluisgarbage.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1904

Operating status

Operating

Short description

San Luis Garbage provides residential, commercial, and municipal solid waste, recycling, and organics collection across San Luis Obispo County, California, processing materials through an MRF and a Kompogas dry anaerobic digestion plant to generate biogas, compost, and liquid fertilizer. The company operates as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Waste Connections, Inc.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solid Waste and Recycling Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial & Office Waste Collection (Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Bulky Item & White Goods Collection (EUAIAAAH), Industrial & Commercial (I&C) Landfills (Non-hazardous) (EUAIACAC), C&D Waste Disposal (C&D Landfills) (BPALAJAH), Bulk Item & White Goods Collection (Bulky Waste) (BPALAAAD)

Keywords

• Waste collection services
• Recycling processing
• Organic waste diversion
• Anaerobic digestion biogas
• Municipal solid waste

Headquarters

HQ city

San Luis Obispo

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Waste Collection Services: Recurring waste collection fees from residential and commercial customers, typically billed on a subscription basis through municipal service agreements.
2. Recycling and Organics Processing: Revenue generated through materials processing at their MRF and anaerobic digestion facility, selling sorted recyclables to processors and producing biogas/compost for sale.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

San Luis Garbage provides non-hazardous solid waste, recycling, and organics collection services to residential, commercial, municipal, and construction customers throughout San Luis Obispo County, California. Materials are processed at its on-site Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and Kompogas dry anaerobic digestion plant, where sorted recyclables are baled and shipped to domestic processors while organic waste is converted into renewable biogas, compost, and liquid fertilizer.

Product overview

San Luis Garbage provides a comprehensive suite of waste and recycling collection services for San Luis Obispo County, California. The company operates as part of the Waste Connections family and offers residential, commercial, and rolloff waste collection alongside recycling processing through its Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) and organics processing via the Kompogas dry anaerobic digestion plant. Services include curbside garbage, recycling, and green waste collection, supported by digital tools like the Waste Wizard searchable guide and Recycle Right mobile app. The company also provides seasonal services such as cleanup weeks and Christmas tree collection. The portfolio integrates advanced recycling technology with a state-of-the-art dry anaerobic facility to divert waste from landfills and create useful products for the community.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Recycle Right SLO County App: Mobile application for searchable recycling database, service day reminders, and bill payment functionality.

Products and services

• Residential Waste Collection
• Commercial Waste Collection
• Recycling Services
• Organics and Composting Collection
• Rolloff Services
• Cleanup Weeks
• Christmas Tree Collection
• Recycle Right SLO County Mobile App

Quantifiable outcome

• 75% landfill diversion rate from MRF processing (200 tons/day, over 300,000 pounds daily)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers13 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Waste ConnectionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSan Luis Garbage is part of the Waste Connections family of companies, which also includes South County Sanitary, Mission Country Disposal, and Morro Bay Garbage. Waste Connections is the parent company providing resources, policies (including CCPA compliance notices), and operational support.
• Hitachi Zosen Inova (HZI)coreTechnology or IntegrationHZI designed, built, financed, owns, and operates the Kompogas dry anaerobic digestion plant in San Luis Obispo. This is HZI's first completely owned project in North America. The plant converts organic waste into biogas (renewable electricity), compost, and liquid fertilizer.
• Kompogas SLOcoreTechnology or IntegrationThe Kompogas dry anaerobic digestion plant processes organic waste from SLO County and Northern Santa Barbara County, creating renewable biogas (electricity), compost, and liquid fertilizer. Located on the same property as Cold Canyon Landfill.
• Integrated Waste Management Authority (IWMA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerIWMA is the regional authority overseeing waste management in SLO County. San Luis Garbage partners with IWMA for community education, SB1383 compliance, and coordination on household hazardous waste, batteries, and e-waste disposal options.
• Cold Canyon LandfillsupportingOthersCold Canyon Landfill is located on the same property as the MRF facility. The landfill receives waste that cannot be recycled or composted.
• PG&EsupportingTechnology or IntegrationPG&E is mentioned as a partner in the renewable natural gas initiative, purchasing or distributing electricity generated from the Kompogas anaerobic digestion plant.
• CalRecyclesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCalifornia's recycling authority is a partner in advancing renewable natural gas and organic waste recycling initiatives in the Central Coast region.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management, Inc. Largest North American waste services company (NYSE: WM) with national collection, transfer, landfill, recycling, and organics/AD capabilities. Overlaps with SLO Garbage's franchise and processing model but at vastly greater scale and broader geography.
• Republic Services, Inc. Major U.S. solid waste and recycling company (NYSE: RSG) with collection, processing, and landfill operations. Direct competition for municipal franchises and an indirect comparison as a national incumbent with recycling/AD investments.

Direct peers

• Recology: Employee-owned California-based waste hauler providing residential, commercial, and recycling collection plus organics/composting across Northern and Central California. Closely comparable regional franchise model with a strong focus on diversion and organics processing.
• CR&R Environmental Services: Southern California regional hauler operating municipal franchises with residential, commercial, recycling, and organics/AD processing. Directly comparable vertically-integrated franchise + organics platform.
• Athens Services: Family-owned California hauler providing residential, commercial, recycling, and organics/composting services under municipal franchises. Comparable regional franchise model with integrated organics processing.
• EDCO Disposal: Southern California family-owned waste and recycling hauler serving municipalities with residential and commercial collection plus MRF and organics processing. Closely comparable vertically-integrated regional operator.
• Burrtec Waste Industries: California regional hauler providing residential, commercial, recycling, and organics/composting services. Comparable regional franchise operator with integrated processing infrastructure.
• South County Sanitary: Sister company under Waste Connections that also serves SLO County with residential and commercial waste collection. Operates the same routes and is part of the same regional franchise structure, making it a near-perfect operational peer.
• Mission Country Disposal: Waste Connections sibling operation providing waste and recycling services in SLO County. Shares the same parent, service model, and customer overlap as San Luis Garbage.
• Morro Bay Garbage: Another Waste Connections subsidiary operating in SLO County. Comparable franchise-hauler profile and integrated service offering as San Luis Garbage.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/waste-connections
• Instagraminstagram.com/wasteconnectionsslo

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries4 records

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 San Luis Garbage