Northern California Recycling Association

What Northern California Recycling Association does

The Northern California Recycling Association (NCRA) is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade organization founded in 1978 and formally incorporated in California in the early 1990s. It serves 500+ members — recycling businesses, municipalities, consultants, community groups, activists, and students — primarily in Northern California, with state-wide and national advocacy reach. NCRA's core activities include policy advocacy (notably opposition to incineration and landfilling, and support for Zero Waste principles such as SB 1383 implementation), member networking (quarterly meetings, facility tours, member directories), and education (annual Recycling Update conference with 25+ speakers, three-day Introduction To Recycling training in San Francisco and Los Angeles, Nature of Materials training, Zero Food Waste Forum, and the ZWAC Show webinar series). Operational programs are delivered through nine volunteer committees covering DEI, Reuse & Repair, Social Media, Zero Waste Advocacy, Zero Food Waste, Zero Waste Schools, Membership/Engagement, Finance, and Nominations.

Name

Northern California Recycling Association

Legal name

Northern California Recycling Association

Website

https://ncrarecycles.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1978

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Northern California Recycling Association is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade organization serving 500+ members across the recycling and Zero Waste industry in California through advocacy, education, networking, and member services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Berkeley

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Annual membership fees provide core operational revenue. Individual membership is $70 per year, providing access to networking meetings, tours, monthly newsletter, directories, advocacy representation, conference discounts, and training programs.
2. Conference and Event Revenue: Revenue generated from Recycling Update annual conference and Introduction To Recycling training workshops held in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Members receive discounted registration.
3. Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships at various levels (Platinum+, Platinum, Gold, Silver, Bronze) provide revenue and support organizational activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

NCRA is a 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade organization that delivers advocacy, education, training, and networking services to promote recycling and Zero Waste practices. Its offerings include a monthly newsletter (NCRA News), annual Recycling Update conference, Introduction to Recycling and Nature of Materials training classes, member directories, a Jobs Board, and legislative advocacy at state and local levels. Members and sponsors receive access to networking meetings, facility tours, committee participation, and discounted program registration.

Product overview

The Northern California Recycling Association is a 501(c)(6) non-profit trade organization offering a portfolio of member services centered on recycling advocacy and zero waste education. The core offerings include NCRA News (monthly newsletter), the Recycling Update annual conference, Introduction to Recycling training classes, the Zero Waste Schools Program, Zero Food Waste Forum, and ZWAC Show webinars. Additional services include member directories (Members Directory and Services Directory), a Jobs Board, and Nature of Materials training courses. These programs are designed to support recycling professionals, municipalities, community groups, and activists in advancing zero waste initiatives throughout Northern California.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• NCRA News (Monthly Newsletter) Monthly email newsletter featuring meeting announcements, partner events, original articles, and industry news clips, sent to NCRA members and subscribers.
• Recycling Update Annual Conference Annual conference featuring 25+ experts who present 10-minute updates, designed to bring members up to speed on Zero Waste topics in a single day; members receive discounted registration.
• Introduction To Recycling (ITR) Class Three-day training workshop held in San Francisco and Los Angeles for newcomers to the field and professionals seeking to get up to speed in recycling and Zero Waste.
• Zero Waste Schools Program Program helping K-12 schools reduce waste by sharing resources, best practices, and case studies.
• ZWAC Show (Zero Waste Advocacy Committee Webinar Series) Webinar series featuring interviews and discussions on Zero Waste topics with industry leaders, hosted by NCRA's Zero Waste Advocacy Committee.
• Zero Food Waste Forum Educational and advocacy forum focused on preventing food waste and supporting SB 1383 compliance, including a Zero Food Waste Webinars series and Commercial Food Waste Reduction resources.
• Members Directory Password-protected directory of NCRA members accessible in the Members Only area of the Wild Apricot membership portal.
• Services Directory Searchable database of NCRA members who provide services to the public and private sectors, accessible to all website visitors.
• Jobs Board Platform for posting employment, contract, volunteer and training opportunities in the recycling and zero waste field, with a Job Submittal Form for posting listings.
• Nature of Materials Training In-depth training covering recyclable materials including plastic, paper, glass, metal, textiles, ceramics, chemicals, and soils.

Quantifiable outcome

• Active in advocacy at local, regional, state-wide and national levels

Named customers9 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major, regional and minor.

• Clean Seas Lobby Coalition (CSLC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCRA is a member of the Clean Seas Lobby Coalition, working collaboratively on common policy interests related to Zero Waste and environmental protection. NCRA participates in group support letters for priority bills and coordinated lobbying efforts.
• EcoConsultcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEcoConsult provides guidance to NCRA for Clean Seas Lobby Coalition membership and legislative advocacy efforts. Genevieve Abedon serves as the contact for CSLC support letters.
• Californians Against Waste (CAW)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCRA collaborates with Californians Against Waste on common policy interests at the state level, particularly regarding recycling legislation and Zero Waste initiatives.
• California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCRA works with CRRA on common policy interests, including joint webinars on DEI topics. CRRA's Board of Directors includes NCRA-affiliated members.
• StopWasteregionalStrategic or Co-development PartnerStopWaste partners with NCRA by providing office space for annual meetings and collaborative events in Oakland. StopWaste is a public agency serving Alameda County.
• National Recycling Coalition (NRC)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNCRA collaborated with NRC to present the 'Who is at the Table? Diversity, Equity & Inclusion in Waste and Recycling' webinar in August 2020.
• Alameda Education Advisory BoardminorGTM or Marketing PartnerProvided grant funding for NCRA's Nature of Materials A and B training classes held in 2012 and 2013 at the US EPA building in San Francisco.
• Zero Waste Youth USAregionalGTM or Marketing PartnerNCRA maintains a partnership with Zero Waste Youth USA, featuring their Facebook page and collaborating on youth engagement in Zero Waste movement.
• CASA (Community Action Serving Alameda)regionalGTM or Marketing PartnerNCRA partners with CASA for Monthly Coastal Clean Up events, promoting community engagement and environmental stewardship.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• National Recycling Coalition: The National Recycling Coalition is a national nonprofit focused on recycling advocacy and education. NCRA partnered with NRC on a 2020 DEI webinar and shares overlapping member audiences and advocacy goals, making it a closely comparable national peer.
• California Resource Recovery Association (CRRA): CRRA is a California-based trade association for the recycling and resource recovery industry. It directly overlaps NCRA's membership base, advocacy work, and event programming, and NCRA explicitly cites CRRA as a close partner for joint webinars and shared board members.
• Zero Waste USA: Zero Waste USA is a national nonprofit advancing Zero Waste principles, host to local Zero Waste communities. NCRA maintains a documented partnership with Zero Waste Youth USA and competes for the same advocacy, member, and sponsor dollars in the Zero Waste movement.
• Californians Against Waste: Californians Against Waste is a Sacramento-based advocacy organization promoting waste reduction and recycling policy in California. NCRA lists CAW as a major partner collaborating on state-level recycling legislation, making it a direct peer in policy advocacy and member engagement.

Emerging players

• Container Recycling Institute: The Container Recycling Institute focuses on beverage container recycling policy and is referenced in NCRA's broader advocacy ecosystem. Both organizations engage on California recycling legislation like the Bottle Bill and CRV programs.
• U.S. Composting Council: The U.S. Composting Council is a national nonprofit advancing composting and organics recycling. NCRA board members have served on its task forces, and the organizations overlap on organics policy advocacy (e.g., SB 1383 implementation) and member education.
• Reuse Alliance: The Reuse Alliance is a national nonprofit promoting reuse as a waste reduction strategy. NCRA operates an active Reuse & Repair Committee and shares advocacy priorities around reuse policy, making this a niche but relevant peer in the same movement.

Regional players

• StopWaste: StopWaste is the Alameda County waste management authority that hosts NCRA's annual meetings and serves as a regional partner. While it is a public agency rather than a trade association, it operates overlapping Zero Waste education and outreach programming in NCRA's core Northern California market.

Broad incumbents

• Institute of Scrap Recycling Industries (ISRI): ISRI is the national trade association representing the scrap recycling industry in the U.S. It is a much larger, broader incumbent that overlaps with NCRA's recycling business members and advocacy on recycling-related federal policy.
• Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA): SWANA is a large established trade association serving the entire solid waste management industry across North America. While much broader than NCRA, it competes for the same municipal, hauler, and industry members and offers overlapping training and certification programs.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ncrarecycles
• YouTubeyoutube.com/playlist?list=PL1WsQvrQraeTbF2EwGCtTK_uBPQkWEI1h
• Facebookfacebook.com/zerowasteyouthusa

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Northern California Recycling Association