Athens Hocking Recycling Center

What Athens Hocking Recycling Center does

Athens Hocking Recycling Center (AHRC), incorporated in 1987 in Ohio as a nonprofit, operates the waste and recycling services for Athens and Hocking counties in Southeast Ohio. On September 21, 2024, all AHRC operations, assets, and employees were transferred to the Southeast Ohio Recycling Terminal (SORT), a Council of Governments established in May 2024 by the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District and the cities of Athens, Nelsonville, Logan, and the Village of Amesville; SORT continues to deliver AHRC's services under the legacy brand.

The organization's operating model combines subscription-based residential curbside collection of mixed recycling and refuse, commercial dumpster and roll-off services, organics/food waste collection, and retail sale of bulk compost and bagged soil amendment. Material is processed at a purpose-built Material Recovery Facility (MRF) using single-stream sorting, with food waste processed on-site through a two-bin aerated composting system using wood chips and leaves. AHRC/SORT also operates 20+ permanent 24/7 rural drop-off locations across the two-county service area and offers facility tours and electronics recycling drop-off as community engagement functions.

Revenue is generated through tiered monthly residential subscriptions ($13.80/month standalone recycling up to $47.90/month bundled recycling + refuse), commercial dumpster and roll-off contracts (pricing on request), weekly organics pickup subscriptions ($24.25/month residential, $27.68/month commercial), and unit-priced compost sales ($57.00/cubic yard plus delivery). Customers include the four founding COG municipalities plus Ohio University and the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District, alongside a distributed base of residential and commercial accounts. In 2024, the organization collected 5,500 tons of recycling and 438 tons of food waste, with staff numbers more than doubling since 2013.

Name

Athens Hocking Recycling Center

Legal name

Athens-Hocking Recycling Centers, Inc.

Website

https://athenshockingrecycle.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Athens Hocking Recycling Center, now operating as Southeast Ohio Recycling Terminal (SORT), provides residential and commercial recycling, refuse, and organics collection plus on-site MRF and composting processing across Athens and Hocking counties in Southeast Ohio under a Council of Governments structure.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management and Recycling Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Waste Collection (5621)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Residential Curbside MSW Collection (BPALAAAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Organics (Food/Yard) Collection (Residential & Commercial) (EUAIAAAO), Municipal Solid Waste Collection (Residential/Commercial) (IMAIAFAA), Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)

Keywords

• Recycling collection services
• Waste management services
• Organics composting
• Material recovery facility
• Single-stream recycling

Headquarters

HQ city

Athens

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Refuse Collection Services: Monthly refuse collection services for residential and commercial customers. Residential refuse is bundled with recycling services in tiered pricing plans (e.g., refuse + recycling bundles starting at $31.25/month). Commercial refuse collection uses dumpster sizes (2–8 cubic yards) and roll-off containers (10–30 cubic yards).
2. Recycling Collection Services: Single-stream recycling collection for residential and commercial customers, charged as standalone or bundled with refuse. Residential standalone recycling starts at $13.80/month. Commercial recycling uses cardboard dumpsters and rolling totes.
3. Organics / Food Waste Collection and Compost Sales: Weekly food waste pickup for residences ($24.25/month) and businesses ($27.68/month) in select areas. Finished compost sold in bulk ($57.00/cubic yard) and bags ($10.00+).
4. Roll-off Container Services: Roll-off container delivery and pickup for projects and events. Sizes: 10, 20, and 30 cubic yard refuse containers; 20 cubic yard recycling roll-off. Billed per delivery/pickup event.
5. Bulk Compost and Soil Amendment Sales: Finely screened soil amendment made from locally collected food waste sold by the cubic yard ($57.00/cubic yard) with delivery available ($81.00 up to 10 miles, $3.50/mile beyond). Also sold in bags at retail locations ($10.00+).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Athens Hocking Recycling Center (now operating as Southeast Ohio Recycling Terminal / SORT) provides residential and commercial curbside collection of refuse, single-stream mixed recycling, and food waste/organics across Athens and Hocking counties in Southeast Ohio. Collected material is processed at its on-site Material Recovery Facility (MRF), and food waste is composted into bulk soil amendment sold to the public and to local retailers.

Product overview

Athens Hocking Recycling Center (AHRC) operates as a comprehensive waste management and recycling services organization, now transitioned to Southeast Ohio Recycling Terminal (SORT). The portfolio consists of core collection services including rural residential pickup, Athens City curbside pickup, and commercial services (dumpsters and roll-off containers). Supporting services include organics/food waste collection with BPI-certified compostable materials, bulk compost/soil amendment sales derived from processed food waste, rural drop-off locations across Athens and Hocking counties, single stream mixed recycling processed through a Material Recovery Facility (MRF), and electronics recycling. The company operates a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) for sorting and a two-stage Compost Facility for organic material processing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Rural Residential Pick Up Weekly curbside collection of mixed recyclables and refuse for rural households in Athens and Hocking counties, with multiple subscription tiers combining recycling and refuse bag allowances.
• Athens City Curbside Pickup

Quantifiable outcome

• Collected 5,500 tons of recycling in 2024, substantially reducing landfill dependency in Athens and Hocking counties.
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers6 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

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Southeast Ohio Recycling Terminal (SORT) Council of GovernmentscoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 21 September 2024In May 2024, the Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District, City of Athens, City of Nelsonville, City of Logan, and Village of Amesville established SORT as a Council of Governments (COG). On September 21, 2024, all operations, assets, and employees of AHRC were officially transferred to SORT. SORT's core mission is to build sustainable communities by providing solid waste collection, materials recovery processing, and disposal services.
• Athens Hocking Solid Waste District (AHSWD)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAHSWD is a joint solid waste management district covering Athens and Hocking counties. It coordinates public drop-off locations and sets route schedules. SORT operates as the designated service provider for the district.
• Rural Action (Zero Waste Program)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerRural Action is a regional environmental nonprofit and Zero Waste Initiative partner. Their 'Can I Recycle This?' resource is referenced by AHRC, and Rural Action's Zero Waste program works on hard-to-recycle materials (mattress recycling).
• Athens Area Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization referenced on AHRC's homepage with a link to the Athens Area Chamber of Commerce website.
• Logan-Hocking Chamber of CommerceminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartner organization referenced on AHRC's homepage with a link to the Logan-Hocking Chamber of Commerce website.
• Keep Ohio BeautifulminorGTM or Marketing PartnerReferenced as a partner organization on AHRC's homepage. Keep Ohio Beautiful promotes recycling and environmental stewardship at the local level.
• Ohio University (Campus Recycling)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOhio University campus recycling program is referenced on the AHRC website as a partner organization. Ohio University is a major Athens County institution and generator of recyclables.
• Habitat for Humanity ReStore (Athens)minorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorAHRC links to the Habitat for Humanity ReStore, which accepts working appliances and building materials for resale, as part of the 'Is this recyclable?' resource page to divert items from the landfill.
• Athens CitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Athens is a member of the SORT Council of Governments and one of the founding municipalities. AHRC provides curbside refuse and recycling collection for City of Athens residents.
• City of NelsonvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Nelsonville is a member of the SORT Council of Governments and one of the founding municipalities. AHRC provides curbside refuse and recycling collection for Nelsonville residents.
• City of LogancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCity of Logan is a member of the SORT Council of Governments and one of the founding municipalities. AHRC provides curbside refuse and recycling collection for Logan residents.
• Village of AmesvillecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerVillage of Amesville is a member of the SORT Council of Governments and one of the founding municipalities.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Republic Services: Second-largest U.S. solid waste and recycling company with national collection, processing, and disposal operations including recycling and organics lines. Comparable broad portfolio overlap with SORT's service stack, though at vastly larger scale.
• Waste Management Inc. National integrated waste services company with the largest U.S. hauling and landfill network. Operates recycling and organics lines at scale that overlap with SORT's offerings and represents the most likely large-scale competitive or contracting counterparty.
• Rumpke Consolidated Companies: Cincinnati-based major regional waste hauler operating across Ohio, Kentucky, and Indiana with collection, recycling, and landfill operations. Much larger than AHRC/SORT but the dominant incumbent in the broader Ohio market and potential future competitive threat or contracting partner.

Direct peers

• Eureka Recycling: Minneapolis-based nonprofit recycling organization operating a single-stream MRF and curbside residential collection. Highly comparable to AHRC in non-profit governance model, mission-driven recycling focus, and integrated MRF-plus-collection structure serving a defined regional market.
• GreenWaste Recovery: San Jose, California-based company providing single-stream recycling, organics/compost collection, and MRF processing with commercial and residential service lines. Direct operational analog to AHRC/SORT across the same service stack (collection + sorting + compost).
• Rust Belt Riders: Cleveland, Ohio-based residential and commercial food waste/compost collection company with subscription model ($24-$28/month range similar to SORT's organics pricing). Direct comparable in geography (Ohio), mission orientation, and subscription compost service model.
• Atlas Organics (Sustana): Organics recycling and composting company providing residential and commercial food waste collection with processing into finished compost products. Direct analog to SORT's organics line in service model, pricing tier, and end-product monetization.
• Recology: Employee-owned integrated solid waste, recycling, and composting company serving communities across California, Oregon, and Washington. Closely comparable to AHRC/SORT in combining curbside collection, MRF processing, and compost production under one integrated operator with strong community/mission orientation.

Others

• Rural Action: Southeast Ohio regional environmental nonprofit running the Zero Waste Initiative referenced on AHRC's website. Strategic ecosystem partner rather than competitor, but operates overlapping hard-to-recycle programs (mattress recycling) that could complement or compete with SORT's services.
• Athens-Hocking Solid Waste District: Joint solid waste management district covering Athens and Hocking counties. Co-founder of SORT and route coordinator for SORT's drop-off network; structurally intertwined rather than competitive, but defines SORT's operating territory.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/ahrecycling
• Xx.com/ahrecycling
• Facebookfacebook.com/athenshockingrecycle
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/athens-hocking-county-recycling-centers-inc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 Athens Hocking Recycling Center