Tri-CED Community Recycling

What Tri-CED Community Recycling does

Tri-CED Community Recycling is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 1980 by Richard Valle with a $750 grant from a local church, headquartered in Union City, California. The organization provides residential single-stream curbside recycling and organics/compost collection services to the cities of Union City and Hayward in Southern Alameda County, while operating a 72,000 sq. ft. Material Recovery Facility (MRF) that processes approximately 2,500 tons of recyclable material annually. Tri-CED also runs a youth-led, California-certified Redemption Center (Buy Back Center) that serves more than 70,000 customers per year by paying cash refunds for CRV-labeled containers.

Beyond core curbside and CRV operations, Tri-CED has built out an adjacent diversion portfolio including free e-waste drop-off recycling, curbside household battery and cell phone collection, and free used motor oil and filter recycling for residents of both service cities. The organization holds two California state certifications — Certified California Redemption Center and California Covered Electronic Waste Recovery Collector — and operates in partnership with Republic Services (Union City) and Waste Management (Hayward), which manage the landfill stream while Tri-CED handles the recycling and organics streams. The nonprofit's stated mission includes creating second-chance employment and training opportunities for individuals facing barriers to work, and sharing residual proceeds with the community; the organization reports contributing more than $3 million to the local economy annually.

Tri-CED's revenue model is a mix of municipal curbside collection contracts (pricing set by local franchise agreements, with contamination surcharges of $25 on contaminated recycling/compost carts in Union City and Hayward, and $10 on overfilled trash carts in Hayward), CRV redemption payouts recovered on sorted containers, and donations/grants supporting its nonprofit mission. On May 8, 2025, the organization celebrated its 45th anniversary with a Green-Tie Gala that also formally launched The Richard Valle Center, a facility expansion designed to support youth workforce programs and a Collection Vehicle Operator apprenticeship initiative.

Name

Tri-CED Community Recycling

Legal name

Tri-CED Community Recycling

Website

https://tri-ced.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1980

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Tri-CED Community Recycling is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1980 that provides single-stream curbside recycling, organics collection, and CRV redemption services to residents of Union City and Hayward in Southern Alameda County, operating a 72,000 sq. ft. Material Recovery Facility and a youth-led Buy Back Center.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management and Recycling Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Waste Collection (5621), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Recycling Transfer & Consolidation (Single-Stream, Dual-Stream, Source-Separated) (EUAIABAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Residential Curbside Organics Programs (Municipal/Franchise) (BPALAEAF), E-waste & Universal Waste Collection/Transfer (Electronics, Lamps, Batteries) (EUAIABAG), Consumer E-waste Collection & Take-Back Programs (EUAIAIAA)

Keywords

• Curbside recycling collection
• Material recovery facility
• CRV redemption services
• E-waste recycling
• Compost collection services

Headquarters

HQ city

Union City, CA

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels2 records

Core offering

Tri-CED Community Recycling is a nonprofit organization providing single-stream curbside recycling collection and organics/compost collection services to residential customers in Union City and Hayward, California. The organization processes collected materials at a 72,000 sq. ft. Material Recovery Facility and operates a youth-run California Redemption Value (CRV) Buy Back Center, along with free e-waste, household battery, and used motor oil recycling programs. Its services combine waste diversion with second-chance employment and training for individuals facing barriers to work.

Product overview

Tri-CED Community Recycling is a nonprofit recycling organization offering a portfolio of residential and commercial waste diversion services in Southern Alameda County. The core offerings include single-stream curbside recycling collection in Union City and Hayward, a 72,000 sq. ft. Material Recovery Facility (MRF), and a youth-run Buy Back Center for CRV redemption. The organization provides additional diversion programs including free e-waste recycling, organics/compost collection, household battery recycling, and used motor oil recycling. Services are delivered through partnerships with Republic Services (Union City) and Waste Management (Hayward) for landfill collection, while Tri-CED manages recycling and organics streams.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Single-Stream Curbside Recycling Collection Residential curbside single-stream recycling collection service available to residents of Union City and Hayward, California, allowing all approved recyclables to be placed in one blue cart without sorting.
• Buy Back Center (CRV Redemption) Youth-run, California-certified CRV Redemption Center that pays cash refunds for aluminum cans, plastic bottles, glass bottles, and other CRV-labeled containers brought in by walk-in customers.
• Free E-Waste Recycling Free drop-off service for electronic waste including computers, monitors, keyboards, printers, televisions, cell phones, and other electronics, operated under a California Covered Electronic Waste Recovery Collector certification.
• Compost Collection Services Curbside organics/compost collection service accepting food scraps, soiled paper, and yard waste for composting, available to Union City residents.
• Used Motor Oil & Filter Recycling Free curbside collection program that provides specially designed motor oil jugs and filter recycling bags to Union City and Hayward residents for safe recycling of used motor oil and oil filters.
• Household Battery Recycling Free curbside collection program for common household batteries and cell phones, providing free battery bags and instructions to Union City and Hayward residents, with electrical-tape guidance for lithium batteries.
• Multi-Family & Commercial Services Waste and recycling assessment services and SB 1383 compliance support for property managers of multi-family buildings (5+ units), including service program setup for organics and recycling diversion.

Quantifiable outcome

• Serving Southern Alameda County for over 45 years since 1980
• +4 more outcomes

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management: Waste Management is the largest North American solid waste and recycling services company, with national hauling, MRF, organics, and e-waste capabilities. It handles Hayward's landfill collection for Tri-CED and represents the dominant incumbent competitor across the broader market.
• Republic Services: Republic Services is one of the two largest U.S. solid waste and recycling companies, operating nationally with hauling, transfer, MRF, and disposal assets. It already partners with Tri-CED for Union City landfill service and is the principal large-scale incumbent Tri-CED must compete with on municipal bids.

Regional players

• Athens Services: Athens Services is a Southern California integrated waste and recycling company operating MRFs, curbside collection, organics, and roll-off services. Comparable service portfolio to Tri-CED but primarily in the LA basin rather than the Bay Area.
• Pleasanton Garbage Service: Pleasanton Garbage Service is a long-standing Tri-Valley (Alameda County) family-owned hauler providing curbside recycling, organics, and yard waste service to multiple municipalities. Comparable in service mix and East Bay geography, though it operates a few cities east of Tri-CED's territory.
• Burrtec Waste Industries: Burrtec Waste Industries is a California-focused waste and recycling hauler operating curbside collection, MRFs, and organics programs primarily in Southern California and the Central Valley. Comparable in service breadth but geographically outside Tri-CED's Bay Area territory.
• California Waste Solutions: California Waste Solutions is a Bay Area-based solid waste and recycling hauler operating curbside collection, MRF processing, and organics programs. Comparable service portfolio and Bay Area focus, though concentrated in Santa Clara County rather than Alameda.

Emerging players

• Second Chance Inc. Second Chance is a Bay Area nonprofit that operates a retail thrift store and a CRV redemption center, using proceeds for workforce development. It is comparable in the nonprofit/community-employment mission and CRV redemption line of business, even though it does not operate a MRF or municipal collection contracts.

Direct peers

• GreenWaste Recovery: GreenWaste Recovery is a Silicon Valley-based hauling and recycling company operating MRFs, single-stream curbside collection, and organics programs. Directly comparable in service mix and Bay Area footprint, and a credible competitor for adjacent municipal contracts.
• Recology: Recology is a Bay Area-based employee-owned waste hauler operating curbside collection, MRFs, and organics programs across Northern California. Most directly comparable peer—same geography, same single-stream/MRF operating model, and competing for the same municipal contracts Tri-CED holds.

Others

• SA Recycling: SA Recycling is a large U.S. metals recycler that buys scrap ferrous and non-ferrous metals from the public and commercial generators. It is a downstream buyer of commodities from MRFs and Buy Back Centers like Tri-CED's, and an ecosystem participant rather than a direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/TriCEDCommunityRecycling
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/tri-ced-community-recycling

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles13 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 Tri-CED Community Recycling