What OC Waste & Recycling does

OC Waste & Recycling (OCWR) is a department of the Orange County, California government responsible for solid waste management across the county's 34 cities and unincorporated areas. The agency operates three active landfills — Frank R. Bowerman (Irvine), Olinda Alpha (Brea), and Prima Deshecha (San Juan Capistrano) — that collectively process over four million tons of solid waste annually, alongside oversight of twenty-plus closed landfill sites, four household hazardous waste collection centers, mattress recycling under the Bye Bye Mattress Program, and windrow-based compost and mulch production at the Bee Canyon and Capistrano Greeneries. Core infrastructure includes landfill gas-to-energy systems that convert methane into renewable power and organics processing aligned with California Department of Food and Agriculture and OMRI certifications. Programs are anchored in state mandates — SB 1383 (organics diversion and edible food recovery), AB 341 (commercial recycling), AB 1826 (commercial organics), and AB 827 (recycling signage) — with OCWR providing compliance support, educational curricula (EcoChallenge and Project Zero Waste), and a newly launched $6M Regional Recycling and Edible Food Recovery Grant Program.

Revenue mechanics combine landfill disposal fees (transaction-based), exclusive and non-exclusive franchise agreements with major haulers (CR&R, Republic Services, Waste Management, Park Disposal, Valley Vista Services, Universal Waste Systems, and Midway City Sanitary District), grants, and county appropriations; residential services including household hazardous waste disposal, mattress recycling, and compost/mulch are provided free of charge. Distribution runs through three public landfill sites, franchise haulers across unincorporated areas, four HHW collection centers, an online self-service portal (oclandfills.com), the OC Recycle Guide A-Z lookup tool, and a multilingual website supporting English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Chinese, Korean, Arabic, and Farsi. Customer segments span individual residents, commercial businesses (4+ cubic yards/week), multi-family housing (5+ units), and K-12 schools, with education delivered in partnership with the Orange County Department of Education, Discovery Cube OC, and sports franchises.

Name

OC Waste & Recycling

Legal name

OC Waste & Recycling

Website

https://oclandfills.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

OC Waste & Recycling is a department of Orange County, California government that operates three active landfills serving 34 cities and unincorporated areas, processing over four million tons of waste annually through disposal, recycling, organics diversion, and household hazardous waste programs.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Municipal Solid Waste Management

NAICS

Solid Waste Landfill (562212), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Hazardous Waste Collection (562112), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629), Solid Waste Collection (562111)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950), Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Cogeneration Services & Small Power Producers (4991)

akta.pro primary industry

Solid Waste & Recycling Services Administration (BPAIACAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Industrial & Commercial (I&C) Landfills (Non-hazardous) (EUAIACAC), Universal Waste Management (Batteries, Lamps, Mercury-Containing) (BPALAHAL), E-waste & Universal Waste Collection/Transfer (Electronics, Lamps, Batteries) (EUAIABAG), Consumer E-waste Collection & Take-Back Programs (EUAIAIAA)

Keywords

• Municipal waste management
• Landfill operations
• Recycling services
• Household hazardous waste
• Organics diversion

Headquarters

HQ city

Santa Ana

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Landfill Disposal Fees: Fees charged for waste disposal at OCWR landfill facilities. The County operates one of the largest solid waste disposal systems in California.
2. Franchise Agreement Fees: Revenue from exclusive and non-exclusive franchise agreements with waste haulers including CR&R, Republic Services, and Waste Management operating in unincorporated Orange County areas.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

OC Waste & Recycling is the County of Orange's integrated solid waste authority, operating three active landfills that accept municipal solid waste from across 34 Orange County cities and unincorporated communities. It administers franchise agreements with private haulers, runs free household hazardous waste and mattress recycling collection programs, manages residential and commercial organics recycling under SB 1383, distributes compost and mulch to the public, and operates a landfill gas-to-energy program that converts captured methane into renewable electricity.

Product overview

OC Waste & Recycling (OCWR) is Orange County's government waste management agency operating a platform of integrated solid waste services. The core operations center on three active landfills (Frank R. Bowerman in Irvine, Olinda Alpha in Brea, and Prima Deshecha in San Juan Capistrano) receiving over four million tons annually. Supporting services include household and business hazardous waste collection, mattress and metal recycling, and compost/mulch distribution from greenery facilities. SB 1383 compliance programs encompass commercial and residential organics recycling, edible food recovery with partner organizations, and multi-family housing compliance. Educational initiatives include the EcoChallenge K-12 curriculum and newly launched Project Zero Waste curriculum developed with the Orange County Department of Education. The Regional Recycling and Edible Food Recovery Grant Program provides up to $6 million in funding. The OC Recycle Guide serves as a digital tool for residents. Twenty closed landfill sites are documented for regulatory oversight.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Frank R. Bowerman Landfill

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduce organic waste disposal 50% by 2020 and 75% by 2025 per SB 1383
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Orange County Department of EducationcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026Launched Project Zero Waste, a free standards-aligned K-12 curriculum on recycling, composting, and sustainable materials management. Curriculum available in English, Spanish, and Vietnamese, aligning with California Science and Social Science frameworks. Includes field trips to waste management facilities.
• Discovery Cube Orange CountycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to bring EcoChallenge exhibit featuring waste and recycling sorting and composting education. Also offers grant-funded programs and field trips for schools.
• Agromin CorporationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerTransforms curbside-collected green waste into nutrient-rich compost and mulch. Agromin identifies and connects bulk customers (farms, parks, municipal landscaping) with OMRI Listed and STA Certified compost products manufactured at OCWR facilities in Brea, Irvine, and San Juan Capistrano.
• Inside the Outdoors (ITO)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOCDE's non-profit organization providing grant-funded environmental education programs including Project Zero Waste. Part of Orange County Department of Education ecosystem.
• Anaheim Ducks Hockey ClubminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSports team partnership for environmental education initiatives. Combines collective education efforts with sports fan engagement to encourage sustainable behaviors.
• Angels BaseballminorGTM or Marketing PartnerRegional sports team partnership to combine education initiatives and incentivize environmental behavior changes through sports engagement.
• Mattress Recycling CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdministers Bye Bye Mattress Program enabling free mattress recycling at OC landfills. California law requires retailers to collect recycling fees on mattress sales to fund the program.
• UC South Coast Research & Extension Center (SCREC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to educate the community on composting through hands-on demonstrations at the research center.
• Food Recovery OrganizationscoreOthersNetwork of food recovery organizations serving Orange County including Second Harvest Food Bank, OC Food Bank, Food Forward, Waste No Food, and others. Supports edible food recovery under SB 1383.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ocwaste
• Facebookfacebook.com/OCWaste
• Instagraminstagram.com/ocwaste

Compliance4 records

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 OC Waste & Recycling