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History and Mission

Submitted by rethinkw-superadmin on Fri, 10/17/2008 - 08:00.

RethinkWaste is nationally recognized for environmental leadership in sustainable materials management practices to support livable communities.

History

Formed in 1982, the South Bayside Waste Management Authority (RethinkWaste) is a joint powers authority with twelve member agencies (the cities of Belmont, Burlingame, East Palo Alto, Foster City, Menlo Park, Redwood City, San Carlos and San Mateo, the towns of Atherton and Hillsborough, the County of San Mateo and the West Bay Sanitary District) in San Mateo County and is a leader in innovative waste reduction and recycling programs.

The primary goal of the RethinkWaste is to provide cost effective waste reduction, recycling, and solid waste programs to member agencies through franchised services and other recyclers to meet and sustain a minimum of 50% diversion of waste from landfill as mandated by California State Law, AB 939. As of January 1, 2011, Recology San Mateo County (Recology) provides Recycle, Compost and Garbage collection services for the 92,000 RethinkWaste residences and 10,000 businesses.

RethinkWaste is led by an Executive Director, Kevin McCarthy, who reports to a Board of Directors comprised of senior staff from member agencies. Our offices are located in the San Carlos library building. We also share staff with the City of San Carlos including using the city’s Finance and Accounting Department.

RethinkWaste owns the Shoreway Environmental Center in San Carlos, and is operated by South Bay Recycling (SBR) on behalf of our agency. The Shoreway Environmental Center is located on the border of San Carlos and Redwood City and primarily in the City of San Carlos, at 225 and 333 Shoreway Road, on the east side of Highway 101, north of Holly Road/Redwood Shores Parkway.

Shoreway serves as a regional solid waste and recycling facility for the receipt, handling and transfer of refuse, recyclables and organic materials collected from the RethinkWaste service area (southern and central San Mateo County). Residential and commercial solid waste recyclable and organic materials that are collected by the franchise hauler, Recology, are taken to the Shoreway Environmental Center for processing, staging and shipment.

Mission

RethinkWaste designs and implements sustainable waste reduction, recycling and facility operations services to achieve our member agencies environmental goals and requirements.

Values

  1. Implementing environmental practices and policies are good for our customers, local businesses and residents.
  2. Long term planning for waste reduction, recycling, and residuals management is fundamental to achieving our mission.
  3. We believe providing environmental education for children and adults fosters a greater resource conservation ethic which results in more livable and sustainable communities.
  4. We believe in delivering cost-effective and customer friendly service.
  5. We believe supporting collaboration and cooperation among member agencies and key stakeholders produces the best long-term results.

Strategic Priorities

  1. Provide strategic oversight and direction to the environmental services companies that collect, process, recycle and dispose of residuals for the member agencies.
  2. Ensure contractors’ and RethinkWaste programs are managed cost effectively for the ratepayers with performance metrics for all programs.
  3. Deliver strategic oversight and management of the Shoreway Environmental Center to meet financial, operational, and environmental goals.
  4. Ensure compliance with environmental regulations governing the collection and processing of recyclables and organic materials and meet or exceed diversion goals.
  5. Anticipate trends and implement innovative solutions for waste reduction, recycling and facility operations services.
  6. Monitor and assess contractor performance so that customer satisfaction and service delivery meets or exceeds contractual requirements.
  7. Adhere to best practices in office operations, operational infrastructure, procurement, human resources, information technology and governance.
  8. Support RethinkWaste programs and policies through relevant community outreach, education, and focused communication.