Leaders in Resource Recovery Unveil New Corporate Name and Philosophy that Redefines the Solid Waste Management Industry

Press Release
April 28, 2009

San Francisco, Calif. (April 28, 2009) – Singer Associates, Inc. today brought forward Recology, Norcal Waste Systems’ new name and corporate identity. Recology™, formerly Norcal Waste Systems, the leader in resource recovery, formally changed its corporate name yesterday. The name change is rooted in the company’s 89-year heritage as one of the nation’s first urban recyclers. Recology, with clear roots in words like recycling, renewal, reuse and reduction, signals that the company will be leading the evolution of the industry—eliminating waste from the vocabulary of consumer and industry alike. The new name, Recology, supports the company’s unique record of success in driving resource recovery and composting services to unparalleled levels.

“We are changing our name because our business has changed, and we choose to be leaders in the growth of resource recovery,” says Mike Sangiacomo, President & Chief Executive Officer of Recology. “Our industry is no longer about waste management, it is about waste zero and our new name, Recology, will help move us away from the mentality of disposal to a mandate to use less of what we have and get more from what we use.”

Singer Associates, joined by Jef Loeb of Brainchild Creative and Steve Sandstrom of Sandstrom Partners, worked with Norcal’s senior management team and Board of Directors to develop a new name and logo that is reflective of the company’s ideology and operations today.

“This isn’t just a change of name – it is the beginning of the changing of an industry,” says Adam Alberti, Executive Vice President of Singer Associates. “For environmental, economic and social reasons, the world is shifting from waste management to a much broader understanding about the value of resource recovery. The rebranding of Norcal Waste Systems solidifies their operations and mission in a changing industry and time.”

For almost a century, Recololgy, formerly Norcal Waste Systems, has translated ideas into action, good intentions into outstanding service and innovation into true industry leadership. Serving as one of the nation’s first urban recyclers, the company pioneered turning residential composting from a small waste collection sideline into a major part of community sustainability. In 2000, Norcal met San Francisco’s then incredibly ambitious goal of diverting 50 percent of waste from landfills. Today, the company is well on the task of the City’s globally admired objective of zero waste.

“The logo, with its proud ‘R’ features a green treatment with an organic splash,” says Jef Loeb, Creative Director of Brainchild Creative. “The green and blue that make up the word ‘Recology’ are deliberately designed to highlight the fact that ‘ecology’ is an integral part of the new brand.”

This exciting new brand was launched publicly with an internal launch to its more than 2,000 employee owners with a video of Recologists explaining the meaning of Recology. Over time, the brand will bring new meaning to the world as Recology changes everything about the way the industry works.

About Recology
Norcal Waste Systems, Inc. formally changed its corporate name to Recology. The company has taken this step to signal its determination to be a leader in the transformation from waste management to a new world of resource recovery and optimization. As part of this change, Recology has adopted a new rallying cry – Waste Zero. For more information about the new name and what it means for you, the communities it serves and the planet we all share, please visit www.recology.com.

Recology provides residential and commercial recycling, materials recovery, construction and demolition debris recycling, large-scale composting of food scraps and organic waste, compost sales, waste collection, transfer, landfill operations, green planning and administration.