Welcome to the Haul of Fame, a weekly series from Rubicon in which we sit down with a hauler partner to talk about their company, their community, and how they’re collaborating with Rubicon in our mission to end waste.
As our nation continues to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, the men and women at companies like these are on the front lines, continuing to drive their daily routes and keeping our communities safe and clean. Their work is the linchpin to safeguarding the public health and we thank them, now more than ever, for providing this essential service to our society.
Ware Disposal, headquartered in Santa Ana, California, provides refuse and recycling services in five county areas in Southern California ranging from San Diego to Los Angeles. With a fleet of 125 clean-fuel vehicles, Ware Disposal offers side loader, front loader, and roll off service to over 5,000 commercial accounts and more than 25,000 single family residences. Founded in 1968, Ware Disposal is a second-generation family-owned hauler that has been working with Rubicon for close to a decade.
Jay Ware, General Manager at Ware Disposal, sat down with Rubicon to talk about his company and mission for the Haul of Fame.
How does Rubicon’s mission to end waste match-up to Ware Disposal’s own company mission?
Ware Disposal: Ware Disposal’s philosophy is to make waste history, and that matches up perfectly with Rubicon’s mission to end waste.
How does Ware Disposal distinguish itself from the competition?
Ware Disposal: What distinguishes Ware Disposal from its competitors is its focus on its core business—recycling—rather than disposal. It has always searched for ways to reduce costs to its customers through recycling. This is never more evident than with its efforts to implement zero waste in its own facilities. Virtually no waste is generated from facility operations, and many components such as interior furnishings, recycling containers, and more are themselves reclaimed.
What is the view of Ware Disposal when it comes to participating in the circular economy and helping build a more sustainable future?
Ware Disposal: Ware Disposal has been an innovator since the company’s founding in 1968, and in its view it wants to remain a leader in the circular economy. Its innovations have been crucial to the development of the circular economy and building a local sustainable economy. For instance, Ware Disposal established one of the first dedicated construction and demolition (C&D) debris materials recovery facility (MRF) in Southern California. Ware Disposal also pioneered wet-dry routing to maximize recovery of the dry fraction of waste that wasn’t separated out in the recycling bins by generators.
How has the Rubicon technology in your fleet of vehicles helped you and your drivers in their everyday job?
Ware Disposal: In this age of diversion metrics and exacting reporting requirements demanded by California jurisdictions and the State of California (CalRecycle), Rubicon’s technology in our fleet of vehicles has been absolutely essential in helping our drivers meet their daily requirements of swift, efficient collection, and real time reporting. Rubicon’s technology helps us provide residential and commercial customers, as well as governmental agencies, with the latest information on collection routing, while documenting accurate real-time locations and activities.
What do you love most about the community in which you work, and the customers you serve?
Ware Disposal: Ware Disposal is a family-owned, local firm with an ownership and workforce that lives in the communities it works in. We thrive when our customers thrive, so our foremost aim is to assure that customers get service that is timely, efficient, and cost effective. So what we truly love about the communities in which we work is that they represent our neighborhoods, and quality family life is why Ware Disposal was formed.
Where does Ware Disposal see itself five years from now?
Ware Disposal: Ware Disposal sees continued growth and expansion within its five county service area, and even in other markets. Our goal is to double our capacity and revenues by emphasizing commitment to excellence and adherence to our fundamental goals of innovativeness and zero waste. We work hard to monetize conservation, and our future clearly lies in changing our industry from waste management to resource management. Let’s “make waste history,” as we say in Los Angeles!
Chris Watts is Sr. Director of Innovation and Hauler Relations at Rubicon. To stay ahead of Rubicon’s announcements of new partnerships and collaborations around the world, be sure to follow us on LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, or contact us today.
