Recology believes that art plays a unique role in educating and inspiring the public. By supporting artists who create work from materials that have been thrown away, the Recology Artist in Residence (AIR) Programs encourage us to see discarded materials in a new light and reflect on our own consumption practices.

Founded in San Francisco in 1990, Recology AIR Programs now operate in four cities: San Francisco, Portland, Seattle, and Astoria. GLEAN in Portland is a collaboration between Recology, crackedpots, an environmental arts organization, and Metro, the regional government that manages the Portland metropolitan area’s garbage and recycling system. In Astoria, the Coastal Oregon Artist Residency (COAR), is a collaboration between Recology and Astoria Visual Arts.

Over 170 professional and 30 student artists have participated in these programs.

• San Francisco artists
• GLEAN artists
• Recology King County artists

Supporting Local Artists

Our AIR Programs are designed to support local artists and art communities. Resident artists are provided with access to materials at our facilities, studio space and a stipend, and exhibitions are held at the end of each residency. After their residencies, artists leave artwork to be kept in Recology’s permanent collection. These pieces are shown in exhibitions that promote the power of reuse.

• Images San Francisco
• Images GLEAN
• Images Recology King County Seattle

Artist Selection

Each AIR Program accepts applications annually from professional artists working in the local community. Artists are selected by advisory boards, and applications are evaluated based on a variety of criteria:

• The artist’s demonstrated commitment to resource conservation and recycling through art
• The artist’s experience in art education and/or environmental education
• How well the residency can help provide the artist with professional growth
• The quality of the artist’s previous work
• The artist’s references

Giving Back to the Communities We Serve

The Recology Volunteer Program was established in 2008 to support local organizations that work to make our communities better to live in. Recology employees and community volunteers work together several times each year to beautify and restore community centers, retirement homes, parks, and other public spaces with fresh recycled paint, compost, drought resistant plants, and mulch.

In 2013/2014, almost 1,200 employees in California, Oregon and Washington participated in 34 volunteer events, committing over 8,000 hours in gardening, painting, and repairing facilities within communities we serve.

Volunteer Events

Marysville Habitat for Humanity Headquarters Cleanup

In May 2016 we joined forces with Habitat of Humanity to revitalize their new service hub for the homeless. We painted the facility’s interior and exterior using our recycled paint and spread Recology arbor mulch on the landscape in preparation for the facility’s grand opening later this year.

City of Patterson Community Cleanup

The City of Patterson is located near our Recology Blossom Valley Organics facility, and many of our compost customers live in this community. The city needed to clean up an overgrown thoroughfare in the main residential part of town – So, along with donating recycled mulch, we worked together to spread the material and help create an easy-to-maintain landscape.

City of San Francisco, Little Hollywood District Cleanup

Recology teamed up with SF Recreation & Park to beautify Little Hollywood Park in San Francisco. The park had become overgrown with weeds and dead leaves, and all the benches were rusty. Using recycled paint, we re-painted benches, walls, and handrails, and spread Recology compost throughout planter boxes. Closing the loop, we hauled multiple debris boxes of weeds and yard trimmings away, processing them into compost.

Beyond Waste Community Programs

Recology Waste Zero teams provide comprehensive education and outreach services with a goal to inspire sustainable behavior. These teams work closely with local community leaders, tailoring outreach programs to best serve the needs of our customers and communities.

GOOGLE CAMPUS
City of Mountain View, CA

Google employs over 20,000 employees at their Mountain View location. Their offices include large kitchens to accommodate meal prep for all employees.

Partnership 
Recology Mountain View’s Waste Zero Specialist worked with the sustainability team at Google to identify potential areas where the business could increase their recycling efforts. The goal was to increase compost and recycling participation in order to meet Google Green Initiatives and increase diversion.

Challenge
Google’s offices make up about 8% of all commercial business in the City of Mountain View – none of which had compost containers at the time.

WINDSOR HEIGHTS
SeaTac, WA

Windsor Heights is a large multi-family property in SeaTac, Washington with a diverse population of residents.

Partnership
Recology CleanScapes worked together with the property management team at King County Housing Authority to ensure that residents had the proper containers to maximize diversion.  Our goal was to improve the percentage of waste diverted from the entire property.

Challenge
Upon working together, the property was using 10 garbage dumpsters, but just one recycling dumpster to serve the entire 324 unit site.

PARTNERSHIPS HELP DRIVE DIVERSION

We’re always looking for like-minded municipalities to partner with. We serve cities and counties under franchise agreements and in open market areas, such as Portland. Every partnership is unique, as we tailor services depending on demographics and landscapes, working together to maximize resource recovery.

For many of our municipalities, we invest in infrastructure that supports material recovery operations. Oftentimes, implementing technology and infrastructure are how we help cities reach their long-term sustainability objectives. This means updating the facilities where we operate, and building new facilities as needed.