RECOLOGY: 100 Years Of Service
For more than a century, Recology has helped shape San Francisco. From the Gold Rush and the 1906 earthquake to the Summer of Love, the technology revolution, and the COVID-19 pandemic, the company has grown alongside a city defined by resilience and reinvention.
For Recology’s 100th anniversary, we went behind the scenes of the operation that keeps San Francisco one of the cleanest and most sustainable cities in the world. Through the eyes of the employees who operate heavy equipment, navigate crowded city streets, and recover valuable resources every day, we revealed the extraordinary skill, dedication, and safety culture behind Recology’s mission. Their stories became the story of a company whose commitment to innovation and zero waste has made San Francisco a model for cities around the globe.
What did the Recology driver say to the Policeman?
“We go down every street.”
The Streets of San Francisco
Long before recycling became a movement, Recology drivers were a familiar sight on neighborhood streets. They are the public face of the company, navigating one of the most challenging urban driving environments in the country every single day.
Inspired by San Francisco’s rich cinematic driving history, from Bullitt to The Streets of San Francisco, we reframed driver safety as a story of skill, responsibility, and pride. The result was a series of documentary-style films featuring employees sharing their own experiences and best practices, transforming safety procedures into authentic, peer-to-peer stories with one simple goal: Zero Accidents. Zero Injuries.
“It’s like I’m steering an aircraft carrier through the city.”
Driveology
Operating more than 350 trucks every day while collecting over 2,500 tons of material requires extraordinary professionalism. Instead of relying on traditional training videos, we created Driveology: a safety program built around the voices of Recology employees themselves.
Through personal stories and practical experience, drivers became teachers, mentors, and advocates for one another, reinforcing a culture where every safe decision protects a coworker, a family, and the community they serve.
REFRAMING SAFETY AS A SKILL, NOT A TASK
History. Purpose. Pride.
One of the strongest insights to emerge during production was the remarkable pride employees take in their work. They see themselves as more than drivers or collection crews. They are environmental stewards, community ambassadors, and essential workers helping build a world without waste.
That pride became the emotional foundation of the anniversary campaign, revealing that Recology’s greatest asset has never been its fleet: it has always been its people.
A LIFE CHANGING ACCIDENT
Arnoldo Diaz
To launch the safety initiative, we featured Arnoldo Diaz, a longtime Recology employee whose life changed after a serious on-the-job accident.
After delivering an emotional interview in a single take, Arnoldo quietly mentioned that he had never shared his story with anyone outside his family. His willingness to do so became a powerful reminder that the most effective safety lessons come not from manuals, but from people willing to share their experiences so others can make it home safely.
RECOLOGY | Safety Series Launch Film
“Everybody hears us, nobody sees us.”
Our Approach
To create the series, we worked with a small documentary crew embedded in Recology’s daily operations. We began each day at the maintenance yard, rode alongside drivers on their routes through San Francisco, and spent time inside the recycling and transfer facilities observing the work firsthand. Rather than relying on scripted demonstrations, we learned directly from the employees themselves, documenting the routines, challenges, and safety practices they use every day. Their experience shaped every film, resulting in authentic stories that transformed safety procedures into practical lessons shared by peers who had earned the trust of their coworkers.
RECOLOGY | Safety Series Trailer
FROM THE GOLD RUSH TO THE TECH BOOM
Celebrating 100 Years of Service
To commemorate Recology’s 100th anniversary, we produced a film that brought a century of San Francisco history to life through the people who have always been at the heart of the company. Using archival photographs spanning the early 1900s through today, we recreated iconic moments with current Recology employees, carefully matching each scene using the company’s collection of restored historical vehicles. As the past seamlessly transformed into the present, the film revealed an unbroken legacy of service, from horse-drawn wagons and the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake to today’s recycling trucks serving a city once again leading environmental change. More than a historical retrospective, the film celebrated the generations of employees whose dedication has helped shape San Francisco while advancing Recology’s enduring vision of a world without waste.
100 Year Anniversary Celebration Event Video
WORKING THROUGH EARTHQUAKES
AND PANDEMICS
Cenobio Orpeza
Few people embody Recology’s legacy more than Cenobio Orpeza, the company’s oldest active driver.
Having served San Francisco through decades of change, including the Loma Prieta earthquake and the COVID-19 pandemic—Cenobio represents generations of employees whose dedication has kept the city running through its most defining moments.
As part of the centennial celebration, San Francisco artist Christo Orpeza created a portrait honoring his father. The artwork became a tribute not only to Cenobio, but to the thousands of Recology employees whose hard work, resilience, and commitment have helped build San Francisco while creating better futures for their own families.
4:30am
Driveology achieved its goal of reinvigorating Recology’s safety program. For years, employees viewed the monthly 4 a.m. safety meetings as repetitive and uninspiring. By replacing static presentations with documentary films featuring their own coworkers—and redesigning the companion PowerPoint presentations—the program became engaging, memorable, and relevant. More importantly, it sparked ongoing conversations between employees and senior management about how to continually improve safety across the organization. Safety was no longer just another meeting. It became a shared conversation led by the people who knew the work best.
