Athens Services earns collection contract

Athens Services says next year it will provide waste and recycling collection service to several thousand households in Ventura County, California.

Starting Jan. 1, 2024, Athens, which is based in City of Industry, California, will serve approximately 6,700 residential customers in the Southeast Residential Service Area, a section of Ventura County that includes Oak Park and other communities near the cities of Moorpark, Simi Valley and Thousand Oaks, California.

Services will include recycling food scraps and other organic materials as required by California's SB 1383.

The firm says the new contract will deepen its relationship with Ventura County, where it has had a presence since 2017 when it began serving the city of Santa Paula. Last year, Athens also became a service provider in the city of Thousand Oaks, Ventura County’s second-largest city.

Thousand Oaks and Santa Paula are the first two cities in the county to offer citywide organics recycling services as required by SB 1383. In Ventura County, Athens also serves the Conejo Valley Unified School District.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with Ventura County and introduce even more households and communities to the Athens Way—our commitment to excellent service, a stellar team and a safe and healthy environment,” Athens Executive Vice President Cesar Torres says.

Athens Services was awarded its franchise following a bidding process that involved several waste haulers. Athens submitted the winning bid for one of four services areas, while Ventura-based Harrison Industries was awarded contracts in the other three quadrants.

“Athens is a natural partner for Ventura County because we share many of the same values: delivering stellar service and exceptional value, reducing environmental impacts, creating job opportunities, strengthening local economies and giving back to communities," Athens Executive Vice President Gary Clifford says.

The company says it has a leadership position in organics recycling, adding that in Ventura County 100 percent of its fleet of collection vehicles will be powered by what it calls carbon-negative renewable natural gas sourced from dairy farm byproducts.

Athens Services, a fourth-generation, family-owned and operated waste collection and recycling company that has served Southern California since 1957, says it will operate a Ventura County Sustainability Center to serve as a hub for environmental outreach and education programs.