By Tammy Boone	Photos By Eric Henegar

1. EDCO Disposal’s Volvo L-120 Loader with 8 cubic yard grapple bucket preparing to load solid waste into transfer trailer. 2. (Left) John Snyder, Vice President, EDCO Disposal. (Right) Dale Hixson, Director of transfer facilities. 3. The Volvo L120 Loader loading materials into walking floor trailer. 4. Front end load waste collection vehicle dumping load at EDCO’s transfer station. 5. Entrance to EDCO recovery and transfer station in San Diego, CA.

Over the past 20 years, the solid waste industry in California has been subjected to several Federal, State and local mandates that have forced companies to adapt and change their focus. EDCO Disposal has successfully navigated these changes and has continued to grow into one of the largest family-owned and locally operated waste collection and recycling companies in the state.

Started in 1967 with one truck, the EDCO family of companies offers integrated, user-friendly waste removal and recycling programs for residential homes, multi-family properties, commercial businesses, multi-tenant buildings, industrial centers, construction sites and community events. The company began as the franchised solid waste hauler for the City of La Mesa in San Diego County. Over the 39 years since then, EDCO has acquired a number of other family-owned operators in Southern California with the commitment to remain a non-publicly traded entity.

EDCO’s commercial services include scheduled dumpster service; roll-off bins for construction debris and landscape materials; compactor service, sales and repair, and recycling programs for office paper, cardboard, and food/beverage containers.

Recently the company upgraded its older equipment and purchased four new Volvo machines from Mathews Machinery: two L120E Wheel Loaders, one MC80B Skid Steer Loader, and one MC90B Skid Steer Loader.

The L120E Wheel Loader is a 20-ton machine with a 7-liter, 6-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine. According to the Volvo website, this provides a “fast, efficient response, even at low engine speeds while carrying a full load.”

The MC80B Skid Steer Loader has a 16-valve 76.3 hp Volvo engine that meets Tier II standards. The website says it has “excellent maneuverability, the ability to quickly connect to a wide range of attachments and industry-leading comfort and safety.

“Volvo offers the only skid steer loader line in the industry with a choice of popular foot and hand mechanical controls or the comfort and efficiency of hand-operated hydraulic pilot controls,” the website continues.

The MC90B Skid Steer Loader is designed to operate in tough conditions. According to the website the loader arms are engineered using the latest computer analysis techniques in order to reduce stress points and increase life.

According to John Snyder, Vice President of EDCO’s Southern San Diego County operations, the company’s new L120Es are being used in the transfer stations, where waste is brought in from various locations by dump trucks and then transferred to semi trucks to be transported to landfills. The MC90B is also used at the transfer station to grab material. The operator can pull out large items such as metal, wood, concrete and green waste, which can be recycled or sold.

The MC80B is used at the material recovery facility in Lemon Grove in the recycling process. It is used to both feed and load the conveyor line. The grapple bucket on the MC80B enables the machine operator to grab material, such as concrete, that can’t go through the conveyor line because it would damage it.

John says that they have been very happy in the six months that they’ve owned the new equipment. “We receive great service from the dealer and the manufacturer, and excellent training and support,” he explains. “A key reason we chose the Volvo machines is that they offer a huge fuel savings over similar equipment from other manufacturers.”

John says that recycling has become a huge part of their business since 1989, when the California Integrated Waste Management Act (AB 939), which mandates recycling, went into effect. “Since that time, we have become one of the biggest recycling processors in the state,” he adds. “We’re the biggest exporter of materials in weight volume from California to the Far East.

“China and Taiwan have limited natural resources that are used for paper production and we export all grades of paper fibers to Asia,” he continues.

“Before 1989, we were just a garbage company,” he jokes.

John—who worked at EDCO growing up and began full time with the company in 1992—feels that despite EDCO’s size, they are extremely capable of doing anything. They have strong public ties and continue to be particularly customer-focused and resource-conscious.

For nine consecutive years EDCO’s programs to reduce, reuse and recycle waste company-wide have been recognized by California’s Waste Reduction Awards Program (WRAP). The company not only advocates recycling paper, food and beverage containers, scrap metal and other recyclable materials, but promotes waste reduction and prevention by encouraging staff to make double-sided copies, limit use of disposable items and use electronic messaging. EDCO’s staff is also involved in developing community recycling programs and new markets for collected materials, and in providing educational activities and information about recycling.

The company currently processes more than 1,000 tons of recyclables each day.

John says that being a family-owned company allows EDCO to act quickly, creatively and responsibly to solve challenging waste and recycling issues. All the while, the company displays the integrity of its people in all that it does.

Future plans for the company include continued growth and a commitment to remaining a family-owned and operated company.

For more information look online at www.edcodisposal.com or call (619) 287-7555. Cc