A record 7 trash-truck drivers from San Francisco received Driver of the Year trophies at the National Waste & Recycling Association awards ceremony held in Las Vegas, NV. Garbage companies across the country submit applications for their best drivers to the national contest. San Francisco won the most Driver of the Year Awards in the country in this year鈥檚 competition.
Key criteria include years of service, difficulty of route/driving assignment, and safety record. Customer and community service are also major factors. The annual competition highlights refuse collectors and haulers as essential workers who perform tough and dirty jobs and help keep our cities clean.
Driving a trash truck in San Francisco presents multiple challenges 鈥� steep hills, narrow streets, and many drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists competing for the same space. The refuse collectors from San Francisco work for Recology. To get one driver to the top of the mountain in this competition is a true achievement. For 7 drivers from one city to win awards in one year is remarkable. Collectively, the local winners have served San Francisco for more than 200 years.
鈥淚t’s so exciting to see the people who help keep our city clean get recognized at the national level! San Francisco is such a tricky place to navigate, and the refuse collectors do an amazing job year-round. Congrats to all the winners, it’s well deserved!鈥� says San Francisco resident Tracy Zinder.
The 7 awardees from San Francisco and their contest categories include:
1st Place
- Luis Gonalez, Roll-off, Recology Golden Gate
- Melvin Mello III, Safety Sensitive, Recology San Francisco
Honorable Mention
- Dave Barbagelata, Residential, Recology Sunset Scavenger
- Quincy Bundage, Commercial, Recology Sunset Scavenger
- Mike Burian, Safety Sensitive, Recology San Francisco
- Rigoberto Lopez, Roll-off, Recology Sunset Scavenger
- Rodney McAlavey, Safety Sensitive, Recology San Francisco
Recology is based in San Francisco and provides refuse collection, recycling, and curbside composting services to cities in California, Oregon, and Washington state.