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Athens-COMMUNITY REPORT-PAGES

2021

COMMUNITY

IMPACT

REPORT

A COMMITMENT TO SERVE

Community service is a core

value of Athens Services,

dating back to our company’s

founding in 1957 when our

family operation consisted of

two trucks and an ambitious

vision for the future.

Over the decades, our family-owned

business has grown to become the largest

privately held environmental services

company in Southern California, with a

dedicated and diverse workforce totaling

1,750 strong serving more than 50

communities. And with that growth, we

are proud to say that our commitment to

community service has not just endured;

it is thriving.

At Athens, this community commitment is

an extension of our steadfast dedication

to delivering excellent service, hiring

and developing the best people, and

fostering a safe, healthy, and sustainable

environment. Taken together, these

principles embody The Athens Way.

In the pages ahead, we share some

stories that highlight the people,

communities, and local organizations we

serve, as well as the successes achieved

as we pursue a zero-waste future by

diverting waste from landfills and towards

recycling, reusing, and composting instead.

As you will see in this report, this

commitment includes active engagement

with local businesses and environmental

organizations, energetic volunteering to

support community events, innovative

technological advances to improve

safety and sustainability, philanthropy

to strengthen nonprofit groups, and so

much more. Our goal is to make all of our

communities stronger as a result of our

service and our presence.

Thank you for your interest in Athens Services.

It’s our privilege to be a partner, investor

and advocate for Southern California

communities.

We believe community service

starts with a company culture that

strives towards a common goal of

a zero-waste future.

Our company culture places great value on

treating our employees like family, delivering

outstanding customer service, and providing

a safe, healthy, and empowering work

environment. Many of our team members live

in the communities we serve, which in turn

helps us better understand local needs and

service opportunities.

Southern California is our home. It is where

our team members live and raise families.

Giving back in a way that strengthens

communities is fundamental to how Athens

operates as a company.

We strive to serve and strengthen communities

in a wide variety of ways — each tailored

to the specific needs and priorities of

the diverse populations we serve. Our

partnerships and programs truly represent

The Athens Way.

A CULTURE OF COMMUNITY SERVICE

Julio Salazar, serving the community since 2003.

Innovative

Partnerships

Athens Services partners and collaborates

with a variety of leading organizations

that are making a positive impact in their

communities. Many of these organizations

are advancing our mission of promoting

sustainability and landfill avoidance

through a range of innovative programs at

the local and regional levels.

Enthusiastic Volunteering

Athens employees are enthusiastic volunteers and can regularly be found investing

their time in our communities. Whether we’re rolling up our sleeves at annual coastal

cleanups, lacing up for charity road races, supporting local food distribution efforts,

serving senior citizens, helping out at area toy drives, or supporting many other

great causes, Athens employees are passionate about being active members in the

community. From the most senior executive to our newest employees, participating in

community service is a fundamental part of the Athens culture.

A CULTURE OF COMMUNITY SERVICE

Community Philanthropy

Athens Services donates financial resources to advance the work of local nonprofit groups throughout Southern California.

In 2021 alone, we contributed to approximately 200 different organizations and events throughout our expansive service

area that spans Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside, Orange, and San Bernardino Counties. Recipients included Boys & Girls

Clubs, youth sports leagues, environmental organizations, business advocacy groups, hospitals and healthcare centers,

education foundations, arts organizations, and many more. It’s all part of being a good neighbor and a relentless advocate

for the people and organizations we serve in Southern California.

FoodCycla LA and

Athens Services work

together to ensure

that edible food

stays out of landfills

and that no child

goes hungry in our

community.

Environmental

Solutions

For more than six decades, Athens Services

has pioneered innovative environmental

solutions to serve the greater Southern

California community. Our groundbreaking

technology and initiatives aim to move

California toward a more sustainable

future by diverting valuable resources

from landfills. Through recycling,

organics diversion, and more, we are

pursuing a zero-waste future that

empowers communities to reduce

their environmental footprint by

safely returning materials to

industry or soil without any

adverse effects to human,

animal, or global health.

< Recyclable material

arrives on the “tipping floor”

of our Sun Valley Materials

Recovery Facility (MRF), the

first step in the diversion

process that helps

prevent waste from

being sent to landfills.

2021 HIGHLIGHTS

Coastal Cleanup

On a Saturday in mid-September, dozens

of Athens Services team members joined

together to help clean the Long Beach

oceanfront in celebration of California Coastal

Cleanup Day. Outfitted in protective gloves

and white Athens Services T-shirts, these

“Zero Waste Hero” volunteers helped pick

up hundreds of pounds of trash — including

plastics and other waste that can harm vital

marine wildlife — protecting the beautiful

coastline and delicate ocean ecosystem.

The statewide initiative activated more

than 26,000 volunteers to remove upwards

of 300,000 total pounds of waste from

beaches, according to the California Coastal

Commission. Athens Services was thrilled to

make an impact along our local waterfront!

Scan me with

your phone’s camera

app to learn more.

Liliana Cortes, Zero-Waste Supervisor serving the community since 2018,

participates in California Coastal Cleanup Day in Long Beach.

Donations of Athens

Trucks to Tijuana

The Athens Way impact extends beyond our greater Los Angeles

community base. In April 2021, Athens Services donated four retired

sanitation trucks to the City of Tijuana, Mexico, helping the community

of nearly 2 million people collect waste and recycling. The donation

supported our neighbor’s sustainability goals while mitigating our shared

environmental footprint. For perspective, American visitors generate

an average of 4.9 pounds of trash for each day they spend in Tijuana,

additional waste the municipality must process. By upcycling the retired

sanitation trucks, Athens Services kept them out of the scrapyard and

in the community to continue making an impact. Following a sendoff

ceremony at Athens Services’ Salt Lake Office in the City of Industry,

Athens team members drove the four trucks to San Ysidro, Calif., just

across our shared border from Tijuana. The donation builds

on the success of a previous sanitation truck donation to

Tijuana in 2019, adding to the impact of this strong

public-private partnership.

Creating and Donating

Tons of Compost

Since 2009, Athens Services has been

producing “black gold” at our state-of-the-

art composting facility, American Organics,

in Victorville. We partner with municipalities

and organizations throughout the Southern

California region to divert organic waste from

the landfill for conversion into a nutrient-rich

soil amendment used by farmers, landscapers,

home gardeners and others. Our compost is

OMRI Listed® and approved for application on

certified organic operations. By diverting organic

material from landfills, Athens is closing the loop

and replenishing the earth with nutrient-rich

compost that helps crops grow.

We distribute compost free of charge in a variety

of ways — at community events, to community

gardens, and to drivers dropping off waste at

our Materials Recovery Facilities. In March of

2021, we donated 40 tons of compost to the

Las Flores Community Garden in Thousand

Oaks and another 40 tons to the residents of

Temple City during a compost giveaway event.

These incredible partnerships aim to protect the

environment and sustain our communities now

and for years to come!

< Temple City residents

form lines to receive

free compost from

Athens Services.

2021 HIGHLIGHTS

Food Recovery

Programs

Athens prides itself on strong local

partnerships to reduce food waste to uplift

the environment and community alike. Since

2018, our partnership with Food Forward,

a Southern California-based produce

recovery nonprofit, has helped divert more

than 750,000 pounds of fresh, healthy

produce from landfills to assist local

hunger relief agencies. We have also

supported the St. Francis Center, a

Los Angeles-based social services

organization, through grants,

donations, and food recovery

partnerships that deliver fresh

produce to people in need.

< Brian Hunter participates

in a food recovery program

in partnership with the

St. Francis Center in

Los Angeles. Brian started

as a recycling coordinator

with Athens in 2016.

Today, he manages

operations at one of

the most advanced

materials recovery

facilities in the

country.

Education Programs

Athens’ innovative environmental services

would not be possible without effective

education and outreach to our community

partners, customers, and employees. In

2021, we conducted a robust outreach

campaign to educate businesses and

residents on relevant legislation, including

Senate Bill 1383, a new state law designed

to reduce methane and other greenhouse

gas emissions statewide; AB 1826, which

requires commercial organics recycling;

and AB 341, which set a 75 percent

recycling goal for California by 2020. These

efforts included on-site visits, training,

and public events. In addition, the Athens

communications team shot and produced