Committed to providing waste management services of the highest quality since the 1800s.

Garden City Sanitation’s history is based exclusively in California’s San Francisco Bay Area and dates back to the late 1800s through its affiliate, South San Francisco Scavenger, when garbage was collected using horses and carts. Independently owned and operated, Garden City Sanitation (GCS) partners collectively embody generations of solid waste and recycling experience.

Most of the old photographs posted on this site are from our own archives. The recent trend toward environmental conservation through recycling is simply a return to the very roots that started GCS and its affiliated companies. Recycling waste, or “scavenging” as it was often termed in the early years, was being performed under the direction of individuals linked to the GCS team more than 50 years prior to the advent of compaction collection vehicles in the 1950s – which nearly eliminated recycling efforts for approximately 30 years.

Mission Statement

Garden City Sanitation (GCS) is committed to protecting public health and safety while providing reliable and efficient service rendered with professionalism, as reflected in the Company’s mission statement:

GCS is committed to providing waste management services of the highest quality, delivered with pride and professionalism to our customers, utilizing environmentally sensitive equipment that is safe, efficient, reliable, and appropriate to the work performed. In carrying out our mission, we intend to provide and maintain the best possible work environment for our employees, fully cooperate with all governing and regulating agencies, and do our part to create a sense of partnership between the Company and the communities we serve.

The people who make up GCS are local people with a local interest and vision. GCS owners are concerned with their work, their communities, and their industry–and strive to be an integral part of it all. Complete familiarity with their work has been acquired through decades of focus on and commitment to the business of collecting and managing waste streams, and caring for the people encountered at all levels. GCS does not view itself as being outside of or unaccountable to the individuals, communities, or agencies with which it interacts. Rather, the Company understands it exists only because of an opportunity given to serve the public. GCS thrives on proving itself worthy to do so, and chooses to operate in a transparent manner.

The core values of Garden City Sanitation are accountability and transparency, honesty, respect and concern for people and property, and environmental stewardship.