Emmons Service, Inc.
Emmons Service, Inc., 913 Water Street, Jackson, Michigan, United States

In 1918, Emmons Service, Inc. was founded in Jackson by William Patton Emmons to remove rubbish from residential areas by horse-drawn wagon. As the business grew over the next 25 years, a shift from horse-drawn wagons to motorized trucks began to gain momentum, allowing for cleaner, more efficient removal of trash and garbage. After William had passed in this same time, his son, Robert Hague Emmons, purchased the company from his estate.

Emmons Service remained under the ownership of Robert Emmons until 1981, when he then sold the business to his son, David Del Emmons. It was under David's leadership that Emmons again improved the way they collected garbage along residential routes by introducing the "Curby" cart service in 1985. He also started a compost drop-off-site for yard waste in 1988, as he recognized that recycling was moving to become a major aspect of hauling in the future.

The compost drop-off site became a two-tiered residential recycling program by the end of 1990, which included curb-side pickup throughout the county and large receptacles for dropping off corrugated cardboard, newsprint, glass, metal and plastics. Shortly after the recycling program's inception, an advanced recycling truck was purchased to keep up with the increasing number of households participating in the program.