About Us

Josie Van Schoick, president and owner of Always Green Always Clean, first saw the need for a can washing program in 2009, when communities in the East Bay and San Francisco mandated composting of food scraps to produce green energy and garden compost.

As food waste decomposes in the composting process, it releases methane that can be used to produce power. The material that remains after decomposition is used as a natural fertilizer. Van Schoick was controller at a refuse collection and recycling company, and she realized that while this is a great way to turn waste into energy and a useful byproduct, it leaves waste collection cans in an unsanitary and smelly state.

Most refuse collection customers chose not to buy compostable bags to contain their garbage because of the prohibitive cost, so they began depositing food waste, unbagged, directly into their cans. As more Bay Area communities are banning plastic bags, the likelihood of unbagged garbage being tossed directly into refuse cans is increasing. The results of these trends are messy, smelly garbage cans that need regular cleaning.

To fill this need, Always Green Always Clean uses a customized mobile can cleaning machine developed by Michael Biagini at BWRS that saves water, uses safe, natural cleaning products, and leaves garbage cans clean and deodorized. Contact us for more information.