Though our three-can curbside recycling program revolutionized the industry in California, we knew it wasn’t for everyone. Apartment and condo complexes, and business and industry had special circumstances that made it impractical to store three different receptacles. So we went back to the drawing board and came up with an innovative material recovery technology that enabled us to sort and separate recyclables at a special processing plant. This made it possible to keep the traditional trash can system and avoid the need for separate collection vehicles. And that meant less wear-and-tear on the streets and less noise and air pollution in our neighborhoods.