Oakland Scavengers 1922

Description:
Oakland Scavenger Company workers, 28th Street and Magnolia Street, Oakland, Calif. (l-r) Giuseppi Fagliano, Carlo Isola, and Giobotta Ratto.

Date of Document:
1922

Document Author:
Unknown

Geographic Location:
28th Street and Magnolia Street, Oakland, Calif.

Context:
In the first decade of the 20th century, garbage collection in Oakland was provided by independent collectors most of whom traced their lineage to the northern Italian region of Liguria who drove their horse-drawn garbage wagons to individual customers throughout the city. Competition for customers was fierce, and so in 1909, collectors banded together to form the all-Italian Oakland Scavenger Association. By 1920, it officially incorporated as the Oakland Scavenger Company, an employee-owned business. The enterprise, which included recycling and composting services, expanded into other East Bay cities. In 1986, Oakland Scavenger was acquired by Waste Management, Inc., a corporation operating throughout the U.S. and Canada.