The Athens Way: Service, People, Environment

The Athens Way Culture

After more than 65 years, Athens Services remains a family-owned and operated company built on an unwavering commitment to service, its employees, and the environment. At the core of Athens’ success is The Athens Way—a business philosophy that defines a culture rooted in responsibility, reliability, and long-term community partnership.

The Athens Way:

• Emphasizes exceptional customer service across every level of operation
• Respects and invests in employees, prioritizing safety, training, and professional growth
• Advances environmental stewardship through clean technology, innovation, and increased recycling and landfill diversion

Founded by Jack Arakelian in 1957 as a single-truck trash hauling company, Athens has grown into one of the largest privately held environmental services companies in Southern California. Today, Athens proudly serves more than 2 million residential, commercial, and municipal customers across 50+ communities, supported by a workforce of 2,500+ employees, a fleet of 1,500+ vehicles, and a robust network of 10+ owned or managed processing facilities, including state-of-the-art Materials Recovery Facilities and organics operations.