A History of Peninsula Sanitary Service, Inc. (PSSI)
AKA The Andrews and the Louies
Peninsula Sanitary Service, Inc. (PSSI) has proudly collected garbage, recycling, compost/organics, debris boxes, and street sweeping for Stanford University since 1939. Here’s a history of those years of partnership and service.
The Peninsula Sanitary Service crew in the 1930s. Luigi is pictured standing in the middle on top of the second truck, ad Andrew is pictured sitting on the left side of the truck on the left.
1939
Peninsula Sanitary Service Inc., or PSSI, was established in 1939. At the time, waste collectors operated as scavenger collectives, where each driver was a partner in the company. The driver owned the truck and the route that they serviced and also collected payment for the services on their respective routes. Upon retirement, the driver would sell the truck and the route (like taxi medallions). The funds from the route sale would act as their retirement plan.
Louie II tested his truck driving skills in the 1950s.
1944 – 1972
Initially, PSSI serviced Palo Alto, Mountain View, and Stanford University. Andrew Cavilia (Andrew C.) and his brother-in-law were the two partners who serviced the university in these early years. Andrew C’s brother-in-law passed away in 1947 from a heart attack. Luigi Andrew Pellegrini (I) became Andrew C’s new partner. PSSI would lose the Mountain View and Palo Alto contracts in 1944 and 1952, respectively. Andrew C. and Luigi I continued to serve Stanford as partners until Luigi I’s retirement in 1957. Luigi I would sell his partnership to his son Louis (Louie) Andrew Pellegrini (II), a partner in the nearby San Mateo Scavenger Company. Andrew C. and Louie II remained partners for 15 years until Andrew C. retired in 1972.
The PSSI Yard in the 1970s.
1972 – 1997
Andrew C. was fond of Louie II’s son, Louis (Louie) Anthony Pellegrini (III), and often called him “Sonny.” Andrew C. had no children, so he chose to sell his partnership in PSSI to Louie III upon his retirement. Louie III, who had just graduated from Los Altos High School in 1972, would borrow $60,000 to buy his partnership in PSSI, which the Pellegrini family would wholly own. Louie III would oversee day-to-day operations at PSSI for over 20 years – during some of the most prolific changes in the waste collection industry’s history. Collection vehicles moved from open-top trucks and pack cans to the modernized compaction collection vehicles we see today. Communities began focusing on recycling, landfill diversion, and sustainability.
The PSSI crew circa 2019.
1997 – Present
Louie III’s first son, Louis (Louie) Anthony Pellegrini (IV), would follow in his father’s footsteps. After high school, Louie IV began working at PSSI in 1997, thus marking the 4th generation of the Pellegrini family to work at the company. Louie IV started at PSSI as a mechanic and went on to learn all the collection routes on campus. He eventually became general manager until his untimely passing from cancer in 2010. In 2009, Louie III’s 2nd son, Andrew Pellegrini (Andrew P.), began working at PSSI. Andrew P. started as a recycling sorter, was a driver, and became general manager in 2016.