Q&A with Jon Divello of Mattituck Environmental Services

Many locals may not know it’s there, but Mattituck Environmental Services is a recycling operation making a big difference on the North Fork. The business transports garbage to its state-of-the-art processing facility off Depot Lane in Cutchogue.

“I always look at it like a beehive,” said partner Jon Divello. “Our trucks are like bees that go out and get ‘the honey’ and bring it back here. We take someone’s garbage, recycle it into something else and are able to sell it.”

We stepped behind-the-scenes at the facility, also known as the Peconic Recycling & Transfer Station, and watched debris such as wood, metal and stone move along conveyer belts as they were processed by sorting machines. Before the grand tour, we spoke with Divello about his role as well as his growing music career.

Q: When did you join the family at Mattituck Environmental Services?

A: My grandfather had started Mattituck Sanitation. In 2006, I went out to Shelter Island working with the Lomanginos as my partner there. Since then, my family sold their business and I merged the two businesses. I had the permit to build this recycling center.

Q: What is your role in the business?

A: I run the operations of the hauling company. Not the day-to-day, just the financial side of things.

Q: What is the best part of your job?

A: It’s exciting. It is always changing, so you have to constantly adapt to what’s going on. It’s not your average job.

Q: You have become a well-known musician on the East End.  What’s next for your music career?

A: I am lucky because I have a booking agent in my band. It makes it very easy for me. He takes care of the business end for me. I have a record that’s done. I just have to mix it and get it out. I just signed a publishing deal a month ago for some songwriting. We’ll see how that goes.

Q: Who is your musical inspiration?

A: I don’t know how to answer that. There are a lot.

Q: Do you have a specific style to your music?

A: I keep it eclectic.

Q: Where can we expect to find you performing in 2017?

A: Due to my unique situation, I usually don’t know until just before. I get a calendar at the beginning of the month and I go. I usually travel twice per year to play, but you don’t need to leave fish to catch fish. What’s the point? There are so many places to play around here.

Q: Do you have advice for young professionals joining the family business?

A: My only advice is that you need to love it to do it.  You need to be able to give 100 percent in order to make it work. Don’t do it because your dad did it. Don’t do it because somebody wants you to do it. I love what I do. This isn’t work to me. We have a great team and operating system. It makes it easy for me to do what I need to do.

Q: Do you have any advice for young musicians starting out?

A: You’ve got to get out and play. That’s what made the difference for me. It’s like with business, I love to play. There are great musicians in their living rooms that don’t get out and do it.

Mattituck Environmental Services is located at the Peconic Recycling & Transfer Station, 810 Commerce Road, Cutchogue. (631) 298-8888, pecrec.com.

Top photo: Jon Divello. (Credit: Katelyn Knapp)

This story was originally published in the 2017 edition of the Times Review Media Group Business Magazine