Interstate Waste Services
Interstate Waste Services is a vertically integrated, PE-backed solid waste hauler serving New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Upstate New York. It operates nearly 1,000 trucks, 34 facilities, and a waste-by-rail system feeding its Apex Landfill in Ohio, serving commercial, residential, and municipal customers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1999
- HeadquartersTeaneck, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Interstate Waste Services does
Interstate Waste Services (IWS) is a vertically integrated, privately held solid waste management platform headquartered in Teaneck, New Jersey, founded by Michael DiBella in 1999 and backed by Littlejohn & Co. and Ares Management. The company provides commercial and residential waste collection, recycling, construction and demolition debris processing, organics recycling, and roll-off dumpster rental across the greater New York City, Northern and Central New Jersey, Southwestern Connecticut, and Upstate New York markets, operating nearly 1,000 collection vehicles and a network of 34 material recovery, transfer, and transload facilities plus a rail-served solid waste landfill (Apex) in Amsterdam, Ohio.
Its core differentiator is the proprietary waste-by-rail transportation system — three rail-served facilities in New Jersey plus gondola operations in Connecticut and New Jersey — which moves approximately 2.5 million tons of waste annually to Apex Landfill and replaces roughly 280 long-haul trucks per train, materially reducing vehicle miles and emissions. Supporting infrastructure includes the $30 million Materials Recovery Facility opened in North Arlington, NJ in 2025, LEED-certified C&D processing at the Evergreen MRF (achieving 80–85% recovery), and an organics recycling program; a customer-facing MyIWS portal and LEED reporting tool sit atop the operational platform.
IWS makes money primarily through subscription-based commercial waste collection (approximately 90% of revenue), residential subscription and municipal contracts, and transaction-based roll-off and disposal services. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. The company has executed an aggressive M&A-led rollup — at least nine add-on acquisitions since 2020 plus the transformative 2020 Apex merger — and its BIC-licensed subsidiary Action Carting was awarded 15 of 20 NYC Commercial Waste Zones in 2024, the most of any hauler, creating a regulated franchise position in NYC. Named enterprise customers include Yankee Stadium, Empire State Building, Columbia University, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Whole Foods, Marriott, Madison Square Garden, and American Dream.
Interstate Waste Services firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Interstate Waste Services
- Legal name
- Interstate Waste Services, Inc.
- Website
- https://interstatewaste.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1999
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Interstate Waste Services is a vertically integrated, PE-backed solid waste hauler serving New York City, New Jersey, Connecticut, and Upstate New York. It operates nearly 1,000 trucks, 34 facilities, and a waste-by-rail system feeding its Apex Landfill in Ohio, serving commercial, residential, and municipal customers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Interstate Waste Services industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Solid Waste Management Services
- NAICS
- Solid Waste Collection (562111), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953), Trucking (No Local) (4213)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Commercial & Office Waste Collection (Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- C&D Transfer Stations & Consolidation (BPALAJAB), Industrial & Commercial (I&C) Landfills (Non-hazardous) (EUAIACAC)
Keywords
Where Interstate Waste Services is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Teaneck
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices12 records
Markets served
Interstate Waste Services business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Commercial Waste Collection: Primary revenue driver representing approximately 90% of business. Provides dumpster rental, commercial roll-off services, compactors, and containerized waste collection to businesses across NY, NJ, CT.
- Residential Waste & Recycling: Subscription and municipal contracts for residential garbage pickup and recycling services across service territories.
- Construction & Demolition Debris: C&D collection and processing through LEED-certified facilities including processing into renewable fuel commodities.
- Organic Waste Collection: Organic waste collection services for commercial and residential customers, part of sustainability offerings.
- Transfer Station & Disposal Services: Rail-served transfer and disposal services for third-party haulers and disposal customers in Pennsylvania and Ohio markets.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Commercial Waste Collection - Containerized |
| Subscription | Monthly | Residential Subscription Services |
| Transaction based/ take rate | Pay-as-you-go | Roll-off Dumpster Rental |
| Subscription | Monthly | Premium 7-Day Service |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels7 records
Interstate Waste Services product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Interstate Waste Services is a vertically integrated solid waste management company that provides commercial and residential waste collection, transfer, recycling, organics recovery, and disposal services across the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut tri-state area. Through its IWS and Action Environmental/Action Carting brands, the company serves businesses, homeowners, municipalities, and construction sites using a fleet of nearly 1,000 collection vehicles, a network of 34 material recovery, transfer, and transload facilities, and a proprietary waste-by-rail system that moves approximately 2.5 million tons of waste annually to the Apex Landfill in Amsterdam, Ohio.
Product overview
Interstate Waste Services operates a vertically integrated waste management platform consisting of two main brands: the core IWS brand serving New Jersey, Connecticut, and upstate New York, and Action Environmental Services (Action Carting) serving New York City. The platform includes commercial and residential waste collection, roll-off dumpster rental, construction & demolition debris services, organics recycling, and LEED reporting tools. Supporting infrastructure includes Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), transfer stations, and a proprietary waste-by-rail transportation system that delivers waste to the Apex Landfill in Ohio. Customers access services through the MyIWS customer portal and the LEED Portal for sustainability reporting.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Action Carting: New York City-based solid waste and recycling collection services operating through BIC-licensed subsidiary Action Carting Environmental Services, Inc.
- MyIWS
Products and services
- Commercial Waste & Recycling Services Subscription and contract-based dumpster rental, roll-off, compactor, and containerized waste collection services for businesses of all sizes across the tri-state area. Includes curbside tote pickup, open-top dumpsters, and recycling services for industries such as retail, restaurants, hospitality, healthcare, manufacturing, and entertainment. Customers include Yankee Stadium, Empire State Building, Columbia University, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Whole Foods, and Marriott Hotels.
- Residential Waste & Recycling Pickup Subscription-based curbside garbage and recycling collection for homeowners and residential communities in New Jersey, Connecticut, and New York State. Includes monthly billing, free bulk item pickup, and access to premium 7-day-per-week service. Also delivered through municipal contracts for city and town governments.
- Roll-off Dumpster Rental One-time rental of open-top roll-off dumpsters in various sizes and capacities for homeowners, businesses, and contractors needing temporary waste or debris containers. Available in multiple container sizes across the tri-state service area.
- Construction & Demolition Debris Services Collection and recycling of construction and demolition debris through LEED-certified processing facilities, including the Newark-based Evergreen MRF that achieves 80-85% recovery of comingled materials and processes commodities including renewable fuel. Supports LEED project reporting and certification requirements.
- Organics Recycling Organic waste collection programs that divert food waste and other organic materials from landfills for commercial and residential customers, supporting sustainability initiatives and food waste diversion requirements.
Quantifiable outcome
- Nearly 2.5 million tons of waste transported annually via waste-by-rail, saving approximately 2,000 truck movements or 390,000 truck miles per week
- +4 more outcomes
Companies that use Interstate Waste Services
Customer profileNamed customers12 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Interstate Waste Services technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration2 records
Feature4 records
Interstate Waste Services partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered supporting and core.
- Solterra Recycling SolutionssupportingAcquired non-hazardous solid waste, organic waste and recycling collection provider serving residential and commercial customers in central NJ and Philadelphia markets. Nearly 300 employees joined IWS.
- Action Environmental GroupcoreWholly owned subsidiary merged with Apex Environmental to form combined Interstate Waste Services brand. Action operates as BIC-licensed subsidiary Action Carting Environmental Services in NYC.
Scale indicators7 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Interstate Waste Services competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Waste Management, Inc. Largest publicly traded waste services company in North America. Operates collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal assets across the same geographies IWS serves (IWS originally sold family business to WM in 1998); direct overlap in commercial and residential collection with significantly broader national scale.
- Republic Services: Second-largest US publicly traded waste hauler with extensive collection, transfer, recycling, and landfill operations. Action Carting purchased NYC assets from Republic Services in 2010, and the two compete directly across tri-state commercial and residential routes.
- GFL Environmental: Large multi-national waste management company with significant US Northeast operations including solid waste collection, transfer, recycling, and landfill assets. Comparable vertically integrated platform with broader geographic spread than IWS.
- Waste Connections: Major publicly traded solid waste services provider with extensive US footprint including Northeast markets. Operates vertically integrated collection-to-disposal model with similar emphasis on secondary/tertiary market density and tuck-in M&A.
- Advanced Disposal Services: Former publicly traded waste hauler (acquired by WM in 2020) that previously owned Interstate Waste between 2006-2013 when sold to Highstar/Advanced Disposal. Closely comparable vertically integrated, multi-state regional waste platform of similar era and footprint.
Direct peers
- Casella Waste Systems: Vertically integrated, publicly traded solid waste, recycling, and resource management company with a similar roll-up acquisition playbook in the Northeast. Comparable business model of regional density-building via tuck-in M&A and operating MRFs/transfer stations.
- Bay Waste & Recycling: PE-backed (Caltius) regional solid waste and recycling company serving Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, and DC markets. Directly comparable private, vertically integrated roll-up platform of similar size and growth stage pursuing analogous acquisition strategy.
- Red River Waste Solutions: Privately held, vertically integrated solid waste and recycling services provider with municipal and commercial contracts in multiple states. Comparable business model combining collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal in regional markets.
- Cecilia Villalpando / Royal Waste Services: NYC-based commercial waste hauler previously acquired by IWS to support Commercial Waste Zone positioning. Operates within the same NYC market and directly competes for commercial accounts under the CWZ framework.
Regional players
- Mr. T Carting Corp: NYC-based commercial carting company operating within the NYC Business Integrity Commission-licensed hauler universe. Comparable as a regional private carting competitor also vying for NYC Commercial Waste Zone share.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks2 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Interstate Waste Services social profiles
Digital presenceInterstate Waste Services compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Interstate Waste Services financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Interstate Waste Services leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles9 records
Interstate Waste Services subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries14 records
Interstate Waste Services funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds5 records
Investors3 records
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Interstate Waste Services M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A9 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Interstate Waste Services
What does Interstate Waste Services do?
Interstate Waste Services is a vertically integrated solid waste management company that provides commercial and residential waste collection, transfer, recycling, organics recovery, and disposal services across the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut tri-state area. Through its IWS and Action Environmental/Action Carting brands, the company serves businesses, homeowners, municipalities, and construction sites using a fleet of nearly 1,000 collection vehicles, a network of 34 material recovery, transfer, and transload facilities, and a proprietary waste-by-rail system that moves approximately 2.5 million tons of waste annually to the Apex Landfill in Amsterdam, Ohio.
Is Interstate Waste Services a public or private company?
Interstate Waste Services is a private company. It is classified as private equity controlled and is currently operating.
When was Interstate Waste Services founded?
Interstate Waste Services was founded in 1999. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Interstate Waste Services based?
Interstate Waste Services is headquartered in Teaneck, United States, in the North America region.
How does Interstate Waste Services make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Commercial Waste Collection is the primary driver. The others are residential Waste & Recycling, construction & Demolition Debris, organic Waste Collection and transfer Station & Disposal Services.
Who are Interstate Waste Services's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Waste Management, Inc., Republic Services, GFL Environmental, Waste Connections and Advanced Disposal Services. Direct peers are Casella Waste Systems, Bay Waste & Recycling, Red River Waste Solutions and Cecilia Villalpando / Royal Waste Services. Mr. T Carting Corp is listed as a regional player.
Does Interstate Waste Services have an API?
No public API is recorded for Interstate Waste Services.
What industry is Interstate Waste Services in?
Interstate Waste Services's product category is Solid Waste Management Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUAIAGAA, Commercial & Office Waste Collection (Non-hazardous), with a secondary code of BPALAJAB, C&D Transfer Stations & Consolidation. Its NAICS code is 562111 and its SIC code is 4953.