What Casella Waste Systems does

Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CWST) is a vertically integrated regional solid waste and resource management company founded in 1975 in Rutland, Vermont, and operating across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. The company provides waste collection, recycling, organics management, landfill disposal, special waste handling, and renewable energy services to residential, commercial, municipal, industrial, healthcare, higher education, and resort customers through nearly 180 facilities, 700+ collection vehicles, 31 transfer stations, 37 recycling facilities, and 9 Subtitle D landfills in 10 states, serving 170,000+ customer locations and handling approximately 4 million tons of waste annually with a workforce of roughly 5,300 employees.

Revenue is generated across multiple streams: recurring subscription-based residential and commercial collection fees; usage-based landfill tipping fees; transaction-based commodity sales from recycled materials; organics processing fees and earthlife soil amendment sales; and usage-based revenue from landfill gas-to-electricity and renewable natural gas (RNG) production via the WAGABOX facility at Chemung County, NY. The company sells dumpster rentals (10–40 yard containers) on a pay-as-you-go basis through local.casella.com, and offers Professional Services/Resource Solutions managing over 10,000 customer locations in more than 40 states. Technology differentiators include the Zero-Sort single-stream recycling program, AI-enabled in-cab safety cameras, Routeware customer apps, and Visia AI contamination detection at materials recovery facilities.

Casella pursues growth through a disciplined roll-up strategy — Star Waste Systems (April 2026, ~$100M revenue), Royal Carting/Welsh Sanitation (2024), LMR Disposal/Whitetail Disposal (2024), Mountain State Waste (2025), and others — funded in part by $450M (2023) and $517.5M (2024) public equity offerings. Leadership transitioned on January 1, 2026, with Ned Coletta becoming only the second CEO in company history and founder John W. Casella moving to Executive Chairman. FY2025 revenue reached $1.837B (+18.0% YoY) with adjusted EBITDA of $422.8M (+17.3%), and FY2026 guidance calls for $1.970–1.990B in revenue and $473–483M in adjusted EBITDA.

Name

Casella Waste Systems

Legal name

Casella Waste Systems, Inc.

Website

https://casella.com

Company type

Public

Founded year

1975

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ: CWST) is a vertically integrated regional solid waste and resource management company serving 170,000+ residential, commercial, municipal, and industrial customers across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic US via collection, recycling, organics, landfill disposal, and renewable natural gas.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solid Waste Management Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Collection (56211), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Hazardous Waste Collection (562112)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Commercial & Office Waste Collection (Non-hazardous) (EUAIAGAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Hazardous Waste & Universal Waste Handling (Batteries, Lamps, Aerosols) (BPABALAE), Hazardous Waste Landfill Disposal (BPALACAB)

Keywords

• Solid waste collection
• Recycling services
• Landfill disposal
• Organics management
• Renewable natural gas

Headquarters

HQ city

Rutland

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices10 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Waste Collection Services: Residential, commercial, and municipal waste collection through a fleet of over 700 collection vehicles. Revenue is generated through recurring service fees based on container size, frequency of service, and geographic location. Collection operations serve over 170,000 locations.
2. Disposal Services: Landfill disposal operations accepting municipal solid waste, construction and demolition debris, and special wastes. Revenue generated through tipping fees charged per ton of waste received at company-owned landfills.
3. Recycling Services: Residential and commercial recycling services including single-stream recycling, source-separated recycling, electronics recycling, and mattress recycling. Revenue generated through commodity sales of recovered materials and service fees.
4. Organics Management: Transforming organic waste streams including food scraps, wood ash, paper mill by-products, and biosolids into nutrient-rich earthlife soil amendments and renewable energy. Revenue from soil product sales and organics processing fees.
5. Renewable Energy: Landfill gas-to-energy and RNG production generating electricity and pipeline-quality natural gas from decomposing waste. Revenue from energy sales and renewable energy credits.
6. Professional/Resource Solutions: Resource management consulting, zero waste planning, and special waste handling services for industrial customers. Manages over 10,000 customer locations in over 40 states.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Casella Waste Systems operates an integrated solid waste management platform providing residential, commercial, municipal, and industrial customers with waste collection, single-stream recycling, organics processing, landfill disposal, special waste handling, and landfill gas-to-energy/renewable natural gas production services across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic United States. The company runs a fleet of over 700 collection vehicles supported by 9 landfills, 37 recycling facilities, and 31 transfer stations serving more than 170,000 customer locations in 10 states.

Product overview

Casella Waste Systems operates as a regional solid waste services company offering an integrated suite of waste collection, recycling, organics management, energy, and disposal services across the Northeast United States. The company's core offering consists of residential and commercial waste collection through a fleet of over 700 vehicles, complemented by recycling services under the Zero-Sort® brand, organics management including Earthlife® soil products, and landfill gas-to-energy operations including a newly launched RNG (Renewable Natural Gas) production facility using WAGABOX technology. Additional services include Special Waste handling, Professional Services/Resource Solutions consulting, and Dumpster Rental. The company operates 9 landfills, 37 recycling facilities, and 31 transfer stations, with recent acquisitions (Star Waste Systems, Royal Carting, Welsh Sanitation) expanding its geographic footprint.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Zero-Sort: Single-stream recycling program allowing all recyclables in one cart
• earthlife
• Earthlife Organics
• Recycle Better
• FoodCycler
• SEED
• WAGABOX

Products and services

• Waste Collection Services Residential and commercial solid waste collection services delivered via a fleet of over 700 collection vehicles including front-load, automated side-load, and rear-load trucks serving more than 170,000 locations across the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic.
• Zero-Sort Recycling Single-stream recycling service allowing customers to place all recyclables in one container without sorting, simplifying collection and transportation of materials at residential and commercial levels.
• Organics Management Transforms organic waste streams including food scraps, wood ash, paper mill by-products, and biosolids into nutrient-rich Earthlife soil amendments and renewable energy through composting, anaerobic digestion, and land application.
• Landfill Disposal Services Disposal operations across 9 Subtitle D landfills and 1 C&D landfill accepting municipal solid waste, construction and demolition debris, and special wastes, with landfill gas collection systems, generating tipping fee revenue per ton received.
• Landfill Gas-to-Energy Converts methane gas from landfill decomposition into electricity through gas collection systems and power generation plants, producing approximately 25 megawatts of clean energy at five landfill sites, powering roughly 25,000-30,000 homes.
• Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Production Landfill gas-to-RNG production using WAGABOX technology to convert landfill gas into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas, operational at Chemung County Landfill since January 2026.
• Special Waste Services Safe and cost-effective handling of special wastes including universal waste, asbestos (friable and non-friable), contaminated soils, PCBs, sludges, drill cuttings, and other industrial by-products for commercial and industrial customers.
• Professional Services / Resource Solutions Resource management consulting, zero waste planning, and environmental services managing over 10,000 customer locations across more than 40 states, providing customized sustainability and compliance solutions.
• Dumpster Rental Dumpster rental services for construction, remodeling, clean-outs, and special events available in container sizes from 10-yard to 40-yard with customizable pickup schedules.
• Food Waste Recycling Smart food waste solutions for households, restaurants, grocers, and institutions, helping reduce waste, lower costs, and protect the environment through composting and organics diversion programs.
• Mattress Recycling Mattress recycling solutions for residents, municipalities, colleges, hotels, and mattress retailers to divert mattresses from landfill disposal.
• Earthlife Soil Amendment Products Line of eco-friendly soil amendments including Agrocarb-FL, Algefiber, Biosolids, Fertilimer, Fiberbed, Fibergro, Wood Ash, and compost products for agricultural, landscaping, and horticultural use.

Quantifiable outcome

• 32% reduction in carbon emissions achieved through operational improvements and renewable energy
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments10 records

Ideal customer profiles6 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability1 record

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Waga EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 14 May 2026Joint venture to develop RNG production at Casella's Chemung County Landfill in Elmira, NY. Waga Energy deployed construction capital and owns/operates the WAGABOX facility for 20 years under a revenue-sharing agreement. Facility operational since January 2026, producing up to 610,000 MMBtu of RNG annually and avoiding 47,000 tons of CO2-equivalent emissions per year. Partnership includes plans to develop RNG facilities at three landfills across the US.

Scale indicators13 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management, Inc. Largest North American solid waste hauler with vertically integrated collection, transfer, recycling, and landfill operations across the U.S. and Canada. Directly comparable vertically integrated business model, though with a far broader geographic footprint than Casella's Northeast/Mid-Atlantic focus.
• Republic Services, Inc. Second-largest U.S. solid waste services provider with integrated collection, disposal, recycling, and organics/energy operations. Closely comparable service lines (collection, recycling, organics) and similar acquisitive growth strategy, but operates across a national footprint.

Direct peers

• Waste Connections, Inc. Third-largest North American solid waste company with a heavily acquisition-driven growth strategy targeting secondary and rural markets. Highly comparable acquisition cadence and integrated service model, though geographically complementary rather than overlapping with Casella.
• GFL Environmental Inc. Canada-based, fourth-largest environmental services firm in North America with solid waste, infrastructure, and soil remediation operations. Competes head-to-head in collection and disposal in Northeast U.S. markets; similarly acquisitive with a comparable suite of services.
• Rumpke Consolidated Companies: Family-owned solid waste hauler with collection, transfer, recycling, and landfill operations concentrated in the Midwest and parts of the Mid-Atlantic/Southeast. Comparable vertically integrated model and serves similar municipal/residential/commercial customer mix.

Regional players

• Recology: Employee-owned solid waste and recycling company primarily serving the Western U.S. Comparable vertically integrated collection, recycling, and organics model with strong municipal focus; competes with Casella in concept rather than geography.
• FCC Environmental Services: Privately held waste management services provider operating across the U.S. with focus on municipal, commercial, and industrial customers. Comparable integrated service offering; competes in select Northeast/Mid-Atlantic geographies.

Emerging players

• Clean Harbors, Inc. Largest North American provider of environmental and hazardous waste services with a focus on industrial waste, cleanup, and disposal. Overlap is concentrated in Casella's Special Waste and Industrial customer segments rather than core residential collection.
• Stericycle, Inc. Specialty regulated waste services provider focused on medical waste, secure information destruction, and compliance services. Comparable only in regulated-waste handling and special waste streams, not in core MSW collection or landfill operations.
• Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc. Provider of parts cleaning, industrial and hazardous waste management services primarily to small and mid-sized industrial customers. Comparable only in the Special Waste/industrial by-product segment served by Casella's Resource Solutions group.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/casella-waste-systems
• Facebookfacebook.com/ZeroSort
• Instagraminstagram.com/casella_waste
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/CasellaWaste
• Xx.com/resourcecasella

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Subsidiaries5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds5 records

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A9 records

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Casella Waste Systems