LJP Waste Solutions

What LJP Waste Solutions does

LJP Waste Solutions is a privately held, vertically integrated zero-landfill environmental services company founded in 1993 and headquartered in North Mankato, Minnesota. The company operates a waste collection, sorting, recycling, and waste-to-energy platform serving commercial, industrial, and residential customers across six core counties in southern Minnesota (Blue Earth, Faribault, Freeborn, Le Sueur, Nicollet, and Waseca) with extended operations into Albert Lea, Burnsville, Chaska, Eagan, Mankato, Owatonna, and Shakopee. Its proprietary technology stack centers on waste-to-energy conversion: LJP RDF (Refuse-Derived Fuel) supplies Xcel Energy's Wilmarth Power Plant in Mankato and Red Wing facility, while LJP ReFuel produces a biogenic carbon-rich fuel substitute for industrial boilers and cement kilns. The LJP 360 program consolidates dry waste, liquids, packaged goods, and hard-to-recycle streams under a single quarterly sustainability reporting framework.

The company monetizes through a portfolio of recurring and project-based revenue streams: commercial and residential subscription collection routes, equipment rental (roll-off dumpsters, Kirby carts, balers, compactors, security enclosures), zero-landfill diversion programs, product destruction for IP-sensitive materials, and through wholly owned subsidiaries Amazon Paint (latex paint recycling under the Amazon Select brand, headquartered in Fridley, MN) and United Liquid Waste Recycling. Pricing is quote-based and not publicly disclosed. Sales is field-led, with on-site waste evaluations, facility tours, and customized sustainability plans, supported by content marketing via a 90+ article blog and active LinkedIn and Facebook channels. Leadership is led by CEO Mike Malatesta, and the company operates as part of a multi-brand waste management family that includes Buckingham, Jendro, The Trash Man, and Van's.

Name

LJP Waste Solutions

Legal name

LJP Waste Solutions

Website

https://ljpwastesolutions.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1993

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

LJP Waste Solutions is a privately held, zero-landfill waste management company in southern Minnesota offering collection, recycling, equipment rental, and proprietary waste-to-energy fuels (RDF, ReFuel) to commercial, industrial, and residential customers across six core counties.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Materials Recovery Facilities (56292), Waste Management and Remediation Services (562)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950), Hazardous Waste Management (4955)

akta.pro industry

PRIMARYEUACAKAC

Waste-to-Energy CHP (Municipal/Industrial Waste Incineration)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Electric Power Generation/Combined Heat & Power (CHP) / Cogeneration

SECONDARYEUAIAAAD

Roll-Off / Containerized MSW Collection (Commercial & Industrial)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Services (Waste Management, Recycling & Remediation)/Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Collection & Hauling

SECONDARYEUAIAHAK

C&D Waste-to-Energy & Alternative Fuels (RDF/SRF from C&D)

Energy, Utilities & Environment/Environmental Services (Waste Management, Recycling & Remediation)/Construction & Demolition (C&D) Waste Management

Keywords

• Waste management services
• Refuse-derived fuel
• Zero-landfill solutions
• Commercial recycling services
• Waste-to-energy solutions

Headquarters

HQ city

Mankato

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Personnel, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Commercial Waste Services: Full-service commercial waste collection, recycling, and waste-to-energy programs for large manufacturing companies, industrial facilities, and forward-thinking businesses. Services include waste evaluations, custom waste management reports, and converting company waste into new products and clean energy.
2. Residential Waste Collection: Traditional waste collection services for select residential areas in southern Minnesota communities, including scheduled trash pickup, recycling, and yard waste collection.
3. Equipment Rental: Rental of roll-off dumpsters (10, 20, 30 yard sizes), Kirby carts (64 and 96 gallon), balers, compactors, can crushers, and other waste management equipment. Also includes security solutions like locking bars and secure enclosures.
4. Zero-Landfill Solutions: Comprehensive zero-landfill programs for businesses seeking to divert waste from landfills, including waste stream assessment, recycling program design, and non-landfill alternatives for non-recyclable materials.
5. Product Destruction: Secure product destruction services for IP-sensitive, off-spec, expired, or customer-returned materials with documented destruction and witnessed processes.
6. Amazon Paint Acquisition: Acquired latex paint recycling business that manufactures and sells recycled Amazon Select paint brand through retail outlets and directly to painting contractors.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

LJP Waste Solutions provides solid waste collection, recycling, and waste-to-energy services for residential, commercial, and industrial customers across southern Minnesota. Its core differentiator is a proprietary waste-to-energy platform that converts non-recyclable material into Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) supplied to power plants (e.g., Xcel Energy's Wilmarth) and ReFuel for industrial boilers and cement kilns, supporting a zero-landfill service model. The company also recycles over 50 materials, rents dumpsters and waste equipment, and offers secure product destruction.

Product overview

LJP Waste Solutions is a zero-landfill environmental services company offering a suite of waste and recycling solutions primarily serving Blue Earth, Faribault, Freeborn, Le Sueur, Nicollet, and Waseca counties in Minnesota. The company's portfolio centers on commercial and residential waste collection, equipment rental, recycling, and waste-to-energy solutions. Key products include Commercial Waste Services and Residential Garbage Services as the core collection offerings; Dumpster Rental (roll-offs in 10/20/30-yard sizes and Kirby carts) and Equipment Rental (balers, compactors, shredders, security enclosures) as add-on service modules; Commercial Recycling and Zero-Landfill Solutions as diversion programs; and the proprietary LJP RDF (Refuse-Derived Fuel) and LJP ReFuel as alternative fuel products supplied to power plants. The company also offers LJP 360 for consolidated multi-stream management, Product Destruction for secure material handling, Paint Waste Disposal Services, and the acquired brand Amazon Paint for latex paint recycling. Together these products form an integrated zero-landfill ecosystem, converting waste into renewable energy and recycled materials rather than landfill disposal.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• LJP RDF™: Refuse-Derived Fuel - a solid, waste-based energy source for power plants
• LJP ReFuel™
• LJP 360™
• Amazon Select

Products and services

• Commercial Waste Services Comprehensive commercial waste collection and management for large manufacturing and industrial companies, including waste evaluations, custom waste management reports, and conversion of company waste into renewable energy and new products.
• Residential Garbage Services Scheduled curbside trash pickup, yard waste disposal, bulk item pickup, and recycling services for residents in select communities across six southern Minnesota counties.
• Dumpster Rental Rental of roll-off dumpsters in 10, 20, and 30 cubic yard sizes plus Kirby carts in 64-gallon and 96-gallon sizes for residential, commercial, and construction waste containment.
• Equipment Rental Rental of balers, bottle breakers, can crushers, compactors, receiver boxes, shredders, and custom waste enclosures for commercial and construction applications.
• LJP RDF (Refuse-Derived Fuel) Proprietary solid waste-based energy source produced from separated combustible fractions of processed waste, supplied to power plants to generate clean energy.
• LJP ReFuel Proprietary biogenic carbon-rich fuel substitute designed for industrial boilers and cement kilns, providing a final non-landfill alternative for challenging waste streams.
• Commercial Recycling Industrial and commercial recycling accepting over 50 materials including cardboard, metals, plastics, electronics, glass, and newspaper, with material baling and market resale.
• Product Destruction Secure destruction services for IP-sensitive, off-spec, expired, or customer-returned materials with documented and witnessed processes for brand protection.
• Zero-Landfill Solutions Comprehensive zero-landfill initiative combining structured recycling with non-landfill alternatives (e.g., RDF, ReFuel) to help businesses achieve sustainability goals and ESG compliance.
• LJP 360 End-to-end waste management program consolidating multiple waste streams including dry waste, liquids, packaged goods, and hard-to-recycle materials under one strategy.
• Industrial Waste Management Waste management services for regulated, high-volume industrial environments including manufacturing, food and beverage, packaging, and consumer goods, featuring waste evaluations and detailed waste reports.
• Paint Waste Disposal Services Specialized paint waste disposal services enabling proper handling and recycling of paint-related waste streams, offered following the Amazon Paint acquisition.
• Amazon Select Recycled Paint Recycled latex paint manufactured by acquired subsidiary Amazon Paint from paint collected at municipalities, counties, and PaintCare locations; sold under the Amazon Select brand through retail outlets and directly to contractors.

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Xcel EnergycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2026LJP supplies Refuse-Derived Fuel (RDF) to Xcel Energy's power plants, primarily the Wilmarth Power Plant in Mankato and the Red Wing facility. This partnership enables LJP to convert combustible waste materials into clean energy, supporting their zero-landfill mission.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Casella Waste Systems: Regional, vertically-integrated solid waste, recycling, and resource management operator in the Northeast US with a similar combination of hauling, materials recovery, and zero-landfill offerings. Closest structural analog to LJP's collection-plus-diversion model, though at substantially greater scale.
• Reworld (formerly Covanta): Pure-play waste-to-energy operator that converts municipal solid waste into electricity at scale. Directly comparable to LJP's RDF/ReFuel value chain on the energy-recovery end, though Reworld owns and operates its facilities rather than supplying fuel to utilities.
• Waste Connections: North American solid waste collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal company with a comparable mix of municipal, commercial, and industrial customers and an acquisition-driven growth model that mirrors LJP's recent Amazon Paint and United Liquid Waste Recycling deals.

Broad incumbents

• Stericycle: Regulated waste management provider handling hazardous, medical, and specialized waste streams for enterprise customers. Comparable to LJP's enterprise compliance focus and relevant as a potential adjacent acquirer or competitor in regulated waste verticals.
• Waste Management, Inc. Largest US solid waste services company, operating collection, recycling, and disposal nationwide, including waste-to-energy through the Wheelabrator platform. Overlaps with LJP across virtually every service line and sets the pricing and ESG benchmark LJP competes against in the Midwest.
• GFL Environmental: Canadian-based environmental services company with extensive US operations spanning solid waste, recycling, and liquid waste management. Comparable to LJP in its mix of solid and liquid waste streams, and relevant given LJP's United Liquid Waste Recycling acquisition.
• Republic Services: Second largest US solid waste company with collection, recycling, and disposal services, plus sustainability and organics programs. Competes with LJP for commercial and industrial accounts and represents the type of national incumbent that could compress margins if it expands zero-landfill offerings regionally.

Regional players

• FCC Environmental Services: Waste management company operating in select US markets with collection, recycling, and disposal services. Relevant as a similarly sized regional haulers that competes for municipal and commercial contracts in markets adjacent to LJP's Midwest footprint.

Others

• Clean Harbors: Environmental and industrial services company specializing in hazardous waste handling, emergency response, and industrial cleaning. Comparable to the United Liquid Waste Recycling component of LJP's expanded platform, particularly for regulated industrial waste streams.

Emerging players

• Heritage Environmental Services: Privately-held hazardous and industrial waste management company offering treatment, recycling, and disposal services across North America. Relevant given LJP's entry into paint and liquid waste recycling through its recent acquisitions, though at materially larger scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/ljpwastesolutions
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ljp-waste-solutions

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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

M&A

Investments

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

Frequently asked questions about LJP Waste Solutions