What Best Way Disposal does

Best Way Disposal is a family-owned waste management company headquartered in Indianapolis and operating primarily in Michigan. Founded in 1991, the company specializes in the collection and transportation of commercial and industrial waste, with a 34-year history as the exclusive municipal solid waste hauler for the city of Portage, Michigan. The firm is reported to employ between 101 and 250 people and operates as a private, independent business with no disclosed parent company, institutional investors, or subsidiaries.

The company's business model centers on direct municipal service contracts, with its largest single customer being the City of Portage. In July 2026, the Portage City Council awarded a five-year, $29 million municipal solid waste contract to Waste Management, replacing Best Way Disposal after more than three decades of continuous service. Following the contract loss, the company sponsored the 'Take Back the Trash' ballot initiative to repeal Portage's single-trash hauler system; the measure failed at the polls on May 6, 2026, by a vote of 6,649 against versus 5,381 in favor.

Best Way Disposal continues to operate as a going concern, but the loss of its anchor municipal contract materially reshapes its revenue base. No information is publicly disclosed regarding pricing models, revenue figures, technology platforms, product portfolio detail, leadership team, certifications, or corporate structure beyond what is set out above, which limits the depth of operational visibility available to external investors.

Name

Best Way Disposal

Legal name

Best Way Disposal

Website

https://bestway-disposal.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Best Way Disposal is a family-owned, Indiana-based waste hauling company that collected and transported commercial, industrial, and municipal solid waste across Michigan, most notably for the City of Portage for 34 years until losing that contract to Waste Management in 2026.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Bulk Item & White Goods Collection (Bulky Waste) (BPALAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Landfill Operations & Disposal Services (IMAIAFAL)

Keywords

• Commercial waste collection
• Industrial waste hauling
• Municipal solid waste
• Trash collection services
• Waste transportation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Indianapolis

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Core offering

Best Way Disposal is a family-owned waste management company that specializes in the collection and transportation of commercial, industrial, and municipal solid waste. The company operates scheduled route-based trash pickup and hauling services for business, industrial, and government customers. Its core revenue historically came from long-term municipal and commercial hauling contracts.

Product overview

Best Way Disposal is a waste management and trash collection company. Based on available sources, the company had served the city of Portage for 34 years before losing a municipal trash collection contract. No detailed product portfolio or service offerings are available in the provided source data.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Waste Collection and Transportation

Named customers1 record

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves3 records

Expansion highlights2 records

Direct peers

• Waste Management: Largest U.S. solid waste and recycling company. Directly comparable as a full-service municipal and commercial hauler — and the specific incumbent that displaced Best Way in Portage, MI in 2026.

Broad incumbents

• Republic Services: Top-tier U.S. waste services company providing municipal solid waste collection, recycling, and disposal nationwide. Comparable as another large, diversified competitor bidding on the same municipal contracts.
• Waste Connections: Major North American solid waste and recycling operator with strong municipal franchise exposure. Comparable as a geographically diversified, public competitor pursuing similar municipal hauling contracts.
• GFL Environmental: Large, publicly listed Canadian and U.S. waste management company with active municipal and commercial hauling operations across the Midwest and Northeast U.S.

Regional players

• Rumpke Consolidated Companies: Privately held, family-owned regional waste hauler headquartered in Ohio serving Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, and West Virginia with municipal, commercial, and residential collection services.
• Waste Pro USA: Privately held regional waste and recycling company focused on municipal and commercial customers across the southeastern U.S., with a comparable mid-sized, owner-operator profile.
• Casella Waste Systems: Regional, publicly listed solid waste, recycling, and resource management company operating across the Northeast U.S., comparable in scale and operating profile to Best Way.
• Recology: Employee-owned, family-of-companies waste and recycling hauler concentrated in the Western U.S., comparable as a non-public, mission-driven municipal hauler competing for local contracts.

Others

• FCC Environmental Services: Mid-sized waste management company with municipal collection contracts in multiple U.S. states; relevant as another non-incumbent competitor pursuing similar municipal RFPs.
• Haul All: Small-to-mid sized waste and recycling company serving Indiana and surrounding Midwestern communities, comparable in geographic footprint and customer type to Best Way Disposal.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Best Way Disposal