What McGill Environmental Systems does

McGill Environmental Systems is a private, founder-led organic waste management and compost manufacturing company established in 1991 by James McGill and Noel Lyons. The company operates weather-independent, indoor composting facilities using a proprietary McGill-ASP (Aerated Static Pile) process — a modification of the Rutgers composting methodology refined over 30+ years, incorporating computerized air-delivery and extraction control, real-time and historic bay monitoring, and biofilter-based odor management. McGill serves three primary customer segments: municipalities and government entities (including wastewater utilities and county public works), industrial waste generators (notably consumer goods and beverage companies such as Anheuser-Busch, Procter & Gamble, and Unilever), and agricultural businesses and growers, with secondary markets in sports turf, landscaping infrastructure, and consumer gardening.

The company's product portfolio includes premium, STA-certified compost products (SoilBuilder, SportsTurf, LandscapeMix, ErosionControl, AG Compost, CustomBlends, and the acquired Bees Best Compost sub-brand) alongside industrial services such as organic waste solutions, mobile dewatering, transportation, on-site bioremediation, and turnkey Design-Build-Operate (DBO) facility solutions. The firm reports 5+ million tons composted over its operating history, 4+ million cubic yards utilized, and 256,000 tons of annual carbon sequestration. Operations span 7+ facilities across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, New Jersey, Florida, Pennsylvania, and Cork, Ireland, with the Fairless Hills (PA) facility — designed for 130,000+ tons/year — under construction for Q1 2024 completion.

The revenue model is multi-stream: usage-based tipping fees for waste intake, transaction-based sales of finished compost in tractor-trailer and smaller quantities, managed services revenue from long-term DBO and facility-management contracts, and professional services fees for mobile dewatering. Pricing is quote-based and volume-tiered, with no public disclosure. Distribution combines direct enterprise sales to municipalities and industrial customers, facility-based direct sales for bulk loads, and an authorized reseller network for smaller SKUs. McGill is privately held with no disclosed institutional or external equity funding, has completed three acquisitions in 2020-2021 (RER Supply, Bees Best Compost, GardenState Compost), and continues to expand geographically through internal facility development and tuck-in M&A.

Name

McGill Environmental Systems

Legal name

McGill Environmental Systems of NC, Inc.

Website

https://mcgillcompost.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1991

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

McGill Environmental Systems is a private, founder-led organic waste management company operating indoor composting facilities across the eastern US and Ireland. It serves municipalities, industrial waste generators, and agricultural businesses with proprietary McGill-ASP technology and premium compost products.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Organic Waste Recycling and Compost Manufacturing

NAICS

Fertilizer and Compost Manufacturing (32531), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Waste Collection (5621)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953)

akta.pro primary industry

Composting Facility Operations (Windrow, ASP, In-Vessel) (BPALAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Composting & Co-Composting (Biosolids + Green Waste) (EUANAHAF), Composting (Windrow, Aerated Static Pile, In-Vessel) (EUAIAEAC), Compost Product Distribution, Retail & Landscape Supply (Bulk/Bagged) (BPALAEAI), Yard Waste, Land Clearing & Green Waste Processing (Mulch/Compost Feedstock) (BPALAEAG), Organics & Composting Programs (Food Waste, Green Waste) (BPABALAC)

Keywords

• Organic waste recycling
• Compost manufacturing
• Biosolids management
• Mobile dewatering services
• Soil amendment products

Headquarters

HQ city

New Hill

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Organics Recycling and Compost Manufacturing Services: Fee-based composting services accepting organic waste materials from municipalities, industrial companies, and agricultural businesses. Revenue generated through tipping fees for waste intake and processing. Services include accepting a wide range of biodegradable materials including food scraps, agricultural residues, biosolids, yard waste, and compostable plastics. Minimum volume requirements apply (40-ton minimum for company-hauled loads).
2. Premium Compost Product Sales: Sale of finished compost products and specialty blends including SoilBuilder, SportsTurf, LandscapeMix, ErosionControl, AG Compost, and CustomBlends. Products sold in tractor-trailer load quantities from company facilities and through authorized resellers. Products are STA-certified (Seal of Testing Assurance).
3. Facilities Design, Build, Operate (DBO) Solutions: Turnkey facility solutions for municipalities and organizations seeking organic waste management infrastructure. McGill designs, builds, and operates composting facilities, with options for McGill ownership/operation or customer ownership with McGill operating. Revenue from long-term management agreements and operational contracts.
4. Mobile Dewatering Services: On-site mobile dewatering services for sludge, lagoon/tank clean-out, disaster recovery clean-up and onsite bioremediation. Transportation services for roll-off and tractor-trailer loads of compostable materials.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

McGill Environmental Systems operates industrial-scale organic waste recycling and compost manufacturing, accepting biodegradable materials (biosolids, food scraps, agricultural residues, yard waste, compostable plastics) and converting them into premium STA-certified compost products via its proprietary McGill-ASP aerated static pile process at weather-independent indoor facilities. The company also delivers mobile dewatering, on-site bioremediation, transportation services, and turnkey Design-Build-Operate (DBO) facility solutions for municipalities and industrial waste generators across the eastern US and Ireland.

Product overview

McGill Environmental Systems offers a portfolio of premium compost products and industrial organic waste management services. The core product line includes SoilBuilder (premium foundation compost), SportsTurf (fine-screened for athletic fields), LandscapeMix (for gardens/planting beds), ErosionControl (DOT-specification erosion control), AG Compost (agriculture-grade), CustomBlends (custom formulations), and Bees Best Compost (locally sourced sub-brand). Services include organic waste solutions, organics recycling and compost manufacturing, mobile dewatering, transportation, and facility design/build/operate solutions for municipalities. The company operates weather-independent indoor facilities utilizing patented composting technologies.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• SoilBuilder: Premium, STA-certified 100% compost serving as foundation for all specialty products. Ideal for use as topdressing, soil amendment, or mix ingredient.
• SportsTurf
• LandscapeMix
• ErosionControl
• AG Compost
• CustomBlends
• Bees Best Compost

Products and services

• McGill SoilBuilder Premium, STA-certified 100% compost from McGill used as a topdressing, soil amendment, or mix ingredient. Foundation product for all McGill specialty blends.
• McGill SportsTurf Finely screened version of SoilBuilder designed for maintaining active playing fields from preseason to postseason; reduces irrigation needs by 30-50%.
• McGill LandscapeMix Blend of SoilBuilder Premium Compost and quality amendments designed for establishing and building planting beds and vegetable gardens.
• McGill ErosionControl Compost blend formulated to meet DOT specifications for erosion control and soil disturbance projects requiring compost socks, berms, and blankets.
• McGill AG Compost Agriculture-grade compost designed to improve soils and deliver nutrients for improved crop yields in broadcast, topdressing, and banded row applications.
• McGill CustomBlends Custom blended compost products engineered to meet specific customer requirements for unique applications.
• Industrial Organic Waste Solutions High-volume biodegradable waste stream recycling service for industrial waste generators, accepting challenging organic wastes including biosolids, wood, food waste, and agricultural byproducts.
• Organics Recycling and Compost Manufacturing Turnkey organic waste management and compost manufacturing service utilizing patented McGill-ASP technology and weather-independent indoor facilities for municipalities and industrial customers.
• Mobile Dewatering Services Mobile dewatering service for sludge, biosolids, lagoon and tank clean-out, disaster recovery cleanup, and on-site bioremediation using microbial activity to dry high-moisture waste streams.
• Facilities Design, Build, Operate (DBO) Solutions Turnkey Design-Build-Operate facility solution for municipalities and organizations seeking trusted partners for sustainable organic waste management, with options for McGill ownership or customer ownership with McGill operations.
• Facilities Management Solutions Management services for existing composting facilities, exemplified by the 10-year Bees Ferry contract awarded by Charleston County in 2020.
• Municipal Solutions Comprehensive solutions for municipalities including co-location with wastewater treatment facilities and complete organic waste management services.
• Transportation Services Transportation services for compostable waste and finished compost products, including roll-off and tractor-trailer logistics with a 40-ton minimum load requirement for company-hauled service.

Quantifiable outcome

• 5+ million tons composted over 30+ years of operations
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Penn Valley ConstructorscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting Partner · 1 July 2023Construction management firm overseeing and facilitating construction of the McGill Fairless Hills facility. Key partner in construction phase of new regional composting facility development.
• Lock the Loop Program PartnersminorOthersCertified program recognizing organizations and municipalities committed to local, sustainable solutions for organic waste. Partners in the program send materials for recycling and composting AND use McGill compost products across applications, taking full responsibility for their residuals and byproducts.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Quanta Services Organics / Veteran Compost: Mid-Atlantic veteran-owned composting and soil products operator. Comparable product portfolio (premium compost blends) and overlapping customer segments in landscaping, municipalities, and agriculture within the same mid-Atlantic geography.
• EcoSafe Zero Waste: California-focused organic waste hauler and composter expanding into industrial and municipal organics streams. Comparable focus on industrial organic waste solutions but serves a different regional footprint.
• Atlas Organics: Mid-sized commercial composting operator running indoor ASP facilities for municipal and industrial customers. Comparable technology stack and customer profile, with a smaller geographic footprint than McGill.

Broad incumbents

• Republic Services: National waste and recycling company with a growing organics recycling platform and composting infrastructure. Comparable in serving municipal and industrial organics customers across a multi-state footprint.
• Waste Management Inc. Largest North American waste hauler with an organic services arm and multiple composting/biosolids facilities. Comparable as a broad incumbent extending into the same organics intake and compost product categories.
• Casella Waste Systems: Regional solid waste and recycling hauler with an organics/composting line of business in the Northeast. Comparable in offering integrated organics services and DBO-style municipal contracts at greater geographic scale.

Regional players

• Recology: West Coast integrated waste, recycling, and organics company operating composting facilities. Comparable service breadth (collection through finished compost) but serves primarily California/Oregon/Washington rather than McGill's eastern US footprint.
• Lovett Environmental: Mid-Atlantic organics recycling and compost manufacturer. Comparable niche positioning in eastern US indoor composting and soil products, with overlapping municipal and landscape customer segments.

Direct peers

• Denali Water Solutions: National organics recycling and biosolids management company operating indoor composting and dewatering facilities. Closest functional peer to McGill, with overlapping capabilities in municipal biosolids, industrial organics, and finished compost products.
• Synagro Technologies: Leading North American biosolids and organics recycler serving municipal and industrial customers with drying, dewatering, and composting services. Direct competitor in biosolids management and on-site sludge handling.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat7 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/McGillSoilBuilderCompost
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/mcgill-environmental-systems
• Xx.com/mcgillcompost

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries3 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 McGill Environmental Systems