What JR Richards and Sons does

JR Richards and Sons is an Australian, family-founded waste management and recycling contractor headquartered in Tuncurry, New South Wales, operating since 1958 with roots tracing back to the original JJ Richards business established in 1932. The company provides integrated waste, recycling, and resource recovery services to three primary customer segments: more than 20 NSW local government councils (Long-term contract base across regional centres including Taree, Port Macquarie, Grafton, Parkes, Dubbo, and Orange), commercial and industrial customers across NSW and Victoria, and residential households directly and via council partnerships. It also serves mining customers through specialised vacuum and equipment services.

The company's operating platform comprises 250+ heavy collection vehicles, 450+ employees, 4 purpose-built Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) using disk screens and optical scanning, and 2 Organics Recycling Facilities (ORFs) operating in-tunnel composting systems compliant with Australian Standard AS4454. The MRFs recover more than 75,000 tonnes of material annually, while the ORFs produce 30,000+ tonnes of NASAA-certified organic compost annually under the Rich Earth sub-brand. A vertically integrated engineering division in Tuncurry manufactures compaction equipment in-house, reducing reliance on third-party OEMs and supporting a proprietary equipment fleet. The company also operates CCTV inspection technology for asset mapping and CAP BORA vacuum systems for mine and construction sites, and runs a 24/7 emergency spill response hotline.

The revenue model is predominantly subscription and contract-based: long-term (10+ years, some exceeding 50 years) council contracts with custom pricing based on service scope; recurring commercial front-lift, skip, and hook bin collections; managed-services for industrial, liquid waste, and mining clients; and transaction-fee revenue from recyclate processing and Rich Earth compost sales. The company sells direct via Territory Managers, a phone-based contact centre (1300 579 278), and a smartphone app. JR Richards holds ISO 9001/14001/45001/4801 certifications, multiple NSW EPA Environment Protection Licences, and memberships in AORA and the Waste Contractors and Recyclers Association of NSW. In April 2026, the company was acquired by Basalt Infrastructure Partners, with management and day-to-day operations continuing under the Richards family leadership.

Name

JR Richards and Sons

Legal name

JR Richards & Sons

Website

https://jrrichards.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1958

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

JR Richards and Sons is an Australian waste management and recycling contractor founded in 1958 and headquartered in Tuncurry, NSW, serving 20+ local councils, commercial customers, and households across NSW and Victoria with collection, MRF recycling, and organics composting services.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Waste Management and Recycling Services

NAICS

Materials Recovery Facilities (562920), Waste Collection (56211)

SIC

Refuse Systems (4953), Sanitary Services (4950)

akta.pro primary industry

Material Recovery Facilities (MRF) & Single-Stream Recycling Processing (IMAIAFAD)

Keywords

• Waste management services
• Recycling services
• Organics processing
• Liquid waste collection
• Industrial cleaning

Headquarters

HQ city

Tuncurry

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Council Waste Management Contracts: Long-term service contracts with over 20 NSW councils for waste collection, recycling, and organics processing services. Contracts typically span 10+ years with some exceeding 50 years.
2. Commercial Waste Services: Front lift bins, skip bins, and hook bins for commercial customers including builders, warehouses, and factories. Revenue from regular collection services.
3. Industrial and Liquid Waste Services: Specialized industrial cleaning, liquid waste collection, vacuum loading, and emergency spill response services. 24/7 emergency hotline available.
4. Mining Industry Services: Extended services to mining industry with specialised equipment servicing waste streams generated in mining and associated fields.
5. Recycling Processing: Processing of recovered materials through MRFs and organic waste through composting facilities. Revenue from material processing and compost sales (Rich Earth brand).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

JR Richards and Sons provides integrated waste collection and recycling services, including commercial front lift, skip, and hook bins; residential skip bins and septic pumpouts; industrial and liquid waste services with 24/7 emergency spill response; and council kerbside collection, materials recovery, and organics processing. The company owns four Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs), two Organics Recycling Facilities (ORFs), and an in-house compaction equipment manufacturing division, recovering 75,000+ tonnes of recyclables and producing 30,000+ tonnes of Rich Earth compost annually.

Product overview

JR Richards & Sons is an Australian waste management and recycling company offering a comprehensive suite of waste and environmental services across New South Wales. The company's product portfolio operates as an integrated service offering rather than a modular software platform. Core services include commercial and residential waste collection (Front Lift and Mobile Bins, Skip and Hook Bins), liquid waste management (Liquid Services), industrial cleaning and vacuum services (Industrial Services), and organics recycling (Organics Recycling with the Rich Earth sub-brand). Supporting infrastructure includes Materials Recovery Facilities (MRFs) for recycling, Organics Recycling Facilities (ORFs) producing Rich Earth compost products, Total Waste Management solutions for large-scale operations, and Call Centre Services for customer support. The company serves over 20 councils with a fleet of over 250 heavy vehicles and employs more than 450 people.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Commercial Services Comprehensive commercial waste collection and management services for businesses including general waste collection, paper and cardboard recycling, comingled recycling, and organics recycling, supported by waste audits to enhance recycling strategies.
• Front Lift and Mobile Bins Rental and servicing of mobile bins ranging from 80L to 1100L, metal front lift bins from 1.5m³ to 4.5m³, and on-site compactors for commercial customers handling general waste, commingled recycling, document destruction, medical waste, and other specialized waste streams.
• Skip and Hook Bins Skip bins and hook bins ranging from 2m³ open skip bins to 30m³ hook lift bins for households, builders, and commercial projects, with recycling services covering scrap metal, timber, concrete, brick, paper, and cardboard.
• Liquid Services Liquid waste collection and management for household, commercial, industrial, community, and government clients, covering grease trap waste removal, septic tank pump-outs, oily water, waste oil collection, and a 24-hour emergency spill response hotline.
• Industrial Services Liquid waste collection, industrial cleaning, and high-power vacuum loading services for industrial clients, including non-destructive digging, underground asset locating, tank cleaning, CCTV drain inspections, high-pressure water blasting, and 24/7 emergency response.
• Residential Services Residential waste management including skip bins for home projects, effluent and septic pumpouts, and bin services across NSW council areas.
• Effluent and Septic Pumpouts Household liquid waste services including septic tank pump-outs, holding tank pump-outs, treatment system cleaning, effluent removal, and pump-out of contaminated swimming pools and freshwater storage tanks.
• Recycling Services Materials recovery through JR Richards' MRFs using disk screens and optical scanning to process glass, plastic bottles, steel and aluminium cans, paper, and cardboard, recycling over 70,000 tonnes annually for council and commercial customers.
• Organics Recycling Services Domestic kerbside organics collection services that process garden and food waste into quality compost materials through state-of-the-art in-tunnel composting ORFs at Grafton and Molong.
• Rich Earth Organic Compost Premium organic compost produced at the Grafton and Molong ORFs through in-tunnel composting systems, meeting Australian Standard AS4454, with annual capacity exceeding 30,000 tonnes.
• Total Waste Management Integrated waste management solutions for business, industrial, and commercial wastes ranging from small mobile bins to large-scale industrial bins, including specialised industrial and liquid waste services and waste stream assessments to increase recycling levels.
• Call Centre Services Customer service centres throughout NSW that assist residents with waste collection services, covering collection days, contamination issues, missed collections, and stolen bins.

Quantifiable outcome

• 75,000+ tonnes of materials recovered annually through recycling
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Cleanaway Waste Management: Australia's largest waste management company (ASX:CWY), providing collection, recycling, and disposal services across the country. Comparable as a full-service municipal and commercial waste operator, though much larger and nationally diversified.
• Veolia Australia and New Zealand: Subsidiary of global waste and environmental services giant Veolia, operating MRFs, organics processing, and industrial waste services across Australia. Directly comparable in service mix; larger and broader geographic footprint.
• Suez Recycling and Recovery Australia: Australian arm of Suez (now merged with Veolia in many markets), operating recycling and resource recovery facilities. Comparable in MRF and organics processing, though typically larger scale and broader scope.

Direct peers

• Remondis Australia: Australian arm of German waste management group Remondis, providing municipal collection, recycling, and organics services. Closely comparable in council contract model and integrated MRF/processing infrastructure.
• JJ Richards & Sons: The original 1932 Richards family waste business from which JR Richards & Sons descended in 1958; today one of Australia's largest independent waste contractors. Directly comparable in family heritage, council contract base, and service mix.
• Solo Resource Recovery: Privately held Australian waste and recycling company with a strong east-coast footprint across NSW, QLD, and VIC. Closely comparable in scale, family/private ownership profile, council contract focus, and integrated MRF/transfer station operations.
• Hume Industries: Regional Australian waste and resource recovery operator with comparable council contract focus and recycling/processing capabilities. Closely aligned as a mid-sized integrated waste player.
• Tox Free Solutions: Australian liquid and hazardous waste services provider (now part of Cleanaway). Comparable in liquid waste, industrial cleaning, and specialist waste verticals that overlap with JR Richards' Industrial Services and CAP BORA vacuum offerings.

Regional players

• Sterning Group: Regional Australian skip bin and waste services provider. Comparable in skip/hook bin and construction waste services though more limited geographic and processing footprint.

Emerging players

• Waster: Australian digital-first commercial waste management platform. Comparable as a waste services provider targeting SMEs, though with a tech-enabled broker model rather than JR Richards' owned fleet and processing infrastructure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/1300jrwaste

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries8 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 JR Richards and Sons