Bethlehem Landfill

What Bethlehem Landfill does

Bethlehem Landfill Company is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE: WCN), operating an integrated solid waste disposal facility at 2335 Applebutter Road, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. The site serves residential, commercial, and construction/demolition waste generators across five Pennsylvania counties — Northampton, Lehigh, Bucks, Berks, and Montgomery — via direct public drop-off (per-vehicle pricing from $65 for cars to $120/ton for box trucks) and contracted commercial disposal. Operational infrastructure includes a 201-acre permit area, double-layer HDPE composite liner system, 178 landfill gas collection wells, 29 quarterly groundwater monitoring wells, and a 2024-vintage Renewable Natural Gas facility processing up to 3,500 scfm in partnership with Archaea Energy (bp subsidiary).

The site's principal revenue streams are tipping fees (transaction-fee based on vehicle type and tonnage), RNG sales via pipeline injection (shared with Archaea), and contractual surcharges (fuel, environmental/regulatory, administrative, container). A long-term host agreement with Lower Saucon Township generates ~$2-2.8M in annual host fee payments flowing from the company to the township, representing 25-33% of the township's $6.1M annual budget. In 2024 the company commissioned two first-in-Pennsylvania environmental assets: a PFAS treatment facility using the LEEF System from The Water & Carbon Group (operational July 1, 2024, achieving non-detect PFAS discharge) and the RNG plant (operational July 2024, with PADEP partnership formalized November 18, 2024).

Bethlehem Landfill differentiates on environmental stewardship and community integration rather than price. Differentiation includes the first operational fixed-plant PFAS removal system in the United States, first RNG plant in Pennsylvania at a Waste Connections landfill, host fee contributions of $100K+ in cumulative scholarships to five local high schools, and ongoing donations to 40+ community organizations. The site's growth pathway depends on converting the September 2023 rezoning of 275.7 acres (with intent to develop ~86 acres for Phase V disposal) into permitted capacity, against an alternative scenario in which the landfill could close as soon as 2028.

Name

Bethlehem Landfill

Legal name

Bethlehem Landfill Company

Website

https://bethlehemlandfill.com

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Bethlehem Landfill Company is a Waste Connections subsidiary operating an integrated solid waste disposal facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, serving five counties with waste disposal, a renewable natural gas facility, and the US's first fixed-plant PFAS treatment system.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Solid Waste Management Services

NAICS

Solid Waste Landfill (562212), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Waste Collection (56211), Remediation and Other Waste Management Services (5629)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Landfills (Non-hazardous) (EUAIACAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Landfill Disposal (BPALACAA), Landfill Operations & Disposal Services (IMAIAFAL), Hazardous Waste Disposal (Secure Landfills, Deep-Well Injection) (EUAIAFAC)

Keywords

• Solid waste disposal
• Landfill gas recovery
• Renewable natural gas
• PFAS leachate treatment
• Construction waste management

Headquarters

HQ city

Bethlehem

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Operations, Infrastructure, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Waste Disposal Fees: Bethlehem Landfill charges disposal fees based on vehicle type and waste weight. Rates include flat fees for passenger vehicles (cars, SUVs) and pickup trucks, and per-ton pricing for larger commercial vehicles. This is the primary revenue stream from residential, commercial, and construction/demolition waste generators.
2. Host Agreement Payments: Bethlehem Landfill pays host fees to Lower Saucon Township under a host agreement, generating over $2 million annually (approximately $2.8 million per the 2025 closure study). These payments represent a material portion of the township's annual revenue (~33-40%) and are tied to tonnage disposed.
3. Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Sales: The RNG facility processes landfill gas into pipeline-quality natural gas for injection into local pipelines. Revenue from RNG sales is shared with Archaea Energy (bp subsidiary). The gas provides a cost-effective fuel source for the local community.
4. Surcharges: The company applies fuel surcharges (tied to diesel prices), environmental and regulatory surcharges, administrative/invoice fees, and container fees as line items on customer invoices, generating additional revenue streams.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Bethlehem Landfill operates a solid waste disposal facility in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, accepting residential, commercial, and construction debris from five PA counties. It integrates advanced environmental protection infrastructure, including a PFAS treatment facility using the LEEF System and a renewable natural gas (RNG) processing plant that converts landfill gas into pipeline-quality energy.

Product overview

Bethlehem Landfill is a waste management and disposal facility operated by Waste Connections, offering integrated environmental services including waste disposal, renewable energy production, and PFAS treatment. The core offering is waste disposal services for household and construction waste from five Pennsylvania counties. Key environmental infrastructure includes a Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Facility that converts landfill gas to pipeline-quality natural gas, and a PFAS Treatment Facility using LEEF System technology that achieves non-detect PFAS levels. Supporting services include recycling drop-off, groundwater monitoring via 29 wells, and community support including scholarships for environmental science students.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Solid Waste Disposal Services Landfill disposal services for residential, commercial, and construction/demolition debris from Northampton, Lehigh, Bucks, Berks, and Montgomery counties in Pennsylvania, with public drop-off and commercial hauling options.
• PFAS Treatment Facility On-site treatment of PFAS-contaminated leachate using the LEEF System developed by The Water & Carbon Group, designed to remove PFAS from landfill wastewater before discharge.
• Renewable Natural Gas (RNG) Facility Landfill gas collection and processing facility that converts methane from decomposing waste into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas, operated in partnership with Archaea Energy.
• Public Recycling Drop-off Free drop-off area for recyclable materials for use by the general public during site operating hours.
• Groundwater Monitoring Program Continuous environmental monitoring of groundwater through 29 dedicated monitoring wells in compliance with Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection requirements.

Quantifiable outcome

• PFAS contaminants reduced to non-detect levels (limit of detection) within one month of LEEF System operation, meeting standards far below U.S. EPA limits for drinking water
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 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

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 18 November 2024Bethlehem Landfill became the first landfill in Pennsylvania to partner with PADEP on a PFAS treatment plant installation. This partnership, formalized with a ribbon-cutting celebration on November 18, 2024, demonstrates the company's proactive environmental leadership. While current regulations do not mandate PFAS treatment at landfills, PADEP's involvement validates the LEEF System as a model for the state. The partnership sets a new standard for PFAS management in the solid waste sector.
• Archaea Energy (bp subsidiary)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 July 2024Archaea Energy, a bp-owned company and the largest RNG producer in the US, operates the Renewable Natural Gas plant adjacent to the Bethlehem Landfill. The plant converts landfill gas into pipeline-quality RNG. Archaea brought the plant online in July 2024. The partnership spans several years and includes RNG plants at Waste Connections landfills in Nebraska, New York, and Oklahoma, as well as landfill gas-to-electricity plants in Washington, Colorado, and Oregon. With the 2022 acquisition of Archaea, bp became the largest RNG producer in the US.
• The Water & Carbon GroupcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 July 2024The Water & Carbon Group developed and supplied the LEEF System (Low Energy Evaporative Fractionation), the first fixed-plant system in the United States for removing PFAS from raw landfill leachate. The system became operational at Bethlehem Landfill on July 1, 2024. It uses foam fractionation technology to achieve 99% PFAS compound removal and non-detect discharge levels. The partnership demonstrates Bethlehem Landfill's proactive approach to environmental management beyond regulatory requirements.
• Waste Connections, Inc. (Parent Company)coreOthersBethlehem Landfill is a subsidiary of Waste Connections, an integrated solid waste services company providing waste collection, transfer, disposal, and recycling services in the United States and Canada. Waste Connections serves approximately 9 million residential, commercial, and industrial customers across 46 US states and 6 Canadian provinces. As part of Waste Connections, Bethlehem Landfill benefits from corporate-scale resources, operational expertise, and capital for investments like the RNG and PFAS facilities.
• Lower Saucon TownshipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLower Saucon Township is the host municipality for Bethlehem Landfill. The township receives over $2 million annually in host fees under the host agreement, representing approximately 25-33% of the township's $6.1 million annual budget. The township performs compliance inspections twice monthly and approved rezoning of 275.7 acres in September 2023 to facilitate the proposed Phase V expansion. The relationship is governed by a host agreement that includes conservation easements.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Waste Management, Inc. Largest waste services company in North America by revenue, operating a broad portfolio of MSW landfills, transfer stations, and RNG/landfill-gas-to-energy facilities across the U.S. Directly comparable as a broad incumbent operating the same landfill-plus-RNG-plus-environmental-services model at much greater scale.
• GFL Environmental Inc. Canadian-based diversified environmental services company operating solid waste, liquid waste, and soil remediation services across North America. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping landfill operations, RNG/environmental infrastructure investments, and municipal host-agreement relationships.
• Stericycle, Inc. Provider of regulated waste management services including hazardous and medical waste collection, treatment, and disposal. Comparable as a broad incumbent with overlapping hazardous-waste-management and regulated-facility operations relevant to Bethlehem's PFAS treatment capabilities.
• Republic Services, Inc. Second-largest U.S. integrated solid waste services company operating MSW landfills, recycling, and renewable energy projects from landfill gas. Highly comparable broad incumbent with overlapping landfill-gas-to-energy and environmental-services offerings serving similar municipal and commercial customers.
• Clean Harbors, Inc. Largest U.S. provider of environmental, energy, and industrial services including hazardous-waste disposal, treatment, and emergency response. Comparable as a broad incumbent operating hazardous-waste landfills and treatment infrastructure analogous to Bethlehem's PFAS treatment system.
• Waste Connections, Inc. Parent company and largest operator of integrated solid waste services in North America, serving ~9 million customers across 46 U.S. states and 6 Canadian provinces. Directly comparable because it owns and operates Bethlehem Landfill as a wholly owned subsidiary and runs an extensive portfolio of similarly configured regional MSW landfills.

Direct peers

• Casella Waste Systems, Inc. Vertically integrated solid waste, recycling, and resource-management operator in the northeastern U.S. with a comparable footprint of regional MSW landfills, transfer stations, and recycling facilities. Closely comparable as a direct peer running similarly sized regional landfills with host-fee/community dynamics.
• WIN Waste Innovations: Operator of waste-to-energy facilities and MSW landfills in the northeastern U.S. (formerly Wheelabrator Technologies), with overlapping waste-disposal, energy-recovery, and regulated-facility business model. Comparable as a direct peer combining landfill operations with energy-from-waste monetization.
• Heritage Environmental Services: Privately held provider of hazardous-waste management, transportation, and disposal services including secure landfill and treatment operations. Comparable as a direct peer in regulated waste-treatment and disposal, particularly relevant to Bethlehem's PFAS and leachate treatment capabilities.
• Montauk Renewables, Inc. U.S. renewable natural gas producer that captures and processes methane from landfill and agricultural waste streams into pipeline-quality RNG. Comparable as a direct peer in landfill-gas-to-RNG monetization, though it operates as a pure-play RNG company rather than a landfill owner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

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 Bethlehem Landfill