11 Biggest Garbage Companies in the US

Published on November 16, 2022 at 10:25 am by Faiq Zafar in Lists, News

In this article, we shall discuss the 11 biggest garbage companies in the United States. To skip our comprehensive analysis of the waste management sector in the United States, go directly and see 5 Biggest Garbage Companies in the US.

According to a report by McKinsey and Company, growth in the global economy has led to a drastic increase in consumption which, in turn, has led to an increase the use of resources. This has resulted in a rapid surge of waste production. Global demand for plastics is also on the rise, promulgated by the material’s barrier properties, light weight, malleability and profitable production economics. Plastic consumption is expected to play a significant role in global supply chains, despite efforts to move away from single-use plastics. This rising demand of plastic has also spurred a drastic rise in plastic waste production. According to the report, since 2007, the considerable rise in solid waste production has strained waste-management systems in many countries, which has led to negative impact on the global economy, health, and ecosystems.

Waste Collection Services Industry in the U.S: An Analysis

The average American produces approximately 4.5 pounds of trash a day, leading the U.S. to produce 268 million tonnes of waste annually. Though the country is home to merely 4% of the global population, it is responsible for more than 12% of the planet’s waste. According to a study conducted by Greenpeace USA, industry claims of creating an efficient, circular economy is nothing more than “fiction”, as of the 51 million tons of plastic waste generated by households in the United States in 2021, only 2.4 million tonnes, less than 5%, were recycled. After peaking in 2014 at 10%, the trend of recycling in the United States has been on the decline, especially since China stopped accepting the West’s plastic waste in 2018. Since the waste management industry revenue is highly dependent on waste production in any given economy, the market trends for the industry in the U.S. have picked up considerably since the pandemic in 2020, and a favorable future outlook for the industry is anticipated.

15 biggest waste management companies in the world

The waste collection services industry has recorded massive growth over the past five years. The market is highly segmented into industrial waste, hazardous waste, and municipal waste. Given that residential waste has remained relatively dormant during the period, accounting for 31.8% of the total market share, overall industry demand is stabilized. The market size, measured by revenue, has totaled up to $68 billion in 2022, and is expected to reach $229.3 billion by 2028, projected to grow at a CAGR of 6.7% from 2022 to 2030. Stringent government regulations towards open burning and illegal dumping, introduction of governmental regulations to curb greenhouse gas emissions like the Inflation Reduction Act, and legislative amendments by the Environmental Protection Agency to contain illegal dumping and burning of waste, are all driving augmented market growth. However, inadequate waste disposal methods, and labor intensive and high cost of transportation are anticipated to restraint the North American waste management market. Some of the most prominent players in the waste collection industry are Waste Management Inc. (NYSE:WM), Waste Connections Inc. (NYSE:WCN), and Republic Services Inc. (NYSE:RSG).

In this article, we shall discuss the 11 biggest garbage companies in the United States by total market capitalization.

Biggest Garbage Companies in the US

11. Rubicon Technologies LLC (NYSE:RBT)

Total Market Cap (As of November 7): $346.8M

Headquartered in Lexington, Kentucky, Rubicon Technologies (NYSE:RBT) is an American software company which specializes in the development and procurement of software to regulate waste and recycling. Rubicon Technologies (NYSE:RBT) has pioneered a mobile application to provide on-demand trash pickup. Founded in 2008, the company was able to generate an initial funding of $5 million in its first financing round. The amount went up to $30 million in 2015 in their second round, and $57 million in their third. As of the third quarter of 2022, Rubicon Technologies (NYSE:RBT) generated a total revenue of $185 million. The company has only 481 employees across three office locations in Colorado, Menlo Park, and Stamford.

Rubicon Technologies’ (NYSE:RBT) primary objectives is to reduce inefficiencies and maximize the amount of waste which is diverted away from landfill sites. The company’s application is fully operational in more than 20 countries including the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico, with more than 3.4 million user service locations as of 2022. Rubicon Technologies (NYSE:RBT) is a cloud-based company and its software platform analyzes customers’ waste stream and regulates all the data on haulers, clients, and recycling possibilities. The company expounds a range of SaaS products for waste, recycling, and smart city solutions, with the subscription model contributing to more than 50% of Rubicon’s (NYSE:RBT) annual revenue. Prominent clients for the company include 7-Eleven, Wegmans, and Starbucks.

10. 374Water Inc. (NASDAQ:SCWO)

Total Market Cap (As of November 7): $418.7M

Based in Durham, North Carolina, 374Water Inc. (NASDAQ:SCWO) is an American waste management company which specializes in pollution and treatment control, waste collection and disposal, and the development of wastewater treatment systems. It is a social impact, cleantech company, which procures innovative IT solutions to inculcate a circular economy and a clean environment. Founded in 2018, the company is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and Duke University. As of the third quarter of 2022, 374Water Inc. (NASDAQ:SCWO) posted a total revenue of $922,718.

374Water Inc. (NASDAQ:SCWO) largely focuses on developing and providing technology which addresses environmental pollution challenges. It has developed a waste stream treatment system which relies on supercritical water oxidation technology. Furthermore, the company’s AirSCWO systems are widely used in the treatment and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste streams. 374Water’s (NASDAQ:SCWO) client base consists of channel partners, engineering companies, construction companies, waste service providers and NGOs.

9. Schnitzer Steel Industries Inc. (NASDAQ:SCHN)

Total Market Cap (As of November 7): $878.8M

Based in Portland, Oregon, Schnitzer Steel Industries (NASDAQ:SCHN) is an American manufacturer of steel and a waste management company which largely focuses on scrap metal and non-hazardous solid waste recycling. Founded in 1906 as a one-person scrap metal recycler, the company went public in 1993 via an initial public offering and got listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange and Russel 2000 index. Since then, Schnitzer Steel Industries (NASDAQ:SCHN) has undergone massive growth through multiple acquisitions, the most notable being GreenLeaf Auto Recyclers, State Line Scrap Co, and Advanced Recycling. As of the third quarter of 2022, the company posted a total revenue of $894.4 million.

Schnitzer Steel Industries (NASDAQ:SCHN) focuses on the recycling of ferrous and non-ferrous metal. The company collects, processes, and recycles salvaged vehicles, rail cars, home appliances, industrial machinery and construction and demolition scrap. It has more than 54 metals recycling facilities, an electric arc furnace steel mill, and more than 51 retail self-service auto parts stores across the United States. Schnitzer Steel Industries (NASDAQ:SCHN) produces and sells various finished steel products through its recycling operations, like wire rods, coiled rebar, and other specialty products. Furthermore, Schnitzer Steel Industries (NASDAQ:SCHN) is also an industry leader in the procurement and sale of catalytic converters to specialty processors which use it in the extraction of non-ferrous metal products like platinum, palladium and rhodium. The company has more than 3,471 employees across more than 40 U.S. states.

8. PureCycle Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PCT)

Total Market Cap (As of November 7): $1.25B

Headquartered in Orlando, Florida, PureCycle Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PCT) is an American recycling company which specializes in the collection, processing, and conversion of polypropylene plastic waste into almost-new plastic. The company develops patented recycling processes, in collaboration with Procter and Gamble, which separates color, odor, and contaminants from plastic waste feedstock to convert it into pure recycled polypropylene (PP). This state-of-the-art process completes the loop on the reuse of recycled plastics and makes recycled polypropylene more accessible at scale to consumers. PureCycle Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PCT) has total of 119 employees nationwide. The company went public on May 4, 2020, raising more than $76.5 million in investment.

With more than 170 billion pounds of PP produced annually, with an averaged 5% rate of growth over the last decade, there has been an increased demand for PureCycle Technologies’ (NASDAQ:PCT) Ultra-Pure Recycled (UPR) resin patent. Skyrocketing consumer demand, major multinational sustainability commitments, new recycled content restrictions, and non-recycled plastic taxes have driven the demand for the company’s UPR resin, with PureCycle Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ:PCT) being the only UPR resin provider in the waste management industry. The company has garnered favorable hedge fund sentiment over the years, with some of the most prominent hedge funds to have stakes in the company including the likes of Sylebra Capital Management, Harvard Management Company, and Atalan Capital.

7. U.S. Ecology Inc. (NASDAQ:ECOL)

Total Market Cap (As of November 7): $1.51B

U.S. Ecology Inc. (NASDAQ:ECOL) is an American waste management, waste treatment, and recycling company based in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1952, the company is parented by Republic Services, which is an American waste collection and disposal company. In 2021, the company generated a total revenue of $988 million, with gross profit reaching up to $233.1 million. Some hedge funds which hold stakes in U.S. Ecology Inc. (NASDAQ:ECOL) include Springbok Capital, Centiva Capital, and ExodusPoint Capital.

U.S. Ecology Inc. (NASDAQ:ECOL) is an industry leader in hazardous waste collection, treatment and disposal, and offers a diverse portfolio of waste disposal options and waste treatment capabilities in the industry, and also offers waste transportation services to commercial and governmental organizations in the United States. The company is spread over 100 service locations and 35 disposal facilities across the United States, and has operations in the U.S, Canada, and Mexico.

6. Casella Waste Systems Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST)

Total Market Cap (As of November 7): $4.19B

Based in Rutland, Vermont, Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) is an American waste management company which provides resource management expertise and services to residential, commercial, municipal, and industrial customers, especially focusing on solid waste collection and disposal, transport, recycling, and organics services. In the third quarter of 2022, Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) generated a total revenue of $295.3 million, with total full-time employees ranging up to 2,900 nationwide. Some of the most prominent hedge funds to hold stakes in Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) as of Q2 2022 are Jim Simons’ Renaissance Technologies, Israel Englander’s Millennium Management, and Richard Driehaus’ Driehaus Capital.

Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) provides integrated solid waste services in seven states, including Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Pennsylvania. The company’s services are managed on a geographical basis, through two eastern and western operating segments. As of November 2022, Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ:CWST) owns and operates more than 42 solid waste collection operations, 59 transfer stations, 18 recycling facilities, 9 Subtitle D landfills, four landfill gas-to-energy facilities, and one landfill which has unrestricted permission to accept C&D materials.

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