We’ve all heard about the carbon footprint. For those who don’t know, a person’s carbon footprint is the measure of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide and methane that are released into the environment by one’s actions. The United States has one of the highest average carbon footprint rates per person in the world. The average citizen’s carbon footprint measures 16 tons while on a global scale, the carbon footprint per person measures 4 tons. Experts have recommended that to avoid a catastrophic rise in the earth’s temperatures, it is necessary to decrease the global average to 2 tons by 2050 and yet, we’re already in the year 2021 without much progress.
Like I said, the earth is suffering massively and it is only getting worse. Lowering the carbon footprint is no easy feat and it takes every individual’s effort to curb the effect that the human race is having on the planet. Of course we’re not solely to blame for the deteriorating conditions of the earth, but human beings are the biggest cause. It is not only harmful for the environment, but it’ll make life much harder for future generations.
So what should we do? How should we save the planet? Well for starters we need to look at recycling as a whole idea. The motto to follow is “reduce, reuse and recycle”. We need to reduce waste as much as we can, whenever we can. Reusing is also a big step as it limits trash and also helps reduce the need of additional items while also being a money saver, which is of course always a plus. And recycling as a whole is also very important. When using items like plastic, it is important to dispose of them in such a way that they don’t pose a threat to the environment. If we use the proper channels to dispose these items, we not only do our part to save the planet, we’re also helping the government fight this pandemic. Aside from individual citizens, another sector that is having a big impact on the environment is the business industry sector. The effect is so big that it has a category of its own. Industrial pollution impacts the air quality, it enters the soil and causes widespread environmental problems. The by-products of industries’ activities are so harmful that they are a leading cause of air, land and water pollution. The effects are not only felt by the environment, but also lead to a myriad of short term and long term diseases in the human race. But in these dark times, there are a few companies which are based on the idea to reduce the harmful effects we all have on the environment.
Pixabay/Public Domain
This brings us to our list of the biggest recycling companies in the world. These companies are dedicated to limiting the pollution spread that humans are having on the planet. They use a combination of man power and the latest technology available to reduce the earth’s carbon footprint. The rankings are based on the companies’ average revenue per year. Where available, we have used the actual financial statements of the company, and converted them to USD for a standard metric in case the company is foreign. So without further ado, let’s start with number 15:
15. Bingo Industries Limited (ASX: BIN.AX)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 398
Total comprehensive income of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 51
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 398
Total employees of the company in 2019: 1,020
Based in New South Wales, Australia, Bingo Industries is a waste management and recycling company founded in 2005. It was founded and is headed by the Tartak Family, with Daniel Tartak being the current CEO. The company operates residential and commercial recycling and waste services as well as bin manufacturing services through its subsidiaries.
14. Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (millions): $743
CWST ranks 14th on our list of the biggest recycling companies in the world. The company is headquartered in Vermont, and has at least 2,300 employees. It is one of the older companies in our list, having been founded back in 1975 and is considered to be a vertically integrated waste management and recycling company. The company has acquired a market capitalization of at least $3 billion, which is a great achievement for any company.
13. US Ecology, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECOL)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 1,051
US Ecology proclaims to be an industry leader in environmental services, and its revenue seems to back that up. The company offers the proper disposal of both hazardous as well as non-hazardous waste, and even radioactive waste. Not only does the company treat the waste, it also works on recycling them as well.
12. Recology (Private)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 1,300
The Californian company is headquartered in San Francisco, and offers a ton of services which include waste management and reclaiming usable materials, while also operating several landfills.
11. Biffa plc (LSE: BIFF.L)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 1,484
Total comprehensive income of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 70
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 1,564
Total employees of the company in 2019: 6,000
Biffa ranks 11th on our list of the biggest recycling companies in the world. Based in High Wycombe, United Kingdom, Biffa was found in 1912. The waste management company provides services in collection, landfill, recycling and special waste services to local authorities and industrial and commercial clients. It is noted to be the United Kingdom’s second largest waste management company as of 2017. The company generates an annual revenue of 1.4 billion USD.
10. Cleanaway Waste Management Limited (ASX: CWY.AX)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 1,819
Total comprehensive income of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 88
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 3,518
Total employees of the company in 2019: 6,000+
The Australian waste management company is headquartered in Melbourne. It was founded in 1979 and generates a yearly revenue of 2.1 billion USD. The company has over 250 branches throughout the country and employs over 6000 people. Cleanaway Waste Management Limited operates over 5,300 trucks.
9. Covanta Energy Corporation (NYSE: CVA)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 1,870
Total comprehensive income of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 10
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 3,715
Total employees of the company in 2019: 4,000
CVA ranks 9th on our list of the biggest recycling companies in the world. Coventa Energy Corporation was found in 1939 in New Jersey, United States. It provides services in energy from waste conversion and industrial waste management. The company charges a fee for waste disposal, sells electricity produced in the process, and recovers metal for recycling. Coventa generates an annual revenue of 1.8 billion USD.
8. Renewi plc (LSE: RWI.L)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 2,415
Total comprehensive income of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): -95
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 2,883
Total employees of the company in 2019: 6,800
Founded in 1880, Renewi plc. is headquartered in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom. The leading European waste management company primarily operates in the Benelux region. It was originally founded as a construction company in the west of Scotland. It changed its status from a construction company to a waste management company in the mid 1990’s. Renewi plc. generates an annual revenue of 2.1 billion USD.
7. Stericycle, Inc. (NASDAQ: SRCL)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 3,309
Total comprehensive income of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): -300
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 6,437
Total employees of the company in 2019: 23,200
SRCL ranks 7th on our list of the biggest recycling companies in the world. The company is headquartered in Illinois and was founded back in 1989. The company is one of the few recycling companies in our list to have actually made a loss in 2019. And we’ll just have to wait for the 2020 annual report to see if the company has successfully maneuvered one of the most difficult years in history.
6. GFL Environmental Inc. (NYSE: GFL)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (in millions of dollars): 3347
GFL Environmental is one of the biggest Canadian recycling companies. The company was founded just 14 years ago in 2007. According to its 20-F filing, “GFL is the fourth largest diversified environmental services company in North America, with operations throughout Canada and in 27 states in the United States. GFL had more than 15,000 employees as of December 31, 2020.”
5. Clean Harbors, Inc. (NYSE: CLH)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 3,412
Total comprehensive income of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 111
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 4,109
Total employees of the company in 2019: 14,400
Founded in 1980 in Norwell, United Kingdom, Clean Harbors is a provider of environmental, energy and industrial services. It also provides hazardous waste disposal services to companies, small waste generators and federal, state, provincial and local governments. It has over 400 service locations throughout North America, Canada and Puerto Rico. Clean Harbors generates a yearly revenue of 3.4 billion USD.
4. Waste Connections, Inc. (NYSE: WCN)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 5,389
Total comprehensive income of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 566
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 13,738
Total employees of the company in 2019: 16,000
Waste Connections (NYSE: WCN) was founded in 1997 in Texas, United States. The company provides waste collection, transfer, disposal and recycling services, primarily of solid waste. Its headquarters are in The Woodlands, Texas and Vaughan, Ontario as it operates in Canada as well. It is one of North America’s third largest waste management companies. Waste Connections generates a yearly revenue of 4.92 Billion USD.
Pixabay/Public Domain
3. Republic Services, Inc. (NYSE: RSG)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 10,299
Total comprehensive income of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 1,073
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 22,684
Total employees of the company in 2019: 36,000
The second largest recycling company in the United States, Republic Services (NYSE: RSG) is based in Arizona. Its services include non-hazardous solid waste collection, transfer, disposal, recycling, and energy services. It generates an average of 9.4 billion USD per year.
Pixabay/Public Domain
2. Veolia Environmental Services (Private)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 12,505
Total comprehensive income of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 328
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 18,867
Total employees of the company in 2019: 179,000
With 29 billion USD in yearly revenue, Veolia Environmental makes our list of the biggest recycling companies in the world. The company was founded in 1853 and is headquartered in Paris, France. Veolia Environmental provides services in management, treatment and disposal of waste, in addition to recycling, reclamation and re-use of waste products. The company has its presence in 35 countries and employees nearly 70,000 employees.
Pixabay/Public Domain
1. Waste Management, Inc. (NYSE: WM)
Revenue of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 15,455
Total comprehensive income of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 1,749
Total assets of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 27,743
Total employees of the company in 2019: 44,900
Waste Management easily tops our list of the 5 biggest recycling companies in the world. Founded in 1968 in Chicago, Illinois, Waste Management (NYSE: WM) is a waste management, comprehensive waste, and environmental services company in North America. Its headquarters are in Houston, Texas in the First City Tower. It operates 293 active landfill disposals and 146 recycling plants, as well as 111 beneficial-use landfill gas projects and six independent power production plants. Waste Management generates an annual revenue of 14.48 billion USD.
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