Dive Brief:

• GFL Environmental and LRS recently acquired assets from each other in a deal that went into effect at the start of the year. LRS sold two hauling yards and a C&D landfill in Mayflower, Arkansas, while GFL sold unspecified assets in Indiana, according to sources.
• Heavy equipment operators at the Mayflower, Arkansas, landfill voted last year to join International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 373 and are still negotiating their first contract. Chuck Stiles, assistant director of the Teamsters solid waste and recycling division, confirmed the deal and said local labor negotiators plan to meet with GFL next month.
• The companies involved in the transaction declined to comment. The deal comes as LRS orients itself around its new Indianapolis hub, where it began providing waste and recycling collection services at the start of the year. 

Dive Insight:

The two companies have a history of dealmaking. GFL acquired LRS' Wisconsin assets last year, and LRS acquired GFL assets in Illinois and Minnesota in 2021. Previously, GFL acquired large hauler WCA Waste from a Macquarie-backed fund for $1.2 billion in 2020. Macquarie, which owns the fund that backs LRS, was a major investor in GFL before a recapitalization deal in 2018. GFL later went public.

LRS secured the waste collection contract for the city of Indianapolis, a service previously provided by WM and Republic Services, a year ago. LRS is now offering residents an opt-in recycling subscription service through the end of 2027, after which the hauler is set to roll out universal curbside recycling services. 

LRS established a significant presence for itself in Indiana when it acquired Michiana Recycling & Disposal Service in January 2023. Rolled together with Michigan-based Modern Waste Systems, it was LRS' largest acquisition to date, netting the company an operation with more than 200 employees and about 125 trucks. In August 2025, LRS expanded on its presence in the Indianapolis market with its acquisition of local hauler GHW.

LRS acquired the Mayflower landfill in 2021 as part of a broader deal for Ramco-Alternative Waste Management, which served the Little Rock market. That transaction also included a sizable fleet and operations in Kansas and Wisconsin.

GFL had a presence in Arkansas prior to the deal with LRS, including three landfills, two transfer stations and multiple hauling locations, according to the company’s website. Stiles said workers’ healthcare was switched to GFL’s plan on Jan. 2, and he said about 75 Arkansas workers in total were included in the deal. 

Teamsters represents landfill workers but not the drivers. In the past, Stiles said the union has had largely productive conversations with LRS, and hundreds of LRS workers are now Teamsters. Stiles said the union has less experience with GFL, though he noted productive experiences with GFL in Canada and with WCA Waste in the past. Labor leaders expect to meet with GFL to discuss the Arkansas landfill contract on Feb. 18 and 19. 

This is among the first public deals to close among major haulers in the United States this year, but plenty more are expected. Last year, GFL aimed to close about 900 million Canadian dollars in acquisitions, and CEO Patrick Dovigi said he hopes to spend even more in 2026.