Dive Brief:
- Macquarie Infrastructure Partners sold Washington-based DTG Recycle this month, capping off a turbulent period since the firm initially acquired it in late 2022. Macquarie declined to comment.
- Waste Connections acquired DTG’s assets in Pierce County. This included a C&D recycling facility that DTG acquired from Recovery1 in 2019 as well as another site in Tacoma. Waste Connections did not respond to a request for comment.
- Dan Guimont, DTG’s founder, acquired the remainder of the business. This includes multiple hauling and recycling facilities, as well as a limited-purpose landfill in Yakima. Guimont could not be reached for comment.
Dive Insight:
DTG Recycle proved to be one of the more challenging investments for Macquarie in recent years, due to complex company dynamics, local regulatory situations and the fluctuating nature of construction and demolition waste volumes.
DTG had an estimated 300 trucks in 2025, according to federal records, along with multiple MRFs and one landfill. It provides a range of services for roll-off containers, portable restrooms, organics management and more.
Guimont founded the company in 1999 and grew it to become a dominant player in the regional C&D market through numerous acquisitions. Some of this was fueled by a minority investment from Clairvest Group in 2020, which included 10 deals in quick succession.
At the time of Macquarie’s purchase, DTG was described as the region’s “largest privately held vertically integrated non-MSW recycling business.” The company closed three more acquisitions in early 2023, but hadn’t reported any since. It divested one C&D recycling location to MCS Recycling in 2024.
DTG experienced a series of leadership changes following the Macquarie investment, including the departures of longtime CEO Tom Vaughn in 2023 and Guimont in 2024.
Guimont went on to found Guimont Capital in 2024, with a focus on “unconventional” commercial lending applications such as parking garages, storage facilities and parks for recreational vehicles or mobile homes.
Jordan Reber, who took over as CEO in 2024, also exited the business last year.
These changes, as well as periodic layoffs, came amid various challenges for the company. This included the temporary closure of its Rocky Top Environmental landfill in Yakima due to permit issues. Developments at this site, along with another landfill in the area, led to the passage of a law in 2025 giving Washington state regulators more oversight over local waste facilities.
The Rocky Top site reopened in late 2024, though a subsurface fire persisted. According to a Jan. 16 consultant report, the rate of smolder was “steadily decreasing” and conditions had improved. The report included other updates about DTG continuing to engage with the state’s Department of Ecology over landfill conditions.
Local regulators also forced the closure of multiple DTG recycling facilities, including one near the landfill in Yakima and another in Snohomish County.
The state’s Utilities and Transportation Commission also investigated DTG for allegedly transporting waste for disposal in Snohomish County without the proper certificate in 2023. This stemmed from the management of C&D recycling residuals. The investigation could have led to a potential penalty of nearly $3.4 million, but a settlement finalized on Feb. 9 included no penalty.
Instead, the UTC required DTG to more closely track its recycling rates, provide more recycling options and education at job sites, and invest in automated sorting technology and staff training at its facilities, among other provisions. The case, which also drew engagement from other local industry stakeholders, will now lead to a rulemaking process.
“The commission noted that starting a rulemaking and withdrawing a complaint as part of a settlement agreement is rare and is based on the unique and complex nature of this case,” according to a UTC release.
This month’s DTG transactions follow a protracted effort to find buyers, with multiple sources saying the assets and their profitability were considered less attractive than average.
The move is complementary for Waste Connections, which already has a sizable presence in the region. It also acquired other Washington companies such as Pioneer Recycling Services and Peninsula Sanitation Service, among others, in recent years. The company recently reported acquiring assets worth an estimated $330 million in annualized revenue during 2025, plus deals worth another $20 million in revenue during early February.
DTG was the newest of Macquarie’s current U.S. waste investments, which still include GreenWaste, LRS and Win Waste Innovations.
