Republic Services received approval to acquire Robinson Waste Services, a Utah hauler serving the Salt Lake City metro area. The U.S. Federal Trade Commission issued the parties an early termination notice on April 28, which allows them to expedite the typical antitrust review period.
Robinson Waste was founded by Steve Robinson in 1989, according to its website. The company is headquartered in Layton, Utah, and serves six counties and multiple cities in the northern portion of the state. The company has more than 100 vehicles, according to federal records, and provides residential, commercial, industrial and construction waste and recycling services.
ERA Partners acquired an unspecified stake in the company in 2024. At the time, the deal partners said the transaction would bolster Robinson's expansion plans. Steve Robinson said in a statement the capital allowed the company to acquire the assets of Recycled Earth, which ran a MRF and C&D recycling operation in Ogden. He also noted plans to build a MSW transfer station, which now operates as the Ogden Transfer Station.
ERA also previously invested in Tunnel Hill Partners, a large waste-to-rail company, which was sold to Macquarie Infrastructure Partners in 2019.
Republic Services declined to comment. It already serves parts of the Salt Lake City metro area via multiple hauling locations, including in Ogden. It also own a transfer station in Salt Lake City also well as the Wasatch Regional Landfill in Tooele County. WM also has hauling and post-collection assets in the region, along with multiple other smaller haulers.
The Robinson deal is the latest notable addition for a company that’s aggressively pursued M&A for multiple years.
Republic spent about $1.1 billion dollars on M&A last year, including a sizable deal for Shamrock Environmental. CEO Jon Vander Ark previously told analysts that the company was again targeting $1 billion in M&A this year, predominantly in recycling and solid waste.
On Republic's fourth quarter earnings call in February, executives said this year’s M&A spend had already reached about $400 million. That total included two transactions in Kansas, both of which involved landfills. The company also acquired a small hauler in the Hudson, Ohio, area.
Republic’s first quarter 2026 earnings call is scheduled for May 7.
Cole Rosengren contributed reporting to this story.
