Q1 earnings results for major waste and recycling companies in 2025

Follow the latest results from WM, Republic Services and Waste Connections.

By Waste Dive Staff • April 29, 2025

WM says tariffs unlikely to affect RNG, MRF plans for 2025

CEO Jim Fish said the quarter exceeded expectations, despite severe weather. The company also reported ongoing progress as it integrates the Stericycle assets.

By Megan Quinn • April 29, 2025

WM opens $50M MRF in Maryland as part of regional upgrade plan

The new MRF, which can handle 250,000 tons per year, now has the largest capacity of all WM’s recycling centers. That capacity is necessary to serve major cities such as Baltimore and Washington, D.C. 

By Megan Quinn • April 28, 2025

Republic posts strong start to year amid ambiguity around credits, tariffs

The company reported financials for the first quarter of the year. Executives said their sustainability projects and underlying business were on solid financial footing in Q1 despite macroeconomic uncertainty.

By Jacob Wallace • April 25, 2025

Waste Connections highlights ‘better than expected’ Q1 amid tariff uncertainty

CEO Ron Mittelstaedt said strong pricing and “outsized” M&A activity continues. The company reiterated its Q2 outlook and said it’s planning to insulate from macroeconomic factors like tariffs.

By Megan Quinn • April 24, 2025

New York announces next waste zones, but pressure for a timeline remains

The city’s sanitation department declined to set dates for implementing of 17 remaining commercial waste zones this week, prompting pushback from industry and the city council.

By Jacob Wallace • April 24, 2025

Packaging groups support combo EPR, bottle bill legislation in Rhode Island

A commission on plastic bottle waste recommended combo legislation as one path forward. Some packaging and recycling group leaders said in an op-ed that the state “can learn from, and leapfrog, other states” with a new bill.

By Maria Rachal • April 23, 2025

Healthcare packaging an untapped chemical recycling feedstock: report

The Healthcare Plastics Recycling Council says its multi-year research into chemical recycling for healthcare packaging shows the material is an untapped feedstock that could help overcome collection and processing hurdles.

By Megan Quinn • April 18, 2025

What the pandemic means for waste and recycling five years later

While the “essential worker” spotlight may have faded and business is largely back to normal, certain effects still linger when it comes to labor investments and recycling streams.

By Cole Rosengren , Megan Quinn , Jacob Wallace • April 17, 2025

Arcwood CEO HP Nanda talks rebrand, new incinerators and tariffs

One year after EQT Infrastructure acquired a majority stake in Heritage Environmental Services, the company has rebranded to Arcwood Environmental. It caps off a period of expansion with fresh leadership.

By Jacob Wallace • April 16, 2025

Inside The Recycling Partnership’s policy pivot

Founder Keefe Harrison said the organization’s shift toward recycling policy advocacy has helped spark improvements to recycling systems that can’t be accelerated with grant programs alone.

By Megan Quinn • April 16, 2025

EPA confirms SWIFR, REO grant funding disbursement on track

EPA will move forward with awarding the second round of solid waste and recycling grants. The news comes after uncertainty over the status of numerous federal funding opportunities for the waste and recycling sectors.

By Megan Quinn • April 14, 2025

New York City pauses curbside organics enforcement

The city issued tens of thousands of warnings before enforcement began on April 1, but Mayor Eric Adams has since paused that plan through the end of the year for most building owners.

By Jacob Wallace • Updated April 18, 2025

Maryland EPR for packaging bill heads to governor’s desk

The bill calls for reimbursing key recycling collection, transportation and processing costs in the state, including for organics. Maryland would be the sixth state with packaging EPR if Gov. Wes Moore signs the bill. 

By Megan Quinn • April 8, 2025

Waste groups promote direct vision fleets on new safety council

Together for Safer Roads has launched a leadership group meant to advocate for integrating direct vision trucks into fleets to reduce crashes, injuries and fatalities. IWS, NWRA, McNeilus, Dennis Eagle and others are on board.

By Megan Quinn • April 3, 2025

Alberta launches EPR for packaging program

The first phase of the program places responsibility on producers to fully fund packaging recycling, a move government officials say will raise recycling rates and decrease costs.

By Megan Quinn • April 1, 2025

Quest CEO: ‘Next stage requires a change in culture’

Perry Moss, appointed CEO last month, said in an interview that he would bring a new “process-oriented” perspective to the company that would resolve some of its mistakes last year.

By Jacob Wallace • April 1, 2025

Trump nominates former Florida Highway Patrol chief as FMCSA head

The trucking industry had lobbied for Derek Barrs' nomination to lead the safety regulator. 

By Colin Campbell • March 26, 2025

Three ways to refresh workplace safety initiatives

Mixing up employee safety programs, taking a fresh look at data and getting leadership more involved can add pep to flagging safety initiatives, said speakers at the Waste Advantage Safety Summit.

By Megan Quinn • March 21, 2025

Waste and recycling is now a $100B industry, report says

The industry continued to see consolidation among public companies, especially in disposal activities, in 2024.

By Jacob Wallace • March 21, 2025

Republic opens Indianapolis plastics complex meant to fuel recycled content markets

This location houses the company’s second polymer center, along with a Blue Polymers facility. Together, they’re expected to process 175,000 pounds of recycled plastic annually.

By Megan Quinn • March 19, 2025

WM eyes growth from healthcare trends as it integrates Stericycle

WM sees future healthcare trends, such as the growth of at-home healthcare, as a business opportunity as it works to ramp up Stericycle’s McCarran incinerator and plans a rebrand, said Rafa Carrasco.

By Megan Quinn • March 17, 2025

LRS breaks into Indianapolis market with new collection contract

The Midwest company will take over collection contracts currently held by Republic Services and WM. LRS will also help roll out citywide recycling collection services in 2028.

By Megan Quinn • March 14, 2025

Quest names Moss as CEO, starts layoffs after ‘very disappointing year’

Quest Resource Management Group is elevating a former Rubicon leader to CEO and bringing in a former Republic executive. It reported “disappointing” results in 2024 despite earning its most new clients ever.

By Jacob Wallace • March 13, 2025

EPA revisiting dozens of climate, environment rules in ‘day of deregulation’

The agency said it would roll back a range of rules and programs, including some that are foundational to its climate change work. A new WOTUS definition is expected, as well as rollbacks to an emissions reporting program.

By Jacob Wallace • March 12, 2025