2025’s notable waste and recycling acquisitions

The year saw notable deal announcements involving GFL Environmental, Veolia, Enviri, WM, Republic Services, Waste Connections, Casella Waste Systems, FCC Environmental Services, LRS and more.

By Jacob Wallace • Dec. 23, 2025

By the numbers: What impacted waste and recycling in 2025

Take a look back at the year's notable data points on policy, regulation, labor, recycling trends and more.

By Megan Quinn , Jacob Wallace , Cole Rosengren • Dec. 23, 2025

How the EPA affected waste and recycling in 2025

The agency under the Trump administration signaled changes to how it regulates PFAS and greenhouse gas emissions and appointed key new leadership.

By Waste Dive Staff • Dec. 22, 2025

Colorado adopts its own landfill emissions rule for the first time

The new regulation adopts several new rules designed to tighten emissions monitoring and reduction, including the approval of satellite and drone monitoring systems.

By Jacob Wallace • Dec. 19, 2025

Ahead of 2026, Congress hears diverging calls for PFAS regulation

Witnesses pressed lawmakers to act on PFAS-related legislation in 2026 to protect “passive receivers” including water utilities and waste facilities. Environmental groups instead pushed for PFAS to be more strictly regulated.

By Megan Quinn • Dec. 19, 2025

US EPA announces recipients of $58M in recycling infrastructure grants

The second round of Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling grants, or SWIFR, will support 17 programs meant to avoid illegal dumping, build reuse centers, establish commercial recycling programs and more.

By Megan Quinn • Dec. 16, 2025

Virginia to update state solid waste plan for first time in 46 years

The draft plan aims to modernize the state’s waste strategy with an emphasis on better data collection, diversion and economic growth efforts. That might include pursuing an EPR for packaging law.

By Megan Quinn • Dec. 15, 2025

Republic Services’ Tennessee landfill sued again; Rumpke seeks Kentucky expansion

Local officials said in a lawsuit they were “leapfrogged” by Republic’s Middle Point Landfill expansion application. Meanwhile, Rumpke looks to address odor complaints at a landfill it's hoping to expand.

By Jacob Wallace , Megan Quinn • Dec. 12, 2025

What’s next with Amp’s MSW contract in Southern Virginia

Southeastern Public Service Authority and Amp signed an agreement to process the region’s MSW, recycling and organics. The deal includes a pledge to divert 50% of materials from the nearby landfill.

By Megan Quinn • Dec. 10, 2025

Orbital Biocarbon secures key investment to grow biosolids solution

The funding round led by Toby Z. Rice, a seed investor in Archaea Energy, allows Orbital to pursue more contracts in the Northeast, where disposal capacity is tight and concerns about PFAS contamination are growing.

By Jacob Wallace • Updated Dec. 10, 2025

EPA’s federal waters definition could ease landfill permitting process

The U.S. EPA’s revised definition of “waters of the United States” under the Clean Water Act would reduce permitting needs for waste facilities, but raises new questions, experts say.

By Jacob Wallace • Dec. 9, 2025

Landfill gas may release as much PFAS as leachate, study finds

The study spanned 17 states, the most wide-ranging look yet at how volatile PFAS compounds wind up in landfill gas. Researchers say the public health impact is currently unknown.

By Jacob Wallace • Dec. 8, 2025

Biofuels get a boost at COP30; plus RNG news from WM, Nopetro and more

A new pledge vows to quadruple the use of “sustainable fuels” by 2035, which groups like the American Biogas Council expect to further fuel demand for renewable natural gas.

By Jacob Wallace • Dec. 5, 2025

New York requires greenhouse gas emissions reporting from waste facilities

The rule would apply to waste facilities like landfills, incinerators and anaerobic digesters, as well as electricity generation facilities and fueling infrastructure. It comes as the federal government scales back its own reporting program.

By Jacob Wallace • Dec. 4, 2025

Waste companies have opportunity to address scope 3 emissions, EREF finds

A new report finds upstream transportation and purchased goods were some of the largest categories of scope 3 emissions among waste companies. But their facility portfolio plays the biggest role in their overall climate impact.

By Jacob Wallace • Dec. 3, 2025

GHGSat expands its fleet as methane monitoring interest grows

The company now has 16 devices in orbit. It’s part of a global effort to enhance the visibility of greenhouse gas leaks from industrial faciltiies, which saw renewed attention at COP30 this year.

By Jacob Wallace • Dec. 2, 2025

DOD-funded PFAS demo projects show promise for remediation and destruction

The federal agency, which is facing pressure to clean up hundreds of contaminated sites, is partnering with technology companies such as Aquagga, ECT2, Revive Environmental and others.

By April Reese • Updated Dec. 17, 2025

Raven’s $75M California waste-to-hydrogen facility wins key approval

The company is partnering with Republic Services to build the facility on a closed landfill and accept biomass as feedstock. CEO Matt Murdock said construction will likely begin early next year.

By Jacob Wallace • Nov. 26, 2025

Colorado’s diversion rate could get a boost in 2026 from EPR, other new laws

Colorado municipalities took the lead on improving the state’s recycling and organics diversion rates in 2024, according to a state report. Still, more “top-down” solutions stemming from EPR implementation could help.

By Megan Quinn • Nov. 26, 2025

California adopts most stringent landfill gas rules in the country

The three-year process culminated in a final regulation that sets some of the most stringent rules in the country for landfill gas control systems. It also includes provisions reacting to issues at the Chiquita Canyon Landfill.

By Jacob Wallace • Nov. 21, 2025

Lawmakers debate federal PFAS disposal solutions in Senate hearing

Clean Harbors Co-CEO Eric Gerstenberg testified at a U.S. Senate Environment and Public Works committee hearing Wednesday and urged the EPA to create a hierarchy of disposal options for PFAS-laden material.

By Jacob Wallace • Nov. 20, 2025

EPA announces changes to ‘waters of the United States’ rule

Trump’s EPA says the proposed WOTUS update better defines key terms and should lead to less permitting confusion. The draft will soon be available for a 45-day public comment period.

By Megan Quinn • Nov. 18, 2025

Republic Services, Win Waste win approvals at 2 landfills

Benton County, Oregon, voted to approve the expansion of the Coffin Butte Landfill despite some commissioners' concerns. A state review panel in Ohio also sided with Win Waste over permit conditions.

By Jacob Wallace • Nov. 17, 2025

New York City’s plan for the next decade of waste looks to boost diversion

The city supports practices such as extended producer responsibility and codigestion of organic waste to reduce the amount of material sent to disposal.

By Jacob Wallace • Nov. 7, 2025

Early EPR tailwinds propel GFL to highest-ever margin

GFL Environmental reported its highest-ever margin for adjusted EBITDA. In addition to volume growth related to EPR, the company is retooling its pricing strategy to better reflect internal inflation.

By Jacob Wallace • Nov. 6, 2025