5 Biggest Garbage Companies in the US

In this article, we shall discuss the 5 biggest garbage companies in the U.S. To read our comprehensive analysis of the waste management sector in the United States in 2022, go directly and see 11 Biggest Garbage Companies in the US.

5. Clean Harbors Inc. (NYSE:CLH)

Total Market Cap (As of November 7): $6.01B

Based in Norwell, Massachusetts, Clean Harbors Inc. (NYSE:CLH) is an American waste management company which specializes in the provision of environmental and industrial services, hazardous waste disposal, and solid waste disposal. In the third quarter of 2022, the company generated a total revenue of $1.36 billion against an operating expense of $243.4 million. As of November 2022, Clean Harbors Inc. (NYSE:CLH) has more than 18,000 employees throughout its facilities in the United States, Mexico, Canada, and Puerto Rico.

Clean Harbors Inc. (NYSE:CLH) operates through two primary segments: Environmental Services and Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions. The former concerns itself with the collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous solid waste. The processes by which these services are carried out include resource recovery, physical treatment, fuel blending, incineration, and landfill disposal. The segment also provides industrial maintenance and specialty industrial services. Clean Harbors Inc. (NYSE:CLH) has expanded significantly since it was incorporated in 1980 through organic growth and approximately 35 acquisitions. Major acquisitions include Eveready Inc, Peak Energy Services, Safety-Kleen Systems, which has been their most profitable acquisition to date. As of November 2022, the company has over 430 service locations across the North American continent including 60 hazardous waste management facilities in 38 U.S. states, seven Canadian provinces, Mexico and Puerto Rico.

4. Stericycle Inc. (NASDAQ:SRCL)

Total Market Cap (As of November 7):

Based in Bannockburn, Illinois, Stericycle Inc. (NASDAQ:SRCL) is an American compliance company which specializes in the collection and disposal of regulated substances, such as medical waste sharps, hazardous waste, and solid waste. The company also provides training services and has multiple bases of operation all across the world.  Stericycle’s (NASDAQ:SRCL) services range from regulated waste management services, sharping disposal containers to reduce the risk of needlesticks, drug disposal, healthcare compliance, and pharmaceutical disposal. The company acquired Shred-it in 2015, thereby adding secure information destruction services to its portfolio. In the third quarter of 2022, Stericycle Inc. (NASDAQ:SRCL) generated a total revenue of $690.3 million against an operating expense of $215.6 million.

Stericycle Inc. (NASDAQ:SRCL) has a global presence, with 14,500 employees in more than 640 locations across 21 countries. More than 25% of the company’s revenue is generated via its international operations, with the most prominent countries being the United States, Canada, Ireland, Spain, and Brazil. Stericycle Inc. (NASDAQ:SRCL) has also associated itself with many community causes including Feed My Starving Children, American Diabetes Association, National Safety Council, and even set up SteriCares Hardship Fund to provide monetary relief to impoverished families.

3. Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN)

Total Market Cap (As of November 7): $34.76B

Headquartered in The Woodlands, Texas, Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) is a North American integrated waste services company which focuses on slid waste collection, transfer disposal, and recycling services. It is the third largest waste management company in the United States by overall market capitalization, with a total market cap of $34.7 billion as of November 7. Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) generated a total revenue of $1.88 billion in Q3 2022. Founded in 1997 in Folsom, California, Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) has 19,998 employees across operational facilities in the United States and Canada.

As of Q4 2021, more than 70% of the company’s revenue was from solid waste collection, 21% from solid waste disposal and transfer, 4% from recycling, and 5% from its oil industry waste operations. 16% of the company’s total revenue was from Canada while the rest was from the United States. Waste Connections’ (NYSE:WCN) primary services include waste collection and disposal services. These services are often carried out through contractual operations with municipalities to collect the waste in that respective jurisdiction for an agreed-upon rate. The services are provided directly to residential, commercial and industrial clients. Furthermore, Waste Connections (NYSE:WCN) owns and operates more than 87 solid waste landfills as of November 2022. Since the company’s incorporation in 1997, the company has achieved growth through notable acquisitions of R360 Environmental Solutions and Progressive Waste Services of Canada, among others.

2. Republic Services Inc. (NYSE:RSG)

Total Market Cap (As of November 7): $40.7B

Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, Republic Services Inc. (NYSE:RSG) is an American waste management service provider which specializes in non-hazardous solid waste collection, waste transfer, waste disposal, recycling, and energy services. Founded in 1998, Republic Services Inc. (NYSE:RSG) generated a total revenue of $3.6 billion in the third quarter of 2022. The company owns and operates more than 195 active landfills and 90 recycling centers across the United States. Republic Services Inc. (NYSE:RSG) owns the largest landfill in the U.S, at 2,200 acres. With over 35,000 employees nationwide, it is the second largest garbage company in the United States by overall market capitalization.

Republic Services’ (NYSE:RSG) operations primarily comprise the collection, transfer, and disposal of non-hazardous solid waste. The company operates in more than 43 states across the United States, and with 343 collection operations, 204 transfer stations, 7 treatment, recovery, and disposal facilities, and 11 salt water disposal wells, the company is an industry leader in waste management. Republic Services Inc. (NYSE:RSG) is subject to different federal, state and local regulations which oversee the environmental, public health, safety, zoning, and land use impact of the corporation. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency administer these regulations. Furthermore, the company dedicates more than 45% of its earnings into the development and production of new technologies and the initiation of new programs across the United States.

1. Waste Management Inc. (NYSE:WM)

Total Market Cap (As of November 7): $64.32B

Based in Houston, Texas, Waste Management Inc. (NYSE:WM) is an American waste management, comprehensive waste, and environmental services company. It is the largest waste management company in the United States by overall market capitalization, and together with Republic Services Inc. (NYSE:RSG), handles more than half of all garbage collection in the United States. As of the third quarter of 2022, Waste Management Inc. (NYSE:WM) posted a total revenue of $5.08 billion. The company offers garbage collection services to more than 22 million residential, industrial, municipal, and commercial customers across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. With a total of 48,500 employees across the North American continent, the company is an industry leader in garbage collection, transfer, and disposal.

Waste Management’s (NYSE:WM) network comprises more than 346 transfer stations, 293 active landfill disposal sites, 146 recycling plants, 111 beneficial-use landfill gas projects and six power production plants. With over 26,000 collection and transfer vehicles, the company has the most expansive trucking network in the U.S. waste management sector. It recycles more than 9 million tonnes of materials at over 146 facilities nationwide, ranging from single-stream recycling, electronic recycling, and recycling of organic waste and construction debris. Since its incorporation in 1968, Waste Management Inc. (NYSE:WM) has achieved massive growth through both, organic methods and acquisitions. The company is also a marketing behemoth, with multi-million dollar marketing agreements with CBS, the  Transformers franchise, and the Walt Disney Company. In February 2022, the company rebranded to WM (NYSE:WM), and adopted a new slogan – “for tomorrow.”

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