Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ:CWST) Q4 2022 Earnings Call Transcript

John Casella: Well, yes, I think that’s maybe more important. So far as we look, and Michael, I think within our guidance from early 2023, through December 2023, we have recycling commodity prices up about 20% through the year.

Jason Mead: But I think it’s more important to talk about the dollars, we only have commodities coming up $14 a ton through the year, it sounds like a big percentage, but it’s very low, we’re sitting at about, people calculate baskets much different ways, within this basket that we look at $64 a ton today. And it was roughly in December around $59 a ton and we expect it to rebound to about $78 a ton through the year. So, the guide right now does not have much movement on recycling commodities. And as an example last year, we for the full-year, we are about $125 a ton. So, we really haven’t taken much back through the guide on our recovery.

Michael Hoffman: Okay. And then on the free cash flow bridge, is there possibly missing, you gave a lot of data there. But a good guide in ’23 is I don’t repeat the special bonus. But is there a headwind you exceeded plan, so I’m assuming there’s a cash bonus payout that’s above plan in the spring? So, that’s a headwind. How do I think about those?

John Casella: Yes. So, I gave those kinds of bridging items on EBITDA for each of the lines of business and a part of a good guide in 2023 in collection and disposal, and even into resource solutions. This is embedded there for our employees. So, you’re right, that is an implied headwind. It’s not something that’s guaranteed to be done again, into the year. And we did exceed bonus targets in 2022. So, there is a little bit higher cash outflow happening this Spring as those payments are made. So, once again, but not, none of material bridging items are probably something with those bad guides I said would be a slight offset to cash interest or cash taxes on this number, on the bonus side the difference between year-over-year cash or we can find that number little later.

Ned Coletta: Could you please follow-up on that?

Jason Mead: Yes, just the one headwind in ’22 offset the headwind in ’23 because they offset each other is about that same government and then timing on McKean, will you start construction this summer, if you’ve got your wetlands permit, so you’ll be in a place to potentially be open before Boston renews in ’24?

John Casella: I feel it’s a possibility, Michael. It really depends on the regulatory agencies. The permit that we are waiting on now is the solid waste permit. So, we have got both of our wetland permits. And right now, we are in the mix on our solid waste permit. So, some of it depends on what happens with that permit. How long it takes to get through that process.

Michael Hoffman: And does the guide include capital spending for the spur and things like that and containers and all that? Or, you adjust the guide when construction starts?

John Casella: We have $10 million of capital in our guide now. Michael, and as the year progresses, we will look to update that number as needed.

Ned Coletta: And that’s a lot of the capital. We get the first phase up and going. We get the spurs fill, offload infrastructure build and additional yellow iron at the landfill. We are aiming to first take in containerized MSW. And then move to construction and demo, debris later. We think that’s a larger need across our customer base in the Northeast to be able to have a solution for MSW.