Dive Brief:
- Casella Waste Systems confirmed it has acquired Massachusetts hauler and recycler Save That Stuff this week. Financial terms were not disclosed.
- Save That Stuff has an estimated 36 vehicles as well as a 100,000-square-foot recycling facility in Boston. The property hosts a WM organics preprocessing facility through a lease agreement.
- Save That Stuff was also part of Boston’s residential organics collection program, but exited that arrangement ahead of this deal. Maine-based Garbage to Garden is now the sole service provider for that program.
Dive Insight:
This deal is the latest industry example of consolidation in Massachusetts, with ripple effects for the Boston market.
Save That Stuff was founded in 1990 by President Erik Levy, who operated out of a 1971 Volkswagen Double Cab. The company’s growth coincided with the implementation of disposal bans on certain key recyclables by the state’s Department of Environmental Protection and it gained a reputation for tackling a range of different material streams.
While the VW continues to appear at special events, the company’s operations have scaled to include a fleet of heavy-duty trucks providing service around the Greater Boston area. Its small recycling facility is located in Boston’s Charlestown neighborhood. Casella also has a large MRF in a different part of Charlestown.
Casella confirmed that Levy and his team have joined the company as part of the transaction.
“The organization aligns well with our core competencies, and more importantly the culture Erik has built over the past 35 years aligns with our core values,” said Jeff Weld, Casella’s vice president of communications, in a statement. “This acquisition will help provide more efficient service to existing hauling customers for both organizations, while also helping to drive additional circularity for our customers and complementing our recycling and materials management efforts throughout the greater Boston market.”
Levy has also been developing a composting site in Brockton, Massachusetts, which was not part of the transaction.
A WM spokesperson confirmed that their organics preprocessing facility will continue to operate under a lease agreement with Casella. This facility accepts material from a range of service providers for conversion into a slurry that is then trucked to a regional codigestion facility.
Save That Stuff was among the earlier providers of organics collection service in the region and it helped Boston launch a program in 2022 through a joint venture with Garbage to Garden. Save That Stuff managed collection and fleet maintenance, while Garbage to Garden handled most other functions such as customer service, dispatch, technology, marketing and finances.
A spokesperson for Boston’s Public Works Department confirmed that Garbage to Garden acquired Save That Stuff’s share of the joint venture. The program now services an estimated 25,000 households through subscription agreements.
Annika Schmidt, marketing director for Garbage to Garden, also confirmed the shift and outlined plans to scale further.
“[O]ur overall goal is to take Boston's program to the next level by doubling the participation and tripling the tonnage collected. We look forward to being free to devote more resources to outreach, advertising and education with a street team launching this spring,” wrote Schmidt via email.
Vermont-based Casella has gained significant scale through acquisitions in recent years, including an expansion into areas of the mid-Atlantic. It also acquired various New England companies during that time, but hasn’t reported many recent purchases in the Boston area. The company reported spending an estimated $260 million on acquisitions through the third quarter and is set to release its full-year earnings on Feb. 12.
