This Week in Waste: Top Stories May 20 – May 23

#5 - Superior Environmental Solutions Acquires Arrowhead Environmental Services

Superior Environmental Solutions (“SES”), a portfolio company of Palladium Equity Partners, LLC (along with its affiliates, “Palladium”), today announced that it has acquired Arrowhead Environmental Services (“Arrowhead”). The combination broadens SES’s geographic reach into the Southern Mid-Atlantic market, where Arrowhead is based, and expands SES’s position as a leading provider of environmental and industrial services in the Midwestern and Southeastern United States.

Read the full article here.

#4 - Washington State Authorizes Drone for Methane Emissions

On May 13th, the Washington State Department of Ecology announced a new methane emission rule (Chapter 173-408 WAC) for active and closed solid waste (MSW) landfills in their state. All affected landfills must meet the requirements starting January 1, 2025.

Read the full article here.

#3 - Business Report May 2024—Highlights from WasteExpo 2024

The mood was ebullient on the show floor, as attendees frequently commented on how well the industry is doing, with the publicly-traded solid waste companies being rewarded with improving stock price valuations as a result. Also, with regard to the publicly-traded companies, it was repeatedly noted that strong pricing was holding as costs are (albeit slowly) coming down, resulting in the strong margin performance evident in the first quarter results that had just been reported.

Read the full article here.

#2 - The Heart, Science & Business of Sustainability: A Fireside Chat with Tara Hemmer

In a one-on-one interview with Kristin Kinder, VP of Research & Waste Stream Sustainability, at Wastequip, Ms. Hemmer explained that WM is investing more than $1 billion through 2026 to upgrade and build new recycling facilities that will help them meet growing demand for recycled content. “This is so important as we look to enable a circular economy,” she offered.

Read the full article here.

#1 - May 2024 Fire Report: Fighting Lithium-ion Battery Fires on the Frontlines

When you think of lithium-ion battery fires, you might think of data centers and large EV batteries, but the waste and recycling industry has been fighting fires caused by personal electronics and personal storage equipment since 2015.  In this month’s column, I not only highlight the fire data from April but also share some best practices from the National Waste & Recycling Association’s (NWRA) Safety Symposium, as well as my WasteExpo panel experts and my personal experience at Fire Rover.

Read the full article here.