The acquisition by regional giant Casella Waste Systems of two area trash-hauling systems is part of a national trend of greater consolidation in the industry, which has raised concerns about increasing prices as competition declines.
The Rutland, Vt.-based firm, which has annual revenues of around $1.8 billion, has bought Pinard Waste Hauling of Hooksett and Purmore Waste of Allenstown in recent years. It now provides trash pickup and hauling to “more than 124,000 households and 11,000 businesses in over 200 towns statewide,” including municipal contracts for Concord, Manchester, and a half-dozen other municipalities, said Jeff Weld, vice president of communications.
“Pinard and Purmore are both good examples of companies that provide opportunities for smooth transitions for employees and customers alike. Acquisitions like this strengthen local service reliability and sustainability by gaining operational efficiencies, placing fewer trucks on the roads, and creating safer work environments through better technology,” Weld wrote in response to a Monitor query.
The most obvious technology change is trucks picking up roadside trash with robotic arms, a system in place in Bow, Laconia and Manchester, among other places, that will be tested in parts of Concord next summer.
Any efficiency gains aren’t translating into lower costs for communities, however.
Bow, for example, saw a 40 percent increase in trash and recycling costs after Casella bought Pinard Waste, the town’s longtime hauler.
“The change to Casella is costing us quite a lot, and I wish there were other options for us to consider,” Angela Brennan, vice chair of the Bow Select Board, said at a public meeting last year. “But it seems like they have a hold on the market and that’s a little concerning.”
Concord’s most recent contract with Casella increased disposal costs from approximately $70/ton to about $100/ton and added on costs for recycling for the first time.
Casella, which was founded in 1975 when Doug Casella began picking up trash in a pickup truck, completed six acquisitions in the first half of 2025, representing over $90 million in annualized revenue, and planned several others along the Eastern Seaboard, according to published reports.
They’re not alone. Through the first three quarters of this year, the U.S. solid waste industry’s five largest publicly traded companies spent about $2.7 billion on acquisitions, according to a summary by industry publication Waste Dive. Many are known as “tuck-ins,” where small independent firms are completely absorbed into the main company rather than maintaining their own brands.
Trash collection has traditionally been a dispersed industry with an estimated 20,000 firms picking up and hauling trash in the U.S., but most of those are very small, serving just a few communities with a few trucks.
Other factors raising the cost of waste collection include fuel, equipment and labor costs. New England, like much of the country, is also seeing a squeeze on landfill space that has led to a surcharge of $3.50 per ton for businesses and out-of-state haulers starting next year.