If you move around you’ll see tons of trash lying in an open space. To tackle this issue, the global market is fueled by initiatives against illegal dumping and increasing recycling volumes. Notably the biggest waste management companies in the world are offering sustainable solutions like recycling and composting to meet diverse client needs. Come and explore the curated list to manage your trash effectively.
Biggest Waste Management Companies in the World
Management of waste is the proper handling of rubbish and sewage. However, the market faces issues due to separation by type, service, and area. Globally, around 11.2 billion tonnes of solid waste is collected annually with the decomposition of the organic component contributing approximately 5% to global greenhouse gas emissions.
The largest organizations in the world that are managing waste are listed below. They are promoting innovative approaches and collecting trash from residential, commercial, and industrial clients.
1. Waste Management
They are leading worldwide business for managing waste with innovation and sustainability measures. Waste Management prioritizes resource efficiency and minimizes environmental effects with a focus on advancements in renewable energy and recycling.
Key Features:
- Provide guidance on recycling fundamentals to promote environmentally conscious behaviors.
- Focuses on employee, consumer, and community well-being by generating social impact through programs and collaborations.
- Offering eco-friendly and convenient waste pickup services for both residential and commercial properties.
- Various dumpster rental options for cleanouts, renovations and other projects.
- They are working for greener future progress through investments, education and technology.
2. Republic Services
They are a prominent provider of environmental services to businesses, households and communities focusing on safety and compliance. Republic Services promotes economic stability through long-term recycling and waste management solutions.
Key Features:
- Every year, they publish reports to maintain accountability and promote environmental responsibility for tracking progress toward sustainability goals.
- Achieving ecological objectives discusses options for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
- Successfully managed 8 million tons of recyclables positively impacting 3.5 million people.
- Provide comprehensive waste management solutions including advanced recycling, solid waste, special waste and hazardous waste disposal.
- Developed as a reliable partner for recycling and trash solutions.
3. Waste Connections
They serve the United States and Canada providing comprehensive waste collection and disposal services. Waste Connections works to improve the environment by using innovative technologies and cost-effective options such as recycling facilities, robotics and management services.
Key Features:
- Offers garbage pickup, recycling, non-hazardous oilfield waste disposal and dumpster rentals.
- Commercial services include multiple dumpster sizes and scheduling options.
- Provide roll-off dumpster services for commercial, residential and building projects.
- Provide trash compactors to reduce the organization’s waste pickup frequency and expenses.
- Provides timely and consistent services including home recycling in multiple areas.
Also See: How to Start a Solar Panel Recycling Business
4. Veolia
They are one of the largest waste management companies in the world recognized for hazardous waste treatment and for developing circular economy solutions. Veolia helps to ensure resource availability, preservation, recovery, and replenishment.
Key Features:
- Prioritizes bioenergy, flexibility and energy efficiency for affordable and low-carbon solutions.
- Provides full waste management services for both solid and liquid non-hazardous and hazardous waste.
- Aims to set a standard for ecological transformation by including the entire waste life cycle from collection to treatment.
- Offers practical solutions for managing water, energy and waste worldwide.
5. Clean Harbors
They are North America’s leading provider of complete environmental and industrial services. Clean Harbors provides innovative waste management solutions for hazardous waste, spill response, industrial cleaning and recycling. They are the leading re-refiner, recycler of used oil and provider of washer parts.
Key Features:
- Operate two reporting segments which are Environmental Services and Safety-Kleen Sustainability Solutions.
- SKSS offers a closed-loop environmental solution for collecting, recycling and re-refining spent oil through a network of terminals and refineries.
- They ensured ongoing safety improvements in waste management operations including recycling, incineration, landfill, wastewater and treatment.
- Provide hazardous and non-hazardous material management services such as collection, packaging, transportation, recycling, treatment and disposal.
6. Casella Waste Systems
Founded in 1975, it is among the top trash management companies in the world offering resource recovery services. Casella Waste Systems services cater to residential, commercial and organizational customers.
Key Features:
- They provide customized services to satisfy the needs of various sectors and support customers in achieving sustainable goals.
- Offers environmental services and zero waste solutions.
- It includes routine waste and recycling pickups, specialized waste management solutions and dumpster rentals.
- A publicly traded company in the solid waste industry that prioritizes sustainable revenue creation through innovative business strategies.
- The sustainability strategy includes five major elements which are essential workers, material management, sustainable operations, climate leadership and community participation.
7. Stericycle
It is a business-to-business services company established in the United States that specializes in compliance-based solutions. Stericycle offers comprehensive waste disposal services to safeguard people, brands, health, well-being and the environment.
Key Features:
- Recycles paper and plastic from landfills along with treating medical waste before disposal.
- Provides expertise in managing complex materials and offers vital services to enable compliance and safe business operations in North America and Europe.
- Safely manage sharp and pharmaceutical waste to reduce infection risk and support sustainability goals.
- They focus on transporting, treating and disposing of medical waste in line with regulations.
8. Cleanaway Waste Management
It is an Australia-based provider of complete waste management services. The company complies with the highest regulatory and environmental standards. Cleanaway Waste Management provides sustainable waste services including secure garbage collection, processing, treatment, recycling and disposal.
Key Features:
- Provide 242 GWh of renewable energy yearly while tackling climate change.
- Services offered include general garbage and recycling, liquid, hazardous and biohazardous waste disposal, and waste oil management.
- Provide services across several industries including retail, hospitality, municipal and local government, commercial property, mining and healthcare.
- Developed waste processing and resource recovery capabilities through partnerships with Pact Group, and Asahi Beverages and TOMRA.
9. Tomra Systems ASA
Founded in 1972, it is among the biggest waste management companies in the world known for promoting circular economy principles through its recycling systems. Tomra Systems ASA offers solutions ranging from collecting, reverse vending, mining and recycling of garbage and metal products.
Key Features:
- Encourage ongoing use and reuse of precious resources through food processing technologies to improve safety and reduce loss.
- Provide advanced sorting technology for transforming garbage into value and resource recovery.
- Identify new business opportunities and models to support the shift to circular economies and boost resource productivity.
- Offers solutions for waste issues with enhanced collecting, sorting and reverse vending systems.
Also See: Waste Segregation Complete Guide: Importance, Types and Sorting Bins
10. Biffa Group
It is a UK-based company that is transforming waste into useful resources while reducing environmental impact. Biffa Group assists enterprises of all sizes to minimize and manage their garbage sustainably and cost-effectively.
Key Features:
- Collect tonnes of difficult or hazardous waste from 95% of UK postcodes resulting in higher plastic recycling and lower carbon emissions.
- Provide efficient, sustainable, and cost-effective trash solutions to small and medium size industries.
- Assist bigger companies in meeting their circular economy and environmental goals by diverting garbage from landfills.
- Collaborate with local authorities nationwide to increase recycling rates and promote sustainable communities.
- Waste management solutions include general garbage collection, commercial recycling, responsible disposal and waste transfer services.
11. GFL Environmental Inc.
North America-based leading environmental services company catering to corporations, governments, solid waste brokerage, biosolids management and land reclamation. GFL Environmental Inc. offers trash management and soil remediation services that are safe, accessible and cost-effective.
Key Features:
- Providing services for solid and liquid waste management while strategically positioned operations throughout Canada and the United States
- They manage additional, curbside and bulk pickup requests for collection.
- Services for residential and business clients include liquid hazardous waste collection, disposal, recycling and emergency response solutions.
- Their residential services include waste collection, composting, roll-off bins, and bulky item collection.
- Services to commercial clients include recycling, dumpster facilities, compactors, construction waste management, excavation, and document shredding.
12. Suez Environment
This environmental services provider provides trash management solutions, real estate management, and urban cleansing programs to communities. Suez Environment develops local technology to help businesses efficiently recycle and recover resources promoting a circular economy.
Key Features:
- Offers complete waste recycling and recovery solutions for municipal governments by collecting, sorting, processing, advising and logistics.
- Design, build and operate facilities for wastewater and solid waste treatment on a global scale catering to varied types of projects.
- Their digital solutions improve waste management processes and operational effectiveness.
- Offers specialized hazardous waste management services that meet regulatory and safety standards.
For a complete understanding of waste, check out its Types and Disposal Methods.
13. Remondis
Globally ranked among the top waste management companies it offers cutting-edge technology, recycling services and water management. Remondis services include removing contaminants from residual and hazardous wastes and disposing of them in environmentally friendly ways.
Key Features:
- Contribute to the energy transition by operating advanced waste incineration plants like the Lippe Plant, which generates 330,000 MWh of renewable energy annually.
- Aims to achieve the circular economy and net-zero goals that encourage the use of recycled raw materials such as minimum content mandates.
- Dedicated to promoting recycling, energy generation and reducing emissions to combat climate change and preserve resources.
- Recycle garbage to recover raw materials and restore them to manufacturing cycles conserving natural resources.
14. Covanta Energy Corporation
A leading provider of sustainable materials management systems focuses on offering cost-effective and eco-friendly waste solutions. Covanta Energy Corporation’s primary goal is to discover new ways to manage garbage ethically while handling hazardous and non-hazardous wastewater.
Key Features:
- Annually divert 21 million tons of waste from landfills, recycle 1.1 million tons and recover 550,000 tons of metal.
- Offers liquid waste treatment services including chemical and physical treatment, evaporation and high-temperature injection to eliminate impurities.
- Annually recycle millions of gallons of wastewater via their network of treatment plants to produce salvageable metals, oils and clean water for reuse in the water cycle.
15. Recology
This corporation is committed to reducing waste and implementing sustainable resource recovery strategies. Recology developed a closed-loop resource ecosystem that protects the environment and supports local communities. allowing for high landfill diversion while also attaining sustainability goals.
Key Features:
- Collaborate with communities to conduct waste audits, identify improvement opportunities and implement customized recycling, composting and collection programs.
- Focus on waste management by evaluating, collecting, recovering, processing and marketing recovered commodities.
- Switched from traditional waste management to resource recovery to tackle waste issues.
- Utilize environmental engineering, pilot programs and partnerships to identify emerging technologies for advanced materials processing.
- For recycling they use infrared sensors, an air puffing mechanism, and optical sorting to separate plastics into different types based on size, shape, and color.
Finally, the biggest waste management companies in the world are responsibly advancing using smart technologies and providing comprehensive services. If you want the change, take responsibility and stop using single-use items, start composting organic waste and proper disposal of hazardous materials.
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