Top Waste Management Companies

The expansion of the waste management industry is taking off, driven by a much-needed solutions model due to increasing population growth that is outpacing existing infrastructure, especially in developing countries. Municipalities and organizations are taking the lead on sustainability and circular economy practices by providing grant funding to increase recycling, paying for waste disposal, responsible waste disposal, and energy recovery. Waste management practices are changing because of the variety of investments in waste to energy technology, better recycling practices, new digital waste tracking systems, more social awareness of environmental issues, and increasingly larger companies committing to ESG. The industry has robust growth because of newer and innovative technology like AI-powered tracking, automatic sorting, and smart bins. These are largely effective, technologically and environmentally superior. This page will land though the major drivers and trends that companies are adopting in the market.

Industry Overview

According to SkyQuest Technology “Waste Management Market By Service Type (Collection, Transportation, Sorting & Separation, and Disposal) By Waste Type (Non-Hazardous Industrial Waste, Construction & Demolition Waste, Municipal Solid Waste, Hazardous Waste, Medical Waste, and E-Waste), By Disposal Method, By Source, By Region - Industry Forecast 2025-2032,” the e-waste segment is expected to experience the highest compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in the coming years.  This stems from people's usage of more electronics, devices have shorter life spans, and the world will continue to become more digital.

Top 10 Global Waste Management Companies

1. Waste Management, Inc.

The largest waste management company in North America, Waste Management, Inc., was founded in 1968, with head offices in Houston, Texas. According to the revenues in 2024, it stood at $22.06 billion. The services provided by the company cover a wide field, ranging from hazardous waste treatment, to landfill management, to recycling, trash collection, and transporting-away operations. In an effort to benefit the environment and enhance sustainability worldwide through circular economy projects, Waste Management aims to take a responsible approach. Their approach includes utilizing recycling technology, renewable natural gas, and digital waste tracking to address environmental impacts as well as landfill dependency, which has helped Waste Management remain an industry leader. The company maintains prominence in Canada and the United States.

2. Republic Services, Inc.

Republic Services, incorporated in 1998, is located in Phoenix, Arizona. Revenues for 2024 were forecasted between $16.10 billion and $16.20 billion. One of the largest waste collection and recycling companies in the United States, Republic provides landfill management, recycling, environmental services, and residential and commercial garbage collection. The Republic is focused on environmental sustainability by going into construction of recycling facilities and conversion of landfill gas into renewable energy. Acting with growing capacities for ESG and in a circular economy, the Republic is becoming one great force for developing sustainable solutions for waste management in the nation.

3. Veolia Environment S.A.

The company became a key leader in Water, Waste, and Energy Services worldwide. Headquartered in Paris, France, it started in 1870. The company holds approximately $47.82 billion in sales as of 2024, making it a huge giant with great importance on market policies. The company presides over the markets of Europe, Asia, and the Americas for solutions in recycling, the circular economy, municipal garbage collection, and industrial waste treatment. With a keen focus on advanced recycling and waste-to-energy systems, the firm's initiatives contribute to global efforts to stabilize the carbon footprint. Via its vast offerings which are truly global in nature, Veolia remains a key thrusting force for sustainability. It helps companies and cities in shifting toward greener, more resource-efficient practices.

4. SUEZ S.A.

SUEZ is a world leader in waste and water management solutions. It is headquartered in Paris, France, and was established in 1869. It recorded revenues of about US$ 9.84 billion in 2024. This firm is a veteran in resource management, recycling, and waste to energy. It also provides consultancy services to businesses, helping them optimize their circular economy activities. SUEZ designs and builds infrastructures that implement advanced recycling technologies while collecting litter from residential and commercial properties. With an increasing amount of investment toward sustainable objectives such as digital waste tracking, revenues generated from such activities have been recycled into environment-friendly disposal technologies. With an enhanced suite of innovative ideas, SUEZ now globally recreates waste management with decades of experience behind it.

5. Waste Connections, Inc.

Waste Connections is based in Bothell, and this company was formed in the year 1997. In 2024, the total revenues of this company will be $8.92 billion. The company collects, transports, recycles, and landfills junk across the USA and Canada. It prioritizes rural areas, secondary markets, and exclusive service contracts to ensure growth for the company. Waste Connections has placed great emphasis on sustainability through investing in recycling facilities and generating renewable natural gas from landfills. Its model for diversified service and focus on the community will enable it to prosper in the market while concurrently promoting eco-friendly waste management practices across North America.

6. Clean Harbors, Inc.

Sales for Clean Harbors Massachusetts in 2024 ring in at a whopping $5.89 billion.  The company is the principal provider of industrial and environmental services in North America.  Chemical disposal, hazardous waste remediation, and emergency service cleanup are its specialties.  Under strict adherence to environmental regulations, Clean Harbors operates a large number of disposal and treatment facilities.  Clean Harbors is equally concerned with the management of all chemical and industrial waste.  Instead, because of its unity of technical know-how and evolving innovative thinking for environmental sustainability, Clean Harbors remains a reliable partner to industries and municipalities in need of safe and sound waste services.

7. Remondis SE & Co. K.G.

Established in 1934, Remondis is one of the largest recycling and waste management companies in Europe, operating out of Lünen, Germany.  Although active in over thirty countries, the company will not disclose its revenues for 2024. It manages water and collects and recycles waste from households and commercial installations. It is in this manner that Remondis tried to derive methods according to resource sustainable and circular economy basis to reduce landfilling and recover materials in an environmentally advantageous manner. Such an enormous experience and its extensive footprint make it one of the leading European players in sustainable waste management.

8. Biffa Limited

Biffa Limited was founded in 1912 and headquartered in High Wycombe, UK. It generated revenues of approximately $1.5 billion in 2024.  The company offers integrated waste management solutions in the UK, including specific waste treatment, recycling, landfill operations, and collection.  Biffa is central to the UK's move towards a circular economy, developing innovative recycling methods and waste-to-energy conversion techniques.  The company has been in operation for nearly a century and has continued to improve on service areas. It also lobbies nationally and municipally for the adoption and practice of environmentally responsible waste management in the operation and strives to keep all its operations in line with the current performance standards on the environment.

9. Covanta Holding Corporation

Founded in 1983, its headquarters are in Morristown, New Jersey.  It is one of the major providers of resource recovery and sustainable waste-to-energy services.  With Covanta's well-known capacity to convert municipal solid waste into renewable energy, less waste is sent to landfills and there are correspondingly less emissions of greenhouse gas.  The company nevertheless omitted to present its earnings for 2024.  It also engenders eco-friendly services for recycling industrial waste and ashes.  By focusing on energy recovery and zero waste to landfills projects, Covanta is making a bridge between waste management and renewable energy, supporting the principles of the circular economy and sustainability.

10. Hitachi Zosen Company

The Hitachi Zosen Company is a Japanese company that operates in diverse engineering and environmental technology disciplines.  Based in Osaka, it was founded in 1881. It racked up probably more than $3.7 billion in 2024. Specializations include project conceptualization and structuring of waste treatment and waste-to-energy plants and environmental infrastructure. Advanced engineering solutions, coupled with resource recovery to generate renewable energy, are its forte. Hitachi Zosen is a pioneer in Japan for environmentally friendly waste handling. The company is extending its reach on the global front with its new solutions that encourage efficiency, cleaner energy use, and conservation of resources.

Other Leading Global Waste Management Companies

• Stericycle, Inc.
• GFL Environmental Inc.
• FCC Environment
• Cleanaway Waste Management Ltd
• Sims Limited
• Renewi PLC
• Urbaser
• Averda
• Daiseki Co., Ltd.
• Valicor

Conclusion

Various companies from different sectors are now taking a stand in the international waste management sector. The companies are considered to be some of the largest global players in the waste management industry, and they have their own unique features and strategies. In addition, such European companies as SUEZ and Remondis seem to be the initiators of innovative ideas for recycling or recovering resources. Clean Harbors and Covanta are companies above all else focusing on the removal of hazardous wastes or turning these wastes into energy. There are also local leaders in the business, such as Hitachi Zosen in Japan or Biffa in the UK, who also help to uphold the industry by contributing their own expertise. Collectively, they transform waste into a valuable resource to support a cleaner, circular economy.