Casella celebrates 45 Years of Recycling on America Recycles Day

New video showcases robotics installations designed to further increase plastic recycling rates

RUTLAND, Vt., Nov. 16, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In celebration of 45 years of recycling, Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CWST), chose America Recycles Day to launch the latest in a series of videos aimed at educating its customers and the public on the importance of recycling as part of an integrated resource management system that facilitates a circular economy, while maintaining economic and environmentally sustainable business practices.

“As a leader in recycling processing, we continue to invest in technology and infrastructure that makes recycling easier for consumer, enhances the separation of materials, increases the throughput of our recycling facilities, and improves the quality of recycled commodities that can be used in new products,” said Casella Chairman and CEO John W. Casella. “In 2021, our operations were responsible for managing more than 1.2 million tons of recyclable material, including 700,000 tons of household, commercial, and industrial recycling. We have set an ambitious target to exceed 2 million tons annually of recycling materials by 2030. Putting materials to a higher and better use has been at the core of our work since we established the first recycling facility in Vermont in 1977, and our most recent investments illustrate our continued commitment to recycling.”

Over the past two years, Casella has invested approximately $30 million in its Resource Solutions operations, which include its recycling processing facilities. The most recent advancements include the installation of four AMP Cortex robotic systems in two of its facilities located in Stanley, New York and Rutland, Vermont. The systems are designed to capture more high-value plastic material while decreasing contamination and improving the overall quality of the recycled material used in new products. Casella believes that that by augmenting the existing labor force with the AI-powered robots, they can improve worker safety and employee turnover. In the next year Casella plans to invest further in its recycling and resource management infrastructure, including the installation of a new state of the art processing system in its Charlestown, Massachusetts materials recycling facility, which is one of the largest in the country.

“We’re proud to have celebrated each America Recycles Day since its inception in 1997, and even prouder to say that we have been at the forefront of the recycling movement for 45 years,” Casella said. “One of the more important things we have learned over the years is that it takes collaboration across many stakeholders to drive true sustainability. We’re especially grateful to our collaborative partners at The Recycling Partnership who helped bring the AMP Robotics pilot to life with strategic grant funding.”

For more information and to watch the full video please visit www.casella.com/recycling-works.

ABOUT CASELLA WASTE SYSTEMS, INC.
Casella Waste Systems, Inc., headquartered in nearby Rutland, Vermont, is the Northeast’s largest recycler and most experienced fully integrated resource management company. Founded in 1975 as a single truck collection service, Casella has grown its operations to provide solid waste collection and disposal, transfer, recycling, and organics services to more than 900,000 residential, commercial, municipal, institutional, and industrial customers throughout the Northeast, and professional resource management services to over 10,000 customer locations in more than 40 states. For further information, investors should contact Jason Mead, SVP Finance & Treasurer at (802) 772-2293, and media should contact Jeff Weld, Director of Communications at (802) 772-2234, or visit the company’s website at www.casella.com.

SAFE HARBOR STATEMENT
Certain matters discussed in this press release, including, but not limited to, the statements regarding our intentions, beliefs or current expectations concerning, among other things, our financial performance; financial condition; operations and services; prospects; growth; strategies; anticipated impacts from future or completed acquisitions; guidance for fiscal year 2022; and beliefs or current expectations concerning its sustainability goals and commitments and anticipated actions to meet such goals and commitments, and the Company’s progress towards, and achievement of, its sustainability strategy and vision, are “forward-looking statements” intended to qualify for the safe harbors from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified as such by the context of the statements, including words such as “believe,” “expect,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “may,” “would,” “intend,” “estimate,” "will," “guidance” and other similar expressions, whether in the negative or affirmative. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industry and markets in which the Company operates and management’s beliefs and assumptions. The Company cannot guarantee that it actually will achieve the financial results, plans, intentions, expectations or guidance disclosed in the forward-looking statements made. Such forward-looking statements, and all phases of the Company's operations, involve a number of risks and uncertainties, any one or more of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in its forward-looking statements.

Such risks and uncertainties include or relate to, among other things, the following: the ability to increase the amount of recyclables processed or other resources managed; investments in new recycling or resource management infrastructure may not improve the Company’s operations or increase financial performance.

There are a number of other important risks and uncertainties that could cause the Company’s actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These additional risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, those detailed in Item 1A, “Risk Factors” in the Company's Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021, and in the Company’s Form 10-Q for the quarterly period ended September 30, 2022, and in other filings that the Company may make with the Securities and Exchange Commission in the future.

The Company undertakes no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Investors:

Jason Mead
Senior Vice President of Finance & Treasurer
(802) 772-2293

Media:

Jeff Weld
Director of Communication 
802-772-2234
http://www.casella.com

A video accompanying this announcement is available at: https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/69f89c9c-b507-42fb-b02f-ae341aebcb40