Casella Waste Systems Recognizes 2026 Sustainability Leaders

Casella names three 2026 Sustainability Leadership Award winners for notable waste reduction and recycling initiatives with its support.

Rhea-AI Summary

Casella Waste Systems (CWST) announced the recipients of its 2026 Sustainability Leadership Awards, recognizing Adams Fairacre Farms, King Arthur Baking Company, and the City of Pittsfield, MA for sustainability achievements.

Adams Fairacre Farms added composting services at all five of its Hudson Valley locations with Casella, diverting clean food waste to local composters. King Arthur Baking Company, pursuing a 2023 zero-waste goal and packaging with 50% post-consumer recycled content, works with Casella on diversion reporting, education, and service enhancements, and participates in the first Casella ARC™ specialty recycling operation. Pittsfield partnered with Casella to overhaul its solid waste model, moving to standardized 48-gallon carts, automated collection, and a mobile app; the city reports a 20% rise in recycling volumes following these changes.

Key Figures

Recycling volume increase: 20% Post-consumer recycled content goal: 50%

Recycling volume increase

20%

City of Pittsfield program

Post-consumer recycled content goal

50%

King Arthur Baking Company sustainability strategy

Key Terms

circular economy, zero-waste, post-consumer recycled content

3 terms

circular economy technical

"reduce waste, increase recycling, and advance the circular economy"

A circular economy is a way of designing and using products so that materials are reused, repaired, or recycled rather than discarded as waste. It mimics natural systems where resources are continually reused, reducing environmental impact and conserving resources. For investors, it represents an opportunity to support sustainable businesses that focus on efficiency and long-term resource management.

zero-waste technical

"the organization has set a zero-waste goal"

A zero-waste approach is a business or operational strategy that aims to eliminate sending materials to landfill or incineration by preventing, reducing, reusing, recycling, or composting waste so resources stay in use as long as possible. Think of it like closing a loop so nothing is thrown away; it matters to investors because it can change a company's costs, regulatory risk, supply-chain resilience, and public reputation, all of which can affect financial performance.

post-consumer recycled content technical

"packaging with 50% post-consumer recycled content"

Material that has been recovered from items used and discarded by consumers — like bottles, boxes or electronics — and processed into new raw material for making products. Investors care because higher levels of post-consumer recycled content can lower raw‑material costs, reduce regulatory and reputational risks tied to waste and sustainability, and signal a company’s access to circular supply chains, all of which can affect long‑term margins and brand value. An everyday analogy: it’s like turning worn-out clothes into fabric for new garments rather than relying only on newly made fiber.

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Adams Fairacre Farms, King Arthur Baking Company, and the City of Pittsfield, MA honored for excellence in sustainability

RUTLAND, Vt., Sept. 10, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CWST) (“Casella”), a regional solid waste, recycling, and resource management services company, has honored three organizations for their leadership in sustainability as part of Casella’s annual Sustainability Leadership Awards.

The Casella Sustainability Leadership Awards recognize customers who demonstrate what can be achieved through collaboration to reduce waste, increase recycling, and advance the circular economy. Each year, winners are selected from a diverse group of nominees, including municipalities, businesses, manufacturers, and higher education and healthcare institutions.

“Congratulations to Adams Fairacre Farms, King Arthur Baking Company, and the City of Pittsfield on this well-deserved recognition,” said Ned Coletta, President and CEO of Casella. “The most effective sustainability solutions are the ones that deliver real environmental and economic value. These organizations are showing what can be accomplished when strong partnerships are combined with a willingness to rethink how resources are managed. We’re proud to work alongside them and recognize the meaningful progress they are making in their organizations and communities.”

From implementing innovative waste diversion programs to transforming municipal recycling systems, this year’s award recipients demonstrate the environmental and economic benefits of thoughtful materials management.

Their stories are featured at casella.com/sla, where visitors can learn more about how they are reducing waste and helping create more sustainable communities.

2026 Casella Sustainability Leadership Award Winners

Adams Fairacre Farms is a family-owned grocery and garden center business that began as a small farmstand and has grown into a beloved regional retailer in the Hudson Valley of New York. Adams Fairacre has worked in partnership with the local Casella team to add compost service at all five of its locations. With a focus on keeping the service clear and simple, the teams have established a successful program that reliably recovers clean food waste for local composters. The initiative benefits the organization while also supporting sustainability in the local community.

King Arthur Baking Company is a more than 200-year-old, employee-owned Certified B Corporation, and a nationally recognized baking brand headquartered in Vermont’s Upper Valley Region. As part of its 2023 sustainability strategy, the organization has set a zero-waste goal and a commitment to work towards packaging with 50% post-consumer recycled content. To support these goals, Casella provides monthly diversion reports, educational resources, and ongoing service enhancements. King Arthur was an early adopter of the first Casella ARC™ Operation, through which local manufacturers collaborated to establish a specialty recycling facility tailored to their unique needs.

The City of Pittsfield, MA, Berkshire County’s largest city and home to approximately 43,000 residents, recently worked with Casella to complete a major overhaul of its solid waste service model, transitioning from unlimited curbside pickup to a standardized cart system designed to drive higher recycling rates while reducing waste costs. Elements of the program include automated collection for safety and efficiency, 48-gallon carts to encourage recycling, and a mobile app to provide residential service notifications and recycling education. Following these changes, recycling volumes have risen by 20%, helping reduce the municipality’s reliance on shrinking regional disposal capacity.

About Casella Waste Systems, Inc.

Casella Waste Systems, Inc., headquartered in Rutland, Vermont, provides resource management expertise and services to residential, commercial, municipal, institutional and industrial customers, primarily in the areas of solid waste collection and disposal, transfer, recycling and organics services in the eastern United States. For more information, visit www.casella.com.

Contact Us

Media Relations  Jeff Weld Vice President of Communications (802) 772-2234

Investor Relations  Henry Baby, CFA Vice President of Investor Relations and Finance (802) 417-3841

FAQ

Where can readers learn more about the 2026 Sustainability Leadership Award recipients' initiatives?

The company states that the stories of Adams Fairacre Farms, King Arthur Baking Company, and the City of Pittsfield are featured at casella.com/sla, where visitors can learn more about how these organizations are reducing waste and supporting more sustainable communities.