Republic Services expands western Colorado footprint with 2 acquisitions

Republic Services, Phoenix, has acquired two waste collection companies based in Grand Junction, Colorado, according to a joint Sept. 1 letter sent to customers.

The acquisitions of Monument Waste Services and Rocky Mountain Sanitation represent a notable expansion into western Colorado, building upon Republic’s already ample service area, which includes cities like Denver, Boulder and Aspen.

“We’re delighted to bring the experience and expertise of two trusted waste disposal companies, Monument Waste Services and Rocky Mountain Sanitation, together to join one team. We are now one local, combined team with the support from a national environmental services company,” reads the Sept. 1 letter.

The letter also states the two companies will bring a combined 80 employees to Republic’s existing team of more than 500 employees in the state.

According to its website, family-owned Monument Waste Services was founded in 2016 by Dan Kirkpatrick. Since starting operations, the company has quickly grown its market area with the acquisitions of Mesa Disposal Services, Evergreen Waste Services, Grand Valley Services, Commercial Refuse Service and the S-Road Facility.

The company states the S-Road Facility Landfill is a non-hazardous waste disposal site located about 8.5 miles northwest of Mack, Colorado. Under the ownership of Monument Waste Services, the landfill has undergone significant upgrades, including the installation of a Geosynthetic Clay Liner system in a new disposal cell.

As reported by the Grand Junction Daily Sentinel, a western Colorado newspaper, Rocky Mountain Sanitation was founded in 1997 by Lisa and Loren Mullen. Described by the couple as the “oldest locally owned waste removal company in Mesa County,” the company has changed drastically since its start—quickly growing from a two-truck and one-employee operation in the basement of the Mullens’ home.

The recent purchases of Rocky Mountain Sanitation and Monument Waste Services mark Republic’s third and fourth acquisitions of this year. In an August earnings report, company executives noted plans to invest over $600 million in the recycling and solid waste space in 2022.

Republic declined to comment on the transactions but told Waste Today in an email that the company “is committed to growing the company through strategic and tuck-in acquisitions that leverage our core capabilities and expertise while enhancing and expanding the environmental services we provide to our customers.”