Waste Management completes acquisition of Southern Waste Systems/Sun Recycling

Waste Management Inc. of Florida has announced that it has completed its acquisition of certain business assets of Southern Waste Systems (SWS)/Sun Recycling in the Florida counties of Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach, Martin and St. Lucie.

With this transaction, Waste Management Inc. of Florida has acquired operations and assets at 12 SWS/Sun Recycling facilities in Palm Beach, Broward and Miami-Dade counties. The acquired business assets include residential, commercial and industrial solid waste collection, processing/recycling and transfer operations, equipment, vehicles, real estate and customer agreements.

“Today marks the beginning of us bringing together two very successful, complimentary businesses and we’re excited to welcome the more than 750 talented and dedicated SWS employees to the Waste Management team,” said Tim Hawkins, area vice president, Waste Management Inc. of Florida, when the deal closed Jan. 8, 2016. “The SWS/Sun Recycling assets align perfectly with our existing operations and service offerings, and will enhance the environmental solutions we provide to our combined customers throughout south Florida.”

SWS/Sun Recycling initially grew as a hauling, waste and recycling company in the construction and demolition sector. It was founded in 1999 with one location and 30 employees in Pompano Beach, Florida.

SWS and its sister company, Sun Recycling, expanded geographically in southeast Florida, adding processing locations, transfer stations and routes.

As the company evolved, it also started hauling and processing municipal solid waste and household recyclables and in 2012 it added a metal recycling operation.

Waste Management, based in Houston, is the leading provider of comprehensive waste management services in North America. Through its subsidiaries, the company provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. It is also a leading developer, operator and owner of landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. The company’s customers include residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout North America.

Houston-based law firm Bracewell & Giuliani LLP represented SWS/Sun Recycling on the antitrust aspects of the acquisition prior to the completion of the transaction.