Casella Waste Systems, Inc. Receives Permit to Accept MSW at the Company-Operated Juniper Ridge Landfill in Maine


RUTLAND, Vt., March 6, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq:CWST), a regional solid waste, recycling and resource management services company, said today that it has received a permit from the State of Maine to accept in-state municipal solid waste (MSW) directly at the state-owned, company-operated Juniper Ridge Landfill in Old Town, Maine.

The company said the Maine Department of Environmental Protection issued a permit allowing the company to dispose of 81,800 tons per year of MSW originating from Maine at the facility through March 31, 2016. The permit was effective February 27, 2014.

The company also said that while it is currently accepting MSW at Juniper Ridge under the conditions of the permit, it has filed an appeal of those conditions with the Maine Board of Environmental Protection, saying the permit provides for a smaller annual disposal limit than requested, as well as a shorter permit term than requested.

The company operates the state-owned Juniper Ridge landfill under a 30-year operating and services agreement executed on February 5, 2004. The 780-acre site is also permitted to take other waste streams originating in Maine, including construction and demolition material, ash from municipal solid waste incinerators and fossil fuel boilers, front end processed residuals and bypass MSW from waste-to-energy facilities, treatment plant sludge and biosolids, and other approved special wastes. There are no annual tonnage limitations on any materials other than MSW at the Juniper Ridge landfill.

About Casella Waste Systems, Inc.

Casella Waste Systems, Inc., headquartered in Rutland, Vermont, provides solid waste management services consisting of collection, transfer, disposal, and recycling services in the northeastern United States. For further information, contact Ned Coletta, chief financial officer at (802) 772-2239, or Joe Fusco, vice president, at (802) 772-2247, or visit the company's website at http://www.casella.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain matters discussed in this press release 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 we "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "may," "will," "would," "intend," "estimate" 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 disposition and the industry and markets in which we operate and management's beliefs and assumptions. We cannot guarantee that we actually will achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements made. Such forward-looking statements, and all phases of our 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 our forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include or relate to, among other things: we may be unable to source incremental landfill volumes at appropriate pricing to fully utilize this new MSW permit, we may be unable to extend the MSW permit beyond March 31, 2016 or increase the annual MSW tonnage allowed through our appeal process; our permit is subject to challenge by citizen groups or other factors beyond the company's control. There are a number of other important risks and uncertainties that could cause our 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 our Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 2013.

We undertake 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.