Casella Commits $1.5 Million to Launch UVM Center for Circular Economy

New UVM research hub will develop sustainable waste and materials management solutions that reduce pollution and create economic opportunities

BURLINGTON, Vt., March 11, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Building on three decades of collaboration, Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (Casella) (Nasdaq: CWST), a regional solid waste, recycling, and resource management services company and the University of Vermont (UVM), an R1 research institution, announced that they are partnering to launch the Casella Center for Circular Economy and Sustainability at UVM.

Casella has committed $1.5 million to

launch the Center, which will bring together leading scientists, engineers, and materials management experts to serve as an industry-first interdisciplinary hub for research, workshops, and lectures on sustainable waste and materials management, resource solutions, climate leadership, and community engagement. This is the first research center that Casella has launched.

“We are deeply grateful to Casella for their investment,” UVM Interim President Patricia Prelock said. “The Casella Center for Circular Economy and Sustainability at UVM will be an international leader in research solutions for sustainable waste and materials management. This exciting new partnership pairs our world-class researchers and environmental leadership with Casella’s industry expertise to create urgently needed practical solutions for people and planet.”

Established in Rutland as a single-truck waste collection enterprise in 1975, Casella began operating Vermont's first recycling facility just two years later. It has grown to become one of the nation's leading recyclers. As the only waste and recycling company among the founding members of the EPA Climate Leaders program, Casella’s climate leadership has been recognized by the EPA, the Association of Climate Change Officers, the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions, and the Climate Registry with a Climate Leadership Award for Excellence in Greenhouse Gas management. Now, in celebration of its 50th Anniversary, investing in the state’s leading research university is a critical step in helping shape the future of resource and materials management.

“Sustainable materials management has been the foundation of our business for 50 years,” said John W. Casella, Chairman and CEO of Casella. “We’ve made incredible progress toward a circular economy and recognize that there is always more we can accomplish as we continue along our sustainability journey while enabling our customers to achieve their own sustainability goals. Investing in research that results in economically and environmentally sustainable solutions to some of modern society's most pressing issues is critical to our future. We're thrilled to continue that journey with UVM and to combine our five decades of industry expertise with their academic excellence to help find those solutions.”

UVM Prof. Eric Roy, an environmental scientist and engineer who has collaborated with Casella since 2016, will serve as the inaugural Director of the Center, which will be housed in the UVM Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources.

"This type of collaboration between industry and academia opens up a lot of potential," said Roy. "With this new Center, we will be able to expand our circular economy research to find solutions that benefit the public and environment. We have an excellent working relationship with many partners at Casella, and I am excited to further our work with other industry partners, academic institutions, and policymakers.”

Many governments, non-profits, scholars, and industry leaders are now focused on transitioning to a more circular economy where materials are recycled to reduce pollution and create further value. However, this transition presents several challenges that require innovative solutions.

The Center will seek to find viable ways to solve those challenges by drawing on expertise from UVM faculty, students, and industry collaborators. Early faculty affiliates include Matt Scarborough, Raju Badireddy, and Mandar Dewoolkar in the College of Engineering and Mathematical Sciences, and Meredith Niles, Hao Chen, and Joshua Faulkner in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.

The Center will also host one Ph.D. student and two undergraduate or M.S. students each year, along with multiple research staff.

Learn more about the Casella Center for Circular Economy and Sustainability at UVM.

About UVM: For People and Planet

Founded in 1791, UVM is the leading public university where discovery, creativity, community, and action coalesce to secure a thriving future for people and planet. Recognized among the nation’s top R1 research institutions, Vermont’s land-grant university attracts $260 million annually for groundbreaking research and enrolls approximately 14,000 students from 50 states and 75 countries. At UVM, students, faculty, and staff work together in pursuit of a healthier, greener future. Learn more at uvm.edu. 

About Casella
Casella Waste Systems, Inc., headquartered in Rutland, Vermont, is one of the largest recyclers and most experienced fully integrated resource management companies in the Eastern United States. 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 one million residential, commercial, municipal, institutional, and industrial customers and provides professional resource management services to over 10,000 customer locations in more than 40 states.