CASELLA WASTE SYSTEMS INC (CWST)

ITEM 2.    MANAGEMENT'S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion should be read in conjunction with our unaudited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto included under Item 1. “Financial Statements”. In addition, reference should be made to our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto and related “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” appearing in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 (“fiscal year 2025”) filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 20, 2026 (“2025 Form 10-K”).

This Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q and, in particular, this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations”, may contain or incorporate a number of forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, including statements regarding:

•our ability to consummate business acquisitions or divestitures, integrate acquired businesses and operations and achieve the expected benefits, including the expected annualized revenues from such acquired businesses and operations;

•our ability to achieve the key strategies of our long-term strategic plan;

•the projected development of additional disposal capacity or expectations regarding permits for existing capacity;

•the outcome of any legal or regulatory matter;

•expected liquidity and financing plans;

•expected future revenues, operations, expenditures and cash needs;

•whether our pricing programs and operational initiatives will outpace higher operating and construction costs from inflation and regulatory changes;

•severe weather conditions, which could impair our financial results by causing increased costs, loss of revenue, reduced operational efficiency or disruptions to our operations;

•projected future obligations related to final capping, closure and post-closure costs of our existing landfills and any disposal facilities which we may own or operate in the future;

•our ability to use our net operating losses and tax positions;

•our ability to service our debt obligations;

•the recoverability or impairment of any of our assets or goodwill;

•estimates of the potential markets for our products and services, including the anticipated drivers for future growth;

•sales and marketing plans or price and volume assumptions;

•projected improvements to our infrastructure and the impact of such improvements on our business and operations; and

•general economic factors, such as ongoing or potential geopolitical conflict, pandemics, recessions, or similar national or global events, and general macroeconomic conditions, including, among other things, consumer confidence, global supply chain disruptions, inflation, labor supply, fuel prices, tariffs, fluctuations in recycling commodity pricing, interest rates and access to capital markets, that generally are not within our control, and our exposure to credit and counterparty risk.

In addition, any statements contained in or incorporated by reference into this report that are not statements of historical fact should be considered forward-looking statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of the words “believes”, “expects”, “anticipates”, “plans”, “may”, “will”, “would”, “intends”, “estimates”, “projects” 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 industry and markets in which we operate, as well as management’s beliefs and assumptions, and should be read in conjunction with our consolidated financial statements and notes thereto. These forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance, circumstances or events. The occurrence of the events described and the achievement of the expected results depends on many events, some or all of which are not predictable or within our control. Actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements.

There are a number of important risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, those detailed in Item 1A. “Risk Factors” in our 2025 Form 10-K.

There may be additional risks that we are not presently aware of or that we currently believe are immaterial, which could have an adverse impact on our business. We explicitly disclaim any obligation to update any forward-looking statements whether as the result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as otherwise required by law.

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Company Overview

Casella Waste Systems, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, “we”, “us” or “our”), is a regional, vertically integrated solid waste services company. We provide 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.

We provide integrated solid waste services with operating locations in eleven states: Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia, with our headquarters located in Rutland, Vermont. We manage our solid waste operations on a geographic basis through three regional operating segments, the Eastern, Western and Mid-Atlantic regions, each of which provides a comprehensive range of non-hazardous solid waste services. We manage our resource renewal operations through the Resource Solutions operating segment, which leverages our core competencies in materials processing, industrial recycling, organics and resource management service offerings to deliver a comprehensive solution for our larger commercial, municipal, institutional and industrial customers that have more diverse waste and recycling needs. Legal, tax, information technology, human resources, certain finance and accounting and other administrative functions are included in our Corporate Entities segment.

As of July 15, 2026, we owned and/or operated 89 solid waste collection operations, 75 transfer stations, 35 recycling facilities, eight Subtitle D landfills, two landfill gas-to-energy facilities and one landfill permitted to accept construction and demolition (“C&D”) materials. We also housed two landfill gas-to-energy and five renewable natural gas (“RNG”) facilities, which are owned and operated by third parties, at landfills we owned and/or operated.

Results of Operations

Revenues

We manage our solid waste operations, which include a full range of solid waste services, on a geographic basis through three regional operating segments, which we designate as the Eastern, Western and Mid-Atlantic regions. Revenues associated with our solid waste operations are derived mainly from fees charged to customers for services related to (i) collection (ii) disposal, which includes landfill and transfer station services, (iii) transportation, (iv) landfill gas-to-energy and (v) processing in the eastern United States. We derive a substantial portion of our collection revenues from commercial, industrial and municipal services that are generally performed under service agreements or pursuant to contracts with municipalities. The majority of our residential collection services are performed on a subscription basis with individual property owners or occupants. Landfill and transfer customers are charged a tipping fee on a per ton basis for disposing of their solid waste at our disposal facilities and transfer stations. We also generate and sell electricity, electricity capacity and renewable energy credits, along with the rights to generation and sale of RNG at certain of our landfill facilities.

We manage our resource renewal operations through the Resource Solutions operating segment, which leverages our core competencies in materials processing, industrial recycling, organics and resource management service offerings to deliver a comprehensive solution for our larger commercial, municipal, institutional and industrial customers that have more diverse waste and recycling needs. Revenues associated with our Resource Solutions operations includes processing services and services provided by our National Accounts business. Revenues from processing services are derived from customers in the form of processing fees, tipping fees, commodity sales, and organic material related brokerage services and sales. Revenues from our National Accounts business are derived from brokerage services and overall resource management services providing a wide range of environmental services and resource management solutions to large and complex organizations, as well as traditional collection, disposal and recycling services provided to large account multi-site customers.

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The table below shows revenues attributable to services provided (dollars in millions and as a percentage of total revenues) for the following periods:

(1)In the six months ended June 30, 2026, we revised the presentation of our service lines to remove the transportation service line from the disposal caption and present it separately. Disposal now consists of the landfill and transfer station service lines. Amounts disclosed for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025 have been updated to conform to the current period presentation.

(2)In the six months ended June 30, 2026, we realigned a business unit related to organic materials brokerage operations within our Resource Solutions operating segment from the National Accounts service line to the processing service line. Amounts disclosed for the three and six months ended June 30, 2025 have been updated to conform to the current period presentation.

Solid waste revenues

A summary of the period-to-period changes in solid waste revenues (dollars in millions and as percentage growth of solid waste r

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ITEM 7. MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

The following discussion of our financial condition and results of operations should be read in conjunction with the consolidated financial statements and notes thereto, and other financial information, included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion contains forward-looking statements and involves numerous risks and uncertainties. Our actual results may differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements.

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Table of Contents

Discussion and analysis of our financial condition and results of operations for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024 (“fiscal year 2024”) compared to our financial condition and results of operations for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023 (“fiscal year 2023”), is included under the heading Item 7. “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, as filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission on February 18, 2025.

Company Overview

Casella Waste Systems, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its wholly-owned subsidiaries (collectively, “we”, “us” or “our”), is a regional, vertically integrated solid waste services company. We provide 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.

We provide integrated solid waste services with operating locations in eleven states: Vermont, New Hampshire, New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Maine, Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, Maryland and West Virginia, with our headquarters located in Rutland, Vermont. We manage our solid waste operations on a geographic basis through three regional operating segments, the Eastern, Western and Mid-Atlantic regions, each of which provides a comprehensive range of non-hazardous solid waste services. We manage our resource renewal operations through the Resource Solutions operating segment, which leverages our core competencies in materials processing, industrial recycling, organics and resource management service offerings to deliver a comprehensive solution for our larger commercial, municipal, institutional and industrial customers that have more diverse waste and recycling needs. Legal, tax, information technology, human resources, certain finance and accounting and other administrative functions are included in our Corporate Entities segment.

For financial information concerning our reportable operating segments refer to Note 21. Segment Reporting to our consolidated financial statements included under “Item 8. Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

As of January 31, 2026, we owned and/or operated 86 solid waste collection operations, 72 transfer stations, 32 recycling and processing facilities, eight Subtitle D landfills, two landfill gas-to-energy facilities and one landfill permitted to accept construction and demolition materials.

Acquisitions and Divestitures

Acquisitions

We have made in the past, and we expect to make in the future, acquisitions to densify existing operations, expand service areas, and grow services for our customers. These acquisitions may include “tuck-in” acquisitions within our existing markets, assets that are adjacent to or outside of our existing markets, or larger, more strategic acquisitions. In addition, from time to time, we may acquire businesses that are complementary to our core business strategy. We face competition for acquisition targets, particularly the larger and more meaningful targets, but we believe that our strong relationships and reputation help to offset this factor.

We have a business development team that identifies acquisition candidates, categorizes the opportunity by strategic fit and financial synergies, establishes contact with the appropriate representative of the acquisition candidate and gathers further information on the acquisition candidate.

In January 2026, we expanded our geographic footprint when we acquired the assets of RGL, Inc. (dba Mountain State Waste), which consists of collection operations in West Virginia and a transfer station operation in southwestern Pennsylvania (the “Mountain State Waste Acquisition”).

In the fiscal year ended December 31, 2025 (“fiscal year 2025”), we acquired nine businesses: five tuck-in collection operations in our Mid-Atlantic region, two tuck-in collection operations in our Western region, a recycling business in our Resource Solutions operating segment, and a tuck-in collection operation and recycling business whose assets and liabilities are allocated between our Eastern region and Resource Solutions operating segments. Total consideration for acquisitions completed in fiscal year 2025 was $229.8 million, including $223.4 million in cash, $7.4 million in holdbacks, contingent consideration and other amounts owed, partially offset by $(1.0) million of open working capital settlements due from sellers.

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Table of Contents

In fiscal year 2024, we acquired eight businesses: four of which are in our Mid-Atlantic region, including the purchase of all the equity interests of Whitetail Disposal, Inc. and the assets of LMR Disposal, LLC, which together include collection operations in eastern Pennsylvania and western New Jersey; two of which are in our Western region, including the purchase of all equity interests of Royal Carting and Welsh Sanitation and related real estate assets, which consist of collection and transfer operations in the middle and lower Hudson Valley regions of New York as well as western Connecticut; and two of which are tuck-in operations in our Eastern region. Total consideration for acquisitions completed in fiscal year 2024 was $467.9 million, including $469.2 million in cash, $1.7 million in holdbacks, contingent consideration and other amounts owed, partially offset by $(3.0) million of open working capital settlements due from sellers.

Divestitures

From time to time, we may sell or divest certain investments or other components of our business. These divestitures may be undertaken for a number of reasons, including: to generate proceeds to pay down debt; as a result of a determination that the specified asset will provide inadequate returns to us or that the asset no longer serves a strategic purpose in connection with our business; or as a result of a determination that the asset may be more valuable to a third party. We will continue to look to divest certain activities and investments that no longer enhance or complement our core business if the right opportunity presents itself.

Results of Operations

Revenues

We manage our solid waste operations, which include a comprehensive range of non-hazardous solid waste services, on a geographic basis through three regional operating segments, the Eastern, Western and Mid-Atlantic regions. In fiscal year 2025, we moved certain operations between our regional operating segments, including a landfill that we own from the Western region to the Mid-Atlantic region and a collection and transfer station operation from our Western region to our Eastern region. Throughout this “Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations” certain prior period amounts have been reclassified between regional operating segments to conform to the current period presentation. For additional information, see Note 21, Segment Reporting, to our consolidated financial statements included under Item 8. “Financial Statements and Supplementary Data” of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Revenues associated with our solid waste operations are derived mainly from fees charged to customers for solid waste collection and disposal services, including landfill, transfer station and transportation services, landfill gas-to-energy services and processing services in the eastern United States. We derive a substantial portion of our collection revenues from commercial, industrial and municipal services that are generally performed under service agreements or pursuant to contracts with municipalities. The majority of our residential collection services are performed on a subscription basis with individual property owners or occupants. Landfill and transfer customers are charged a tipping fee on a per ton basis for disposing of their solid waste at our disposal facilities and transfer stations. We also generate and sell electricity, electricity capacity and renewable energy credits, along with the rights to, generation and sale of renewable natural gas and related tax credits at certain of our landfill facilities. We manage our resource renewal operations through the Resource Solutions operating segment, which leverages our core competencies in materials processing, industrial recycling, organics and resource management service offerings to deliver a comprehensive solution for our larger commercial, municipal, institutional and industrial customers that have more diverse waste and recycling needs. Revenues associated with our Resource Solutions operations includes processing services and services provided by our National Accounts business. Revenues from processing services are derived from customers in the form of processing fees, tipping fees, commodity sales, primarily comprised of newspaper, corrugated containers, plastics, ferrous and aluminum, and organic materials. Revenues from our National Accounts business are derived from brokerage services and overall resource management services providing a wide range of environmental services and resource management solutions to large and complex organizations, as well as traditional collection, disposal and recycling services provided to large account multi-site customers.

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Table of Contents

The table below shows revenue attributable to services provided (dollars in millions and as a percentage of total revenues) for the following periods:

Solid waste revenues

A summary of the period-to-period change in solid waste revenues (dollars in millions and as percentage growth of total solid waste revenues) follows:

The most significant items impacting the change in our solid waste revenues during fiscal year 2025 are summarized below:

•Price increased solid waste revenues, including higher collection pricing of $47.9 million, or 5.0% as a percentage of collection revenues, and higher disposal

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