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This audio is auto-generated. Please let us know if you have feedback<\/a>.<\/p>\n Dive Brief:<\/p>\n Century Waste Services acquired assets from Priority First Carting in New York City on June 16, the parties confirmed this week. The deal allows Century to take over as the third contracted hauler in Staten Island under the city\u2019s commercial waste zone system<\/a>, alongside Cogent Waste Solutions and Green Environmental Services. Dive Insight:<\/p>\n The deal represents the latest shake-up in New York City\u2019s network of haulers<\/a> moving forward within the CWZ system. Haulers have engaged in deals to consolidate operations since zone awards were announced two years ago,\u00a0but they are only allowed to serve a maximum of 15 zones in the 20-zone system. When an acquisition pushes an operator past that cap, it creates a vacancy that DSNY fills with another hauler.<\/p>\n The system rollout is ongoing. The borough of Staten Island is covered by a single zone, with implementation scheduled to begin Wednesday<\/a>. DSNY is also implementing the Midtown South zone on July 1, with other zones coming online on a rolling basis through the end of next year.<\/p>\n In a statement, the city agency confirmed that Century had obtained approval to serve the Staten Island waste zone, and that it anticipates no changes to the zone\u2019s rollout as a result of the deal. Because the deal closed prior to the zone\u2019s rollout, Priority First had not yet begun signing up customers as a CWZ service provider.\u00a0<\/p>\n Both deal parties praised DSNY and New York City\u2019s Business Integrity Commission for handling the transition in a timely manner. Century owner and CEO Marc Savino said he expects a smooth transition in advance of the zone start date.<\/p>\n \u201cThis acquisition allows Century not only to continue its substantial operations in its base of Staten Island, but increases its footprint in the Borough to roughly 40% of the commercial customers in this Zone,\u201d Savino said.\u00a0\u201cThe customers of Priority First Carting will begin to experience the excellent service and outstanding customer support of which Century’s current customers have long grown accustomed.\u201d<\/p>\n Freddie Gonzalez, who founded Priority First in 2013, declined to disclose the size of the company\u2019s Staten Island operations. He said he would retain the company trademarks and its license to operate in New Jersey, but he would be taking a break from the waste industry following the deal.<\/p>\n Century Waste Services was founded in 2002 and today owns a fleet of more than 40 vehicles serving New York and New Jersey, Savino said.\u00a0<\/p>\n He noted the company had plenty of synergies with Priority First\u2019s footprint in the borough that can now be served by the same route.<\/p>\n \u201cI think this definitely accomplished what [DSNY] set out to do with logistics and routing,\u201d Savino said.<\/p>\n While the company had served commercial waste clients in Staten Island for much of its tenure, it was denied a zone award in the borough when DSNY released its final decision in February 2024. It also lost out on zones in Manhattan and Brooklyn, and later sold its routes in those boroughs to Waste Connections<\/a>.<\/p>\n Century subsequently sued DSNY over that decision, alleging Priority First had claimed it could charge unsustainably low prices for commercial waste services.\u00a0<\/p>\n Gonzalez said he stands by the pricing Priority First submitted in its communications with DSNY, and noted his company\u2019s safety record helped it secure the award. He also said he believes the agency did its due diligence and acted appropriately in selecting Priority First for the Staten Island waste zone award.<\/p>\n The deal with Century came together thanks to several longtime waste industry professionals.\u00a0Bobby Choe,\u00a0president of consulting firm Academie NBD,\u00a0advised Priority First Carting on the transaction. Academie also retained Locol Waste and its founder Adam Pasquale as an industry consultant on the deal.<\/p>\n Pasquale and Gonzalez both previously worked at Action Carting, which was acquired by Interstate Waste Services during their tenures. Pasquale later co-founded Recycle Track Systems in 2014. RTS retained Priority First Carting as its first hauler partner.<\/p>\n
\nCentury was initially shut out of the CWZ system<\/a> when zone awards were announced in 2024.\u00a0The company sued New York City\u2019s Department of Sanitation<\/a>\u00a0in December over the decision to award Priority First a contract in Staten Island. It has since dropped the lawsuit.
\nCentury was also selected by New York City\u2019s Department of Sanitation as a citywide containerized commercial waste service provider in May. It takes over that contract from Filco Carting, which was acquired<\/a> by Interstate Waste Services subsidiary Action Environmental last year.<\/p>\n