The number of waste haulers in the City of Champaign has been on a steady decline over the past few years.

What was once a varied market with eight haulers in 2017 to choose from has now dwindled to four main companies following the purchase of three by a Canada-based waste management company.

The city’s Environmental Sustainability Specialist Nichole Millage said she accredits this decline to businesses haulers selling their businesses and accounts to larger haulers for various reasons, such as retirement. 

Waste Management, formerly known as Advanced Disposal, and Hayden Sanitary were both acquired by GFL Environmental on June 1, 2022. Shaffer’s Sanitary Co. was acquired on March 1, 2023. When contacted by CU-CitizenAccess, the company declined to comment on the acquisitions.

GFL Environmental is an environmental service company that offers diverse services in solid waste management, liquid waste management and soil remediation. Known for its bright green trucks and bins, the company has facilities throughout Canada and the U.S., with 11 locations in Illinois alone. 

The three remaining licensed haulers now serving the city are ABC Sanitary, Illini Recycling and Republic Services.

A commercial hauler is a business that charges a fee to collect and transport municipal waste, landscape waste or recyclable materials to a new location for disposal.

To become a commercial hauler in Champaign one must apply for a license with the city. To receive the license, a hauler needs to confirm and show proof that it has three forms of insurance: commercial general liability insurance, commercial automobile liability and workers’ compensation insurance.

The license application is submitted to the city’s Finance Department along with a $100 fee for each type of vehicle: municipal waste, landscape waste or recyclable materials.  

With fewer haulers to choose from, some residents report service delays and irregular collection times.

Some city residents posting on the online forum NextDoor have reported irregular pickup dates and “unreliable” service quality this year.

After repeated attempts to contact ABC Sanitary, CU-CitizenAccess was unable to reach the company for a comment.

The City of Urbana has maintained six active haulers, only losing one hauler, since 2021.

Some of the haulers in Urbana are shared with Champaign, such as ABC Sanitary, Republic Services and GFL Environmental. The rest are specific to the neighboring city such as Chris’ Service Co., Dale Levitt Disposal and Mel’s Disposal.