Cold email software for waste management companies
Acqro gives commercial waste and recycling providers cold email that researches each prospect's company before writing. Below: verified federal data on the industry across all 50 states, the buyers it sells to, and a playbook for outreach that earns replies.
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How many waste management companies are in the United States?
The United States had 10,982 establishments in NAICS 562111, solid waste collection, in 2023, employing 238,764 people. The largest markets by establishments were California, Texas and Florida. Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns.
Waste management companies in the US by the numbers
- US establishments
- 10,982+2.1% vs 2022Census CBP 2023, NAICS 562111
- Paid employees
- 238,764Census CBP 2023
- Average annual pay
- $70,390Census CBP 2023
- Firms under 10 employees
- 61.3%Census CBP 2023
- Largest state
- CaliforniaBy establishments, CBP 2023
Census does not publish a separate category for commercial waste and recycling providers; figures use NAICS 562111, Solid Waste Collection, the closest official industry. 61.3% of establishments have fewer than 10 employees, so most firms in the industry run outbound with a founder or a very small sales team. The 4,164 firms with 10 to 249 employees are the ones most likely to be building a repeatable outbound process.
The five largest states hold 30.8% of all establishments. Among states with at least 100 establishments, the fastest growth between 2022 and 2023 was in Missouri (+8.8%), Florida (+7.9%) and Wisconsin (+7.2%). Growing markets bring new competitors and new buyers at the same time, which rewards outreach that is specific rather than volume-driven.
Waste management companies by state
All states and DC ranked by number of establishments, with the change since 2022.
| Rank | State | Establishments | Employees | Change vs 2022 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 907 | 28,722 | +3.7% |
| 2 | Texas | 786 | 19,620 | +5.6% |
| 3 | Florida | 576 | 23,402 | +7.9% |
| 4 | New York | 576 | 10,251 | +0.5% |
| 5 | Pennsylvania | 540 | 10,623 | −1.1% |
| 6 | Ohio | 421 | 8,946 | +0.5% |
| 7 | North Carolina | 393 | 7,385 | +1.6% |
| 8 | Illinois | 389 | 8,756 | −0.3% |
| 9 | Georgia | 361 | 6,190 | +4.6% |
| 10 | New Jersey | 313 | 7,612 | +1.0% |
| 11 | Michigan | 296 | 7,424 | −0.3% |
| 12 | Minnesota | 279 | 4,470 | −1.8% |
| 13 | Massachusetts | 273 | 6,309 | +1.9% |
| 14 | Missouri | 272 | 4,029 | +8.8% |
| 15 | Indiana | 252 | 6,824 | 0.0% |
| 16 | Tennessee | 251 | 4,571 | +4.1% |
| 17 | Colorado | 247 | 4,320 | +0.8% |
| 18 | Virginia | 239 | 4,791 | +5.3% |
| 19 | Washington | 229 | 5,518 | +1.3% |
| 20 | Maryland | 210 | 4,429 | +1.4% |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 208 | 3,565 | +7.2% |
| 22 | Arizona | 201 | 5,193 | −1.5% |
| 23 | South Carolina | 191 | 3,554 | +4.4% |
| 24 | Iowa | 176 | 1,939 | −2.8% |
| 25 | Oregon | 173 | 3,939 | +0.6% |
| 26 | Connecticut | 160 | 2,809 | +2.6% |
| 27 | Kentucky | 146 | 2,755 | −1.4% |
| 28 | Louisiana | 145 | 3,172 | −4.6% |
| 29 | Alabama | 139 | 2,348 | +6.1% |
| 30 | Oklahoma | 131 | 2,151 | −5.8% |
| 31 | Arkansas | 128 | 1,983 | +5.8% |
| 32 | Kansas | 126 | 2,023 | −6.0% |
| 33 | Nebraska | 123 | 1,769 | −3.1% |
| 34 | Utah | 106 | 1,626 | +1.9% |
| 35 | New Hampshire | 102 | 1,423 | +1.0% |
| 36 | Mississippi | 99 | 2,064 | +2.1% |
| 37 | Maine | 97 | 1,130 | +9.0% |
| 38 | West Virginia | 80 | 1,733 | +3.9% |
| 39 | Nevada | 77 | 2,280 | −1.3% |
| 40 | New Mexico | 71 | 764 | +1.4% |
| 41 | South Dakota | 67 | 706 | +3.1% |
| 42 | Idaho | 65 | 886 | +3.2% |
| 43 | Rhode Island | 64 | 493 | −3.0% |
| 44 | North Dakota | 53 | — | −1.9% |
| 45 | Hawaii | 48 | 765 | +11.6% |
| 46 | Vermont | 45 | 719 | +2.3% |
| 47 | Montana | 41 | 565 | 0.0% |
| 48 | Alaska | 33 | — | +3.1% |
| 49 | Delaware | 33 | 999 | −5.7% |
| 50 | Wyoming | 32 | 296 | +6.7% |
| 51 | District of Columbia | 12 | — | +20.0% |
Who waste management companies sell to
Common buyer industries for commercial waste and recycling providers, with US establishment counts and how many have 10 to 249 employees.
| Buyer industry | Establishments | 10–249 employees | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and Other Eating Places | 618,476 | 348,428 | 11,406,584 |
| Manufacturing | 284,452 | 123,720 | 12,335,234 |
| Retail Trade | 1,043,373 | 331,104 | 16,046,207 |
| Lessors of Real Estate | 136,539 | 10,403 | 605,793 |
How waste management companies should run cold email
Commercial waste and recycling providers sell commercial waste collection, recycling and compliance reporting. These are the contacts, triggers and messages that make a first email relevant rather than generic.
Who to email
- Facilities or operations manager
- Property manager
- Sustainability lead
- Owner at small businesses
Signals worth researching
- New facilities or locations
- Sustainability commitments announced publicly
- Local recycling or organics rules affecting the business
- Property acquisitions
What to say
- Reference the facility or regulation
- Speak to reliability and compliance reporting
- Offer a service review for one site
What to avoid
- Undercutting claims without seeing current service levels
- Generic green messaging
Cold email for waste management companies, answered
How many waste management companies are there in the US?
There were 10,982 establishments in NAICS 562111 (Solid Waste Collection) in 2023, employing 238,764 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
Which states have the most waste management companies?
By establishments in 2023: California (907), Texas (786), Florida (576), New York (576) and Pennsylvania (540). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
Who manages waste contracts at businesses?
Facilities and operations managers at larger businesses, property managers for multi-tenant buildings, and owners at small businesses. Sustainability leads influence the decision where they exist.
What prompts businesses to change waste providers?
New facilities, local recycling or organics requirements, sustainability commitments, service problems and contract renewals.
Is cold email legal in the United States?
Yes. The federal CAN-SPAM Act permits commercial email to business contacts without prior consent, provided the message identifies the sender accurately, uses a truthful subject line, includes a valid physical postal address and a working opt-out, and honours opt-out requests promptly. CAN-SPAM applies in every state and preempts most state commercial email laws, except provisions aimed at falsity or deception. This is general information, not legal advice.
Explore related pages
Waste Management Companies by state
Other industries
Sources and methodology
Every figure on this page comes from a federal statistical release and is shown with its source and reference year. Figures the agencies withhold or publish with high noise are left out rather than estimated. Page updated September 17, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and 2022: establishments, paid employment for the pay period including March 12, annual payroll, and establishments by employment size. Industries use NAICS 2017 codes.
- Industry definition: NAICS 562111, Solid Waste Collection, used as the closest official category for commercial waste and recycling providers.
Built for waste management companies who sell to a finite list
Acqro researches every account on your list and writes the first email from what it finds.
Prefer a conversation? Get in touch.