COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES

3 Months Ended

Mar. 31, 2025

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Legal Proceedings

In the ordinary course of our business and as the result of the extensive governmental regulation of the solid waste industry, we are subject to various judicial and administrative proceedings involving state and local agencies. In these proceedings, an agency may seek to impose fines or to revoke or deny renewal of an operating permit held by us. From time to time, we may also be subject to actions brought by special interest or other groups, adjacent landowners or residents in connection with the permitting and licensing of landfills and transfer stations, or allegations of environmental damage or violations of the permits and licenses pursuant to which we operate. In addition, we may be named defendants in various claims and suits pending for alleged damages to persons and property, alleged violations of certain laws and alleged liabilities arising out of matters occurring during the ordinary operation of a waste management business. The plaintiffs in some actions seek unspecified damages or injunctive relief, or both. These actions fall within various procedural stages at any point in time, and some are covered in part by insurance.

In accordance with FASB ASC 450 - Contingencies, we accrue for legal proceedings, inclusive of legal costs, when losses become probable and reasonably estimable. We have recorded an aggregate accrual of $1,250 relating to our outstanding legal proceedings as of March 31, 2025. It is reasonably possible that the estimated loss will change, which could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows. As of the end of each applicable reporting period, we review each of our legal proceedings to determine whether it is probable, reasonably possible or remote that a liability has been incurred and, if it is at least reasonably possible, whether a range of loss can be reasonably estimated under the provisions of FASB ASC 450-20. In instances where we determine that a loss is probable and we can reasonably estimate a range of loss we may incur with respect to such a matter, we record an accrual for the amount within the range that constitutes our best estimate of the possible loss. If we are able to reasonably estimate a range, but no amount within the range appears to be a better estimate than any other, we record an accrual in the amount that is the low end of such range. When a loss is reasonably possible, but not probable, we will not record an accrual, but we will disclose our estimate of the possible range of loss where such estimate can be made in accordance with FASB ASC 450-20. We disclose outstanding matters that we believe could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

North Country Environmental Services Letter of Deficiency

On June 14, 2024, our subsidiary, North Country Environmental Services, Inc. (“NCES”), received a Letter of Deficiency (the “Letter”) from the New Hampshire Department of Environmental Services (“NHDES”) concerning alleged violations related to leachate management and leachate data and reporting. The Letter required certain actions to correct the deficiencies on a prescribed timeline, and NCES has met the deadlines for information submission. NCES has entered into preliminary discussions with the New Hampshire Department of Justice concerning an administrative order and associated penalties relative to the deficiencies. We believe that a liability related to this matter is probable and, accordingly, have recorded an accrual in excess of $1,000 of potential monetary penalties as of March 31, 2025.

Granite State Landfill Solid Waste Permit Denial

On April 3, 2025, NHDES denied the October 31, 2023 application of our subsidiary, Granite State Landfill, LLC (“GSL”) for the development of new landfill capacity in New Hampshire. On April 8, 2025, GSL petitioned the Merrimack Superior Court for a declaratory judgment that NHDES’s denial of GSL’s application was unlawful. As of March 31, 2025, we had $12,699 of capitalized project development costs related to the GSL landfill project included in other non-current assets.

Environmental Remediation Liabilities

We are subject to liability for environmental damage, including personal injury and property damage, that our solid waste, recycling and power generation facilities may cause to neighboring property owners, particularly as the result of the contamination of drinking water sources or soil, possibly including damage resulting from conditions that existed before we acquired the facilities. We may also be subject to liability for similar claims arising from off-site environmental contamination caused by pollutants or hazardous substances if we or our predecessors arrange or arranged to transport, treat or dispose of those materials.

We accrue for costs associated with environmental remediation obligations when such costs become both probable and reasonably estimable. Determining the method and ultimate cost of remediation requires that a number of assumptions be made. There can sometimes be a range of reasonable estimates of the costs associated with remediation of a site. In these cases, we use the amount within the range that constitutes our best estimate. In the early stages of the remediation process, particular components of the overall liability may not be reasonably estimable; in this instance we use the components of the liability that can be reasonably estimated as a surrogate for the liability. It is reasonably possible that we will need to adjust the liabilities recorded for remediation to reflect the effects of new or additional information, to the extent such information impacts the costs, timing or duration of the required actions, which could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows. We disclose outstanding environmental remediation matters that remain unsettled or are settled in the reporting period that we believe could have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We inflate the estimated costs in current dollars to the expected time of payment and discount the total cost to present value using a risk-free interest rate. The risk-free interest rates associated with our environmental remediation liabilities as of March 31, 2025 range between 1.5% and 7.1%. A summary of the changes to the aggregate environmental remediation liabilities for the three months ended March 31, 2025 and 2024 follows:


	Three Months Ended March 31,
	2025		2024
Beginning balance	$	5,532	$	5,889
Accretion expense	23		24


Obligations settled (1)	(12)		(32)
Ending balance	5,543		5,881
Less: current portion	1,585		1,631
Long-term portion	$	3,958	$	4,250

(1)May include amounts that are being processed through accounts payable as a part of our disbursement cycle.