Dive Brief:
- The city of Indianapolis this week named LRS its new solid waste collection vendor starting Jan. 1, 2026. LRS will take over collection throughout most of the city, which WM and Republic Services currently serve. WM will continue as the city’s recycling processing vendor.
- The deal will expand LRS’s footprint in the region. LRS already has a presence in southern Indiana, but the company has been eyeing the Indianapolis market for several years. “We like the growth opportunity and the macroeconomics. Overall, it fits into our strategy to be a best-in-class growth platform in the Midwest,” said LRS CEO Matt Spencer.
- As part of the contract, Indianapolis residents will have universal curbside recycling services starting in 2028. LRS and the city may also work out a future plan to offer compost collection services, according to the Department of Public Works.
Dive Insight:
Indianapolis has spent several years reenvisioning its collection, disposal and recycling strategy to both save money and divert more waste from disposal. The contract with LRS is one of the final pieces of the puzzle, city officials said. In addition to the LRS collection contract, Indianapolis officials also recently signed contracts with Reworld and Southside Landfill for solid waste disposal and WM for recycling processing.
The new contracts also align with Indianapolis’ overarching waste and recycling plan, which includes a goal to reach a 40% diversion rate by 2030, said Mo McReynolds, director of the Office of Sustainability. “These contracts are a massive step forward in achieving that goal.”
LRS already had a good track record of service in its home base of Chicago, and the company offered Indianapolis “competitive rates” and a “strong plan regarding what their transition process looks like,” said Natalie van Dongen, DPW’s deputy director of policy and planning. “We felt confident that they would be a great vendor based on the rates and the team behind the proposal.”
Starting in 2026, LRS will service Indianapolis residents in seven of the city’s solid waste districts. Residents who live in the other four solid waste districts will continue to receive services from the Department of Public Works/AFSCME Local #725. As part of the LRS contract, residents will also receive new trash carts that officials say will be owned by the city at the end of the contract, according to a release from DPW.
Currently, residents who want curbside recycling services get access through a subscription with their hauler, which charges a fee based on a rate set by the city, Van Dongen said. LRS will continue this subscription model through the end of 2027. Starting in 2028, Indianapolis will unveil a citywide curbside recycling collection program for all residents, which will be automatically included in their hauler service with LRS, she said.
WM will continue to process recyclables LRS collects. WM will build a new MRF to accommodate the increase in recycled materials collected, according to its processing contract with the city.
McReynolds said Indianapolis’s agreement with LRS “leaves the door open” to potentially negotiate additional organics collection services later on, but the city wants to be “very mindful and thoughtful about that in not subverting any of our existing local companies” that currently offer such services.
LRS’s first order of business is to build good relationships with the city, Spencer said. “We really want to get in and make sure we have a seamless transition with the current MSW collection and with subscription curbside recycling,” Spencer said. “Then we might be looking to potentially launch an organics program.”
