Republic Services to acquire hazardous waste assets from TD*X in Texas

Republic Services has received approval from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission to acquire hazardous waste assets from North Carolina-based TD*X Associates. The acquisition focuses on a thermal desorption facility in Robstown, Texas, which is co-located with an existing Republic-owned site formerly operated by US Ecology. This move marks a significant expansion of Republic’s environmental services capabilities as it continues to grow its specialized hazardous waste treatment and disposal network.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission recently cleared Republic Services to acquire assets from TD*X Associates, a company specializing in thermal desorption technology. The deal includes a facility in Robstown, Texas, situated near Corpus Christi, which is co-located with a site Republic gained through its 2022 acquisition of US Ecology. TD*X, co-founded by Carl Palmer and Gregg Meyers, has developed patented technologies since 1987 to destroy hazardous wastes contaminated with mercury, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), and other materials. The company operates thermal desorption units in Houston, Robstown, and Utah, employing approximately 70 people across its sites.

Since 1992, TD*X has processed over 1 million tons of hazardous waste and PCB-contaminated soil and sludge, including materials from multiple Superfund cleanup sites. This acquisition bolsters Republic Services’ existing hazardous waste infrastructure, which, according to its 2025 annual report, already includes 24 treatment, storage, and disposal facilities, 15 deep injection wells, nine industrial wastewater treatment facilities, and six active hazardous waste landfills. The Robstown location has a complex history, including a 2012 consent agreement and a $788,120 EPA fine involving US Ecology and TD*X for processing oil waste without a proper permit.

Republic Services remains aggressive in its M&A strategy, targeting $1 billion in total acquisitions for 2024 with a primary focus on disposal infrastructure. CEO Jon Vander Ark recently stated that the company expects about 20% of its acquisition activity over the next five years to be focused on the environmental services space, while the remainder will stay within traditional municipal solid waste and recycling. This deal follows other recent expansions, including the purchase of two landfills in Kansas and a hauling company in Utah, as Republic seeks to optimize its pricing strategy and returns within the environmental services sector.