Cards Recycling, Live Oak Environmental merge to form Ecowaste

Cards Recycling, Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Live Oak Environmental, Bossier City, Louisiana, have combined to form Ecowaste Solutions, a waste services provider headquartered in Dallas. 

Kinderhook Industries LLC, a New York-based private equity firm, has announced the closing of a single-asset continuation vehicle transaction for Ecowaste. The company purchased Cards and Live Oak under a new Kinderhook fund created to combine them. 

“We are pleased to announce the Ecowaste brand and believe it marks an exciting next chapter for our business,” says Ecowaste CEO Dustin Reynolds. “The company is built around a shared commitment to service, safety and operational discipline. With Kinderhook’s continued backing and new growth capital, we are well positioned to expand our footprint, invest in our people and assets and continue delivering high-quality service to our customers.”  

The combination creates an integrated waste management platform with collection and postcollection operations in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas. Kinderhook says Ecowaste is well positioned to execute its value-creation playbook through organic growth initiatives, operational efficiencies and strategic acquisitions.  

“I couldn't be more excited to share that Cards is evolving and moving forward, becoming a rebranded organization known as Ecowaste Solutions,” an announcement posted to Reynolds LinkedIn page states. “Ecowaste will provide the same great waste solutions you've always known Cards for, but we'll be supercharged to deliver even better service and sustainable offerings.” 

Ecowaste represents Kinderhook’s 159th environmental and industrial services acquisition since inception and its ninth platform investment within the solid waste management vertical. 

“Under Kinderhook’s ownership, Live Oak and Cards both successfully executed on aggressive growth strategies, collectively completing more than 35 add-on acquisitions resulting in established industry positions,” Cor Carruthers, Kinderhook managing director, says. “As a combined company, Ecowaste has meaningful scale, proven integration capabilities and a deep pipeline of acquisition opportunities across its core markets.”