Casella Waste Systems, Inc. Announces Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2007 Results

RUTLAND, VERMONT (March 7, 2007)—Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CWST), a regional, non-hazardous solid waste services company, today reported financial results for the third quarter and first nine months of its 2007 fiscal year.

Third Quarter Results

For the quarter ended January 31, 2007, the company reported revenues of $133.5 million, up $2.9 million, or 2.2 percent over the same quarter last year. The company's net loss per common share was $0.07, compared to net income of $0.02 per share in the same quarter last year. Operating income for the quarter was $8.8 million, up $1.7 million or 23.9 percent over the same quarter last year after deferred costs are excluded from fiscal year 2006 third quarter results. Cash provided by operating activities in the quarter was $16.4 million, down $9.4 million, or 36.4 percent compared to the same quarter last year. The company's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were $26.0 million*, up $2.4 million, or 10.2 percent from the same quarter last year. A reduction of $2.0 million in equity income from the company's GreenFiber joint venture, and the expectation that this reduction will continue into the fourth quarter, increased the company's tax rate. These factors accounted for most of the $0.07 loss per common share. For the nine months ended January 31, 2007, the company reported revenues of $424.8 million. The company's net loss per common share was $0.05. Operating income for the nine month period was $32.1 million. Cash provided by operating activities for the nine month period was $55.8 million. The company's earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) were $86.5 million*.

Highlights of the Quarter

"From an operating perspective, this was a solid quarter," John W. Casella, chairman and chief executive officer, said. "We continue to drive efficiencies into, and costs out of, the business, as well as driving pricing improvement across our solid waste business throughout the quarter. "Regional economic conditions had an impact on our overall results," Casella said. "While landfill pricing is up, volumes remain a challenge. Our GreenFiber unit was adversely impacted by the general slowdown in the housing market and unseasonably warm weather."

The Company also said it believes its EBITDA* for fiscal year 2007 will be between $110.0 million and $113.0 million.

*Non-GAAP Financial Measures

In addition to disclosing financial results prepared in accordance with Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), we also disclose free cash flow and earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization and deferred costs (EBITDA), which are non-GAAP measures. These measures are provided because we understand that certain investors use this information when analyzing the financial position of companies in the solid waste industry, including us. Historically, these measures have been key in comparing operating efficiency of publicly traded companies in the solid waste industry, and assist investors in measuring our ability to meet capital expenditure and working capital requirements. For these reasons we utilize these non- GAAP metrics to measure our performance at all levels. These measures do not represent, and should not be considered as alternatives to cash provided by operating activities as determined in accordance with GAAP. Moreover, these measures do not necessarily indicate whether cash flow will be sufficient for such items as working capital or capital expenditures, or to react to changes in our industry or to the economy generally. Because these measures are not calculated by all companies in the same fashion, they may not be comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies.

Casella Waste Systems, headquartered in Rutland, Vermont, provides solid waste management services consisting of collection, transfer, disposal, and recycling services primarily in the eastern United States.

For further information, contact Richard Norris, chief financial officer; Ned Coletta, director of investor relations; or Joseph Fusco, vice president; at (802) 775-0325, or visit the company's website at http://www.casella.com.

The company will host a conference call to discuss these results on Thursday, March 8, 2007 at 10:00 a.m. ET. Individuals interested in participating in the call should dial [(719) 457-2692] at least 10 minutes before start time. The call will also be webcast; to listen, participants should visit Casella Waste Systems' website at http://www.casella.com and follow the appropriate link to the webcast. A replay of the call will be available by calling (719) 457-0820 [(conference code #3642447)] before 11:59 p.m. ET, Thursday, March 15, 2007, or by visiting the company's website.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain matters discussed in this press release are "forward-looking statements" intended to qualify for the safe harbors from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified as such by the context of the statements, including words such as the Company "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "may," "will," "would," "intends," "estimates" and other similar expressions, whether in the negative or affirmative. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industry and markets in which we operate and management's beliefs and assumptions. We cannot guarantee that we actually will achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements made. Such forward-looking statements, and all phases of our operations, involve a number of risks and uncertainties, any one or more of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in our forward-looking statements. Such risks and uncertainties include or relate to, among other things: prices for our services fluctuate due to reasons beyond our control; the development of landfills and other disposal facilities is inherently risky and is subject to political, regulatory, and other factors; we may be unable to make acquisitions; we may be unable to reduce costs sufficiently to achieve estimated EBITDA and other targets; anticipated revenue may not materialize; continuing weakness in general economic conditions and poor weather conditions may affect our revenues; we may be required to incur capital expenditures in excess of our estimates; and fluctuations in the commodity pricing of our recyclables may make it more difficult for us to predict our results of operations or meet our estimates. There are a number of other important risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, those detailed in Item 1A, "Risk Factors" in our Form 10-K for the year ended April 30, 2006. We do not necessarily intend to update publicly any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.