Close · Waste & Recycling

Working Capital Adjustments Counsel for Waste & Recycling Acquisitions

Securities and M&A counsel for independent sponsors negotiating waste and recycling transactions, from LOI to close to the capital markets that open up afterward.

EV range $12M to $150M EV EBITDA $3M to $25M Audience Buy-side / Sponsor
The deal context

Every waste and recycling acquisition has its own gravity. Working Capital Adjustments is the workstream where independent sponsor counsel earns the seat.

The typical waste and recycling platform sits at $12M to $150M EV with EBITDA in the $3M to $25M range. The thesis runs on regional hauler or transfer station consolidation. Permitted volume is the asset, not the trucks. Diligence the permits before the EBITDA.

The moves

How Working Capital Adjustments actually gets structured.

  1. Set the peg based on a trailing 12-month average, normalized for seasonality.

  2. Define each line item in the schedule, especially deferred revenue and accrued vacation.

  3. Cap the dispute resolution timeline at 30 days post-close.

  4. Build a true-up payment mechanism funded out of escrow.

  5. In waste and recycling, layer in permit transfer applications filed before LOI signing as part of the Working Capital Adjustments workstream.

The common mistake

Using an unadjusted average that ignores seasonality. You pay twice for the same cash.

Jason's take
"Working capital is where deals are won or re-traded after LOI. Read every line of the schedule."
Jason Powell · Working Capital Adjustments
Capital after close

The deal is one thing. The capital that opens up after close is another.

Refinancing, recaps, growth rounds, and the right strategic conversation eighteen months early are all downstream of relationships that take years to build and minutes to use.

MONTH 18
Senior refi
MONTH 24
Dividend recap
MONTH 36
Growth equity
YEAR 4–5
Strategic exit
WORK WITH JASON

Bring the waste and recycling deal. Get Working Capital Adjustments done right.

Direct counsel from a securities and M&A attorney with billions in structured transactions, the independent-sponsor-native playbook, and the capital markets network that opens up post-close.