Cards completes 9th acquisition in six months

Cards Holdings LLC has purchased Trash Hog LLC, a solid waste collection company with offices in Dardanelle and Morrilton, Arkansas, for an undisclosed sum. The acquired company, which operates under the names Trash Hog of Arkansas, Shorts Trash, Ideal Refuses and Automated Waste Services, has more than 17,500 municipal, residential subscription, commercial and industrial customers throughout Arkansas, Missouri and Kansas, and the transaction is Card’s ninth since February 2023.

Headquartered in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Cards provides solid waste collection services in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas to more than 100,000 municipal, residential subscription, commercial and industrial customers and also offers postcollection services throughout its footprint. The company recently was awarded exclusive solid waste collection contracts with the University of Arkansas, the city of Springdale and the Carrol County Solid Waste District and has finished construction and will soon begin accepting waste at its Springdale Transfer Station in northwest Arkansas.

Regarding the purchase, Dwight Dicus, the owner-operator of Trash Hog LLC, says, “Throughout the transaction, it was clear Cards puts its customers and employees first. I look forward to the team's continued success in providing exceptional service and a great place to work throughout Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas.

“Cards has built an impressive team that has done tremendous work rapidly executing an acquisition strategy,” he continues. “Susan and I feel extremely blessed leaving our legacy to Dan and his team to carry on and grow. I know our customers will be provided with a seamless transition and employees will be taken care of. I am looking forward to their continued success and am excited to be a part of this team.”

“This is a pivotal moment in our company's trajectory to becoming a major regional leader of waste and recycling services in the mid-south,” Cards CEO Dan Christensen says. “We are honored to announce this acquisition and are committed to providing service excellence to all communities and customers alike. I am incredibly proud to welcome the hard-working, dedicated and talented employees to the Cards family and look forward to carrying the legacy of these great businesses into the future.

“Trash Hog has operations across our markets, expanding our waste footprint in addition to increasing our density,” he continues. “Dwight and Susan Dicus have built a great team that we look forward to integrating and ensuring a smooth transition to everyone affected.”

Cards offers residential, commercial, roll-off, portable restroom, recycling and disposal services for homes, businesses and contractors using a platform that consists of owned hauling facilities, transfer stations, recycling centers and landfills. Previously this year, Cards announced the purchases of Raintree Disposal, J&J Refuse and Ozark Waste Solutions in Missouri, County Recycling Services LLC (CRS),  Homeland Waste Management and Barnes Waste Disposal in Texas, and Whittinghill Disposal Services and Johns Refuse LLC in Oklahoma.

The company’s early 2023 recapitalization by Kinderhook has helped to enable these purchases.