Acquisition could roil garbage market

The garbage collection industry in the Helena area, including Jefferson County, could face the prospect of competitive tumult in the face of an acquisition awaiting approval by the state’s Public Service Commission (PSC).

Republic Services, the nation’s second-largest waste disposal company, has applied to take over Tri-County Disposal, which operates a landfill in East Helena and is authorized to operate within a 35-mile radius of Helena’s city limits. Republic says it hopes to receive certification from the PSC by Aug. 1.

In theory, that would put it head-to-head against Boulder-based Giulio Disposal, which is authorized to haul trash anywhere in Jefferson County. Under Tri-County, competition hasn’t been an issue — in large part, Giulio says, because his father Gordon made a “handshake agreement” years ago that effectively ceded Tri-County a monopoly on the county’s northern communities while leaving Boulder to Giulio.