Royal Carting , Welsh Sanitation Being Sold to Large Corporation

A locally owned garbage service used by thousands of Hudson Valley homeowners has been sold to a company with troubling online reviews.

Royal Carting and Welsh Sanitation was started by a Hudson Valley man with one truck and a desire to support his family. In 1955 Emil Panichi had one employee who would drive the garbage truck to customers' homes in Dutchess County while Panichi collected the cans himself. The business slowly expanded, incorporating a revolutionary recycling program in the 1970s and eventually acquiring other companies. Today, the locally-owned business employs an army of over 200 Hudson Valley workers operating a fleet of sanitation vehicles.

Royal Carting and Welsh Sanitation Will No Longer be Locally Owned

Three generations of the Panichi family have operated the waste management service while focusing on giving back to the community. The company has especially been drawn to charities that benefit children who have had to overcome challenges in order to achieve their goals.

The Panichi Center for Communication & Learning was established after the family helped upgrade a Poughkeepsie special needs preschool and move it into a brand new building. An endowment organized by the Panichis will keep the preschool up and running for years to come.

The family has also established scholarships for Hudson Valley college students, has a cafe named after them for their generosity to Vassar Hospital and was instrumental in building the Panichi Pool at Maplebrook School of Amenia, a school for adolescents and young adults who learn differently.

Royal Carting and Welsh Sanitation Sold to Casella Waste Systems

Casella Waste Systems, a publicly traded company from Vermont, has purchased Royal Carting and Welsh Sanitation for an undisclosed sum. The company, however, has announced a public offering of 4.5 million shares of stock at $100.00 per share. The proceeds are expected to raise $450 million which will be used to purchase the Hudson Valley sanitation company.

In a press release about the purchase of Royal and Welsh, Casella projects that the acquisition will generate over $90 million annually. The company expects collected waste to be "internalized into Casella’s landfills over time."

Casella Waste Management claims they are committed to operating the sanitation business with the same care that the Panichi family has.

Since 1955, Emil Panichi and his family have built and operated a premier business with a focus on excellent customer service, taking care of their team, and supporting their local communities. We are dedicated to upholding this strong legacy while also introducing additional capabilities to support customer service needs.

How Will the Royal Carting Sale Affect Hudson Valley Customers and Employees?

Unfortunately, Casella has mostly negative reviews from its current customers. On Yelp, the waste management company has an average rating of 1.3 from over 110 users. A Reddit search also turns up almost all negative reviews of the company with hundreds of complaints about price and poor customer service. In contrast, Royal Carting has a 3.8 Yelp score and many positive testimonials from current customers.

Whether the experience of these disappointed Casella customers will be shared by Hudson Valley residents has yet to be seen. The acquisition is expected to officially close in the next few months. As for current employees, Emil Panichi claims they will all be staying on after the sale is complete.