The BFI Waste Services settlement is a $40 million class action resolution approved on March 31, 2026, by Judge Shera Grant of the Circuit Court of Jefferson County, Alabama, ending consolidated claims that BFI Waste Services, LLC and its Republic Services affiliates overcharged commercial and industrial customers on automatically renewing waste hauling and recycling contracts across 13 states.1BFI Waste Services Settlement. Final Approval Order Qualifying class members receive between $100 and $250 depending on what they submitted with their claim.
Who Qualifies for a Payment
The class covers open-market commercial and industrial customers only. Residential customers are not included. To qualify, you must have signed an automatically renewing written contract with BFI Waste Services or an affiliated Republic Services subsidiary, that contract must contain a rate adjustment provision substantially similar to the one described in the settlement, and you must have paid rate increases exceeding 6% plus the applicable CPI.2BFI Waste Services Settlement. Long-Form Notice
The class period depends on where the customer is located:
- Florida, California, Illinois, South Carolina, and Jefferson County, Alabama: January 1, 2017 through September 30, 2025
- Michigan, Ohio, and Indiana: June 1, 2019 through September 30, 2025
- Massachusetts: June 1, 2021 through September 30, 2025
- Pennsylvania: August 1, 2021 through September 30, 2025
- Texas: September 30, 2021 through September 30, 2025
- Arkansas: January 1, 2017 through December 31, 2018
- Oklahoma: January 1, 2020 through June 30, 2021
Several groups are excluded from the class: customers operating under franchise agreements, customers whose contracts had expired, customers with unsigned contracts, and customers who signed contracts on or after April 4, 2021 or whose contracts contained class action waivers or arbitration provisions. Also excluded are customers who negotiated material changes to the standard form contract and customers who drafted the contract themselves.4BFI Waste Services Settlement. Settlement Agreement
What the Lawsuit Alleged
The plaintiffs claimed BFI raised rates on renewing contracts beyond what those contracts permitted. The contracts allowed increases tied to five specific factors: disposal costs, transportation costs, the Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers, increased average weight of waste materials, and changes in applicable laws.2BFI Waste Services Settlement. Long-Form Notice According to the complaint, the combined ceiling for cost increases plus CPI was 6% plus CPI, and BFI charged more than that.4BFI Waste Services Settlement. Settlement Agreement The claims included breach of contract, unjust enrichment, and violations of state consumer protection statutes. BFI denied all allegations and maintained its pricing complied with its contracts.
How Much You Can Receive
Payments depend on what the class member submitted. Claimants who filed only an account number receive a flat $100. Claimants who submitted an account number along with a copy of their contract and an invoice showing the price increase receive between $200 and $250. The exact amount in that higher tier scales with class size: $250 if the class has 150,000 or fewer members, dropping in $10 increments as the class grows, down to $200 for classes of 190,001 or more. No individual can receive more than $250.4BFI Waste Services Settlement. Settlement Agreement
Current customers will see their payment applied as a credit on their invoice. Former customers will get a check or electronic payment from the settlement administrator.4BFI Waste Services Settlement. Settlement Agreement Payments are scheduled to go out 135 days after final approval, which places distribution around mid-August 2026.3Claim Depot. BFI Waste Services Settlement
Claim Deadline and How to Check Status
The deadline to file a claim was April 30, 2026. If you submitted a claim, you can check on it through the official settlement website at www.BFIWasteServicesSettlement.com or by contacting the administrator directly.
Phone: 1-866-742-4955
Email: BFIWasteServicesSettlement@rg2claims.com
Mail: BFI Waste Services Settlement, c/o RG/2 Claims Administration LLC, P.O. Box 59479, Philadelphia, PA 19102-94795BFI Waste Services Settlement Contact Page. Contact Us
Final Approval
Judge Grant held the fairness hearing on March 31, 2026 in Birmingham, certified the class, approved the settlement as “fair, reasonable, and adequate,” and dismissed the case with prejudice. No class members filed objections, and six opted out.1BFI Waste Services Settlement. Final Approval Order The case is New Merkle Investors, LLC v. BFI Waste Services, LLC et al., No. CV-2021-903302.