Casella Waste Systems, Inc. Announces That Massachusetts Superior Court Rejects July 2008 Citizens Appeal Against Southbridge La

  Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: CWST), a
regional solid waste, recycling and resource management company, announced
that on December 8, 2009, a Massachusetts superior court judge rejected an
appeal by several citizen groups challenging the June 2008 Southbridge
Board of Health (the "Board") decision which granted a minor modification
to the site assignment for the Southbridge Sanitary Landfill (the
"Landfill").

Following this favorable decision, the company's subsidiary, Southbridge Recycling and Disposal Park, Inc. ("SRD") will seek the remaining approvals to implement the changes in waste mix and rate of waste deposit that were approved by the Board. The 2008 Site Assignment decision allows SRD to accept into the Landfill up to 405,000 tons of municipal solid waste (MSW) per year. The Landfill is currently permitted to receive only 180,960 tons per year of construction and demolition (C&D) residuals and limited MSW from the Town of Southbridge.

"For the past three years we have worked closely with the Town of Southbridge to develop this important long-term project that will create substantial value for the community and for our stakeholders," said John W. Casella, chairman and chief executive officer of Casella Waste Systems, Inc. "With this favorable decision we can move forward together on this exciting project, creating the foundation for sustainable environmental economic development in Southbridge."

About Casella Waste Systems, Inc.

Casella Waste Systems is an integrated solid waste and resource management company headquartered in Rutland, Vermont. For further information, investors should contact Ned Coletta, director of finance and investor relations at [phone]; media should contact Joseph Fusco, vice president at [phone]; or visit the company's website at http://www.casella.com.

Safe Harbor Statement

Certain matters discussed in this press release are "forward-looking statements" intended to qualify for the safe harbors from liability established by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements can generally be identified as such by the context of the statements, including words such as the Company "believes," "expects," "anticipates," "plans," "may," "will," "would," "intends," "estimates" and other similar expressions, whether in the negative or affirmative. These forward-looking statements are based on current expectations, estimates, forecasts and projections about the industry and markets in which we operate and management's beliefs and assumptions. We cannot guarantee that we actually will achieve the plans, intentions or expectations disclosed in the forward-looking statements made. Such forward-looking statements, and all phases of our operations, involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including failure to obtain necessary permits at the Southbridge Sanitary Landfill and an appeal of the court order described above, any one or more of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in our forward-looking statements. There are a number of other important risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking statements. These additional risks and uncertainties include, without limitation, those detailed in Item 1A, "Risk Factors" in our Annual Report on Form 10-K/A for the year ended April 30, 2009. We undertake no obligation to update publicly any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law.

Contact: Ned Coletta Director of Finance and Investor Relations [phone] Joseph Fusco Vice President [phone]