TerraCycle Commercial, a division of TerraCycle Inc., announced June 3 that it’s purchased Connecticut-based NLR Inc. as the newest member of its regulated waste recycling operations.

TerraCycle Commercial helps businesses safely and compliantly manage regulated and universal waste, including mercury-containing fluorescent lamps, electronics, batteries and other materials that require specialized handling. Its commercial division was assembled from three prior acquisitions, including Air Cycle Corp., Complete Recycling Solutions, and North Coast Services. As the fourth purchase, NLR extending the division’s reach and collection capacity across the northeast U.S.

As part of TerraCycle Commercial, NLR customers will continue working with their same service contacts, while gaining access to TerraCycle’s solutions, including Zero Waste Box and bulk-recycling solutions for hard-to-recycle materials beyond regulated waste. Customers also gain access to EPA-recognized, Responsible Recycling Standard for Electronics Recyclers’ (R2) certified operations via Complete Recycling’s facility in Fall River, Mass., and North Coast’s facility in Concord, N.H. These facilities process lighting and electronic waste, including mercury-bearing lamps, electronics, cathode ray tubes, mercury devices, batteries, and lighting ballasts in compliance with local and national regulations.

Likewise, TerraCycle's customers are expected to benefit from NLR's commercial waste services, including specialized handling and compliance required for regulated and universal waste. In addition, NLR's existing teams in East Windsor, Conn., team will remain in place, and maintain its service continuity, even as it joins TerraCycle. NLR’s cofounder, Ray Graczyk, chairman of the Association of Lighting and Mercury Recyclers, is retiring after three decades of shaping national recycling policy, and building NLR into a leading regulated waste operator.

"Joining TerraCycle is the right next step," says Robert Robert, cofounder of NLR. "At our core, our customer service philosophy remains rooted in delivering a highly personalized and professional experience. Even as TerraCycle continues to grow and expand, the commitment to absolute customer focus will continue. I'll continue managing the NLR division, and our customers will work with the same dedicated team they’ve always had. With TerraCycle’s added scale, capabilities and reach, we can combine big-company resources with that small-business feeling of caring deeply. This allows us to do even more for the customers, who have relied on us for three decades, while expanding that same personal touch to many more clients going forward."

Tom Szaky, founder and CEO of TerraCycle, adds that, “Universal and regulated waste has long been managed by vendors focused on compliance, not innovation. NLR is our fourth acquisition in this space, and it strengthens our reach and collection capacity.”