New Bedford Waste Services, which includes a recycling facility on 48 Cranberry Highway in Rochester, is set to be sold to one of the largest waste disposal companies in the country.

The buyer, Waste Connections U.S. Holdings Inc., is the third largest solid waste management company in North America, with operations in 41 states and six Canadian provinces. 

The new owners plan to add capacity to the facility, which would result in increased revenue to Rochester, New Bedford Waste Services CEO Michael Camara wrote in a letter to Town Administrator Suzanne Szyndlar announcing the pending sale.

The 103,000-square foot facility, known as Zero Waste Solutions when it opened in May 2019, accepts single-stream recyclables, which are then sorted and shipped to recycling facilities across the world. 

The sale was scheduled to close in December, according to a source, but details are still being finalized and a February closing is more likely. 

Camara wrote to Szyndlar that “a major investment will be made in the Rochester facility to improve baling capacity with a high-performance baler’’ when the new owners take over.

The baler will handle three times the current volume per hour, according to the letter, and bale weights would increase from 2,200 pounds to more than 4,500 pounds. 

Any change to the tonnage accepted by the facility, Szyndlar noted, would need to be approved by the town and the state. 

The current host community agreement would be part of the sale, Szyndlar said.

That agreement calls for Rochester to receive a fee for each ton of acceptable recyclables accepted by the company for processing or transfer. As more material is processed, Camara wrote, the fees would increase. 

Camara will remain with the company, with a goal of drawing more hauling companies to the area. This would bring more solid waste into the Rochester plant.