Who is LRI?

Land Recovery, Inc. (LRI) was formed in 1977 following a decision by the Pierce County Board of County Commissioners to privatize the County's solid waste disposal system. Until 1977, the Pierce County Public Works Department operated the Hidden Valley (Thun Field) Landfill on property leased from a private developer.

The owners of four privately owned garbage haulers, then operating in Pierce County, formed LRI to acquire Hidden Valley from its private owner and take over operations of the landfill from the Public Works Department. Pierce County entered into disposal contracts with LRI initially in 1977.

Ownership Changes

• In the late 1970's, three of the hauling company owners, Harold LeMay, Ed Long, and David Murrey bought out the landfill interest of the fourth. Each of these gentlemen then held 1/3 of the shares of LRI.
• In the early 1990's, Ed Long sold his hauling business (Lakewood Refuse) to Harold LeMay, however retained his 1/3 share in LRI. When he passed away in the mid-1990's his ownership interest in LRI passed to his heirs.
• Shortly thereafter, David Murrey passed away and his ownership in the Murrey Companies and LRI passed to his heirs. Later the Murrey Companies were sold and the estate retained the 1/3 share of LRI.
• In Fall of 2000, Harold LeMay passed away and his 1/3 interest in LRI passed to the LeMay family.
• Since the beginning of 2001, the LeMay family acquired the 1/3 interest held by Ed Long's heirs, thus owning 2/3 of LRI with the Murrey Trust owning 1/3. In February 2001, a Pierce County court authorized the sale of the Murrey Trust's interest in LRI to Waste Connections, Inc. Over the next few days the LeMay Family sold a portion of its interest in LRI to Waste Connections to result in the current 51-49 split.

Name Change

Land Recovery Inc. became Pierce County Recycling, Composting and Disposal, LLC dba LRI in 2001.

LRI Services to and for Pierce County

• Owns and operates the LRI Landfill located at 30919 Meridian Street East in unincorporated Pierce County
• Owns and operates the Hidden Valley Transfer Station and Compost Factory located at 17925 Meridian Street East in unincorporated Pierce County
• Co-owner of the Puyallup Energy Recovery Company (PERC), which converts methane into energy, located at 17925 Meridian Street East.
• Manages post-closure compliance activities at the Hidden Valley and Purdy Landfills, in partnership with Pierce County and the Tacoma- Pierce County Health Department
• Operates four County-owned transfer stations and the County-owned compost facility under contract with Pierce County
• Provides disposal services under contract with the City of Tacoma

LRI is proud to be one of the best landfill and recycling operations in the Pacific Northwest. We are proud of our accomplishments and of the spirit of cooperation within our company and also with all those we associate with. We value our positive relationships with our customers and Pierce County government. We believe our relationships have made us a success.