Exhibit 99.1
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CASELLA  WASTE  SYSTEMS AND KTI REVISE  TERMS OF MERGER  AGREEMENT;  TRANSACTION
REMAINS ACCRETIVE; EXPECTED TO CLOSE WITHIN 60 DAYS

RUTLAND,  Vt., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CWST
- - NEWS) and KTI, Inc.  (Nasdaq:  KTIE - NEWS) announced today that the companies
have revised the terms of their merger agreement.

Under the terms of the revised merger  agreement,  KTI shareholders will receive
0.51 share of Casella Waste Systems stock for every share of KTI stock.

Additionally,  the revised  agreement calls for Casella Waste Systems to gain an
additional seat on the combined company's board of directors.

The boards of  directors of both  companies  have  approved  the revised  merger
agreement;  the closing of the merger is  contingent  upon,  among other things,
shareholder approval from both companies.

"Given the  difficult and bumpy road certain of KTI's  businesses  have traveled
over the last several months,  both companies believe a revision in the terms of
the merger  agreement,  particularly the exchange ratio, is  appropriate,"  John
Casella, chairman and chief executive officer of Casella Waste Systems, said.

"Management's  focus is solely on the  post-merger  performance of Casella Waste
Systems and on taking the necessary steps,  including this revision,  to deliver
that performance and growth in shareholder value," Casella said.

"Now that this  restructuring  removes a number of uncertainties  and gives us a
higher degree of confidence that the merger will be successfully completed,  let
me reemphasize some important points," Casella said.

"First,  given  the  opportunities  to  leverage  disposal  capacity  and  build
integrated platforms through accretive acquisitions in our market, the strategic
rationale for the merger has never been stronger," Casella said.

"Second,  we look forward to bringing  Casella Waste  Systems'  operational  and
financial  discipline to all of KTI's assets,  and taking the necessary steps to
remedy  underperforming  businesses.  Third,  we have great  confidence in KTI's
operating  managers  and the  contribution  they  can  make to the  value  we're
creating.  And, finally, we're confident Casella will now be uniquely positioned
to create additional paths to shareholder value, growth and market leadership in
the future.

"Our  primary  goal  has  always  been  to  ensure  that  this   transaction  be
meaningfully  accretive  both  'out-of-the-box'  and in  future  fiscal  years,"
Casella said. "We believe this transaction will meet those criteria."

Since the  transaction  will close well past the date originally  intended,  the
company has revised its  projections for the combined  company's  current fiscal
year (ending April 30, 2000) as follows: revenues of approximately $505 million;
EBITDA of  approximately  $127 million;  and earnings per share of approximately
$1.04.

For the first full fiscal year post-merger (ending April 30, 2001) Casella Waste
Systems projects that the combined company's revenues will be approximately $601
million;  EBITDA will be approximately $161 million; and earnings per share will
be approximately $1.55.

"This significant,  meaningful  accretion in post-merger  earnings over what the
company would have  generated on a stand-alone  basis,  validates our confidence
that  this  transaction  is in the  long-term  interests  of our  shareholders,"
Casella said.

Casella  Waste  Systems,  headquartered  in  Rutland,  Vermont,  is a  regional,
integrated, non-hazardous solid waste services company that provides collection,
transfer,  disposal and recycling  services in Vermont,  New  Hampshire,  Maine,
Massachusetts, upstate New York, and northern Pennsylvania.

Casella Waste Systems will host a telephone conference call with investors at 10
a.m.   (EST)  on  Thursday,   September  9,  1999;   participants   should  dial
719-457-2642.  A replay of the call will be available  until 11:59 p.m. (EST) on
Wednesday,  September 15, 1999 by dialing 719-457-0820; the conference number is
776281.

This press release,  especially  with respect to the  consummation of the merger
and its  financial  and  operational  impact and  projected  financial  results,
contains  forward-looking   statements  that  involve  a  number  of  risks  and
uncertainties.  Among the important  factors that could cause actual  results to
differ materially from those indicated by such forward-looking  statements are a
substantial  delay in the expected closing of the  transaction,  KTI's operating
results,  the combined  company's ability to realize expected synergies from the
transaction,  the  ability  to  successfully  integrate  the two  companies  and
otherwise  to manage  growth,  a history of  losses,  the  ability to  identify,
acquire  and  integrate  acquisition  targets,  dependence  on  management,  the
uncertain  ability to finance  the  company's  growth,  limitations  on landfill
permitting  and  expansion  and  geographic  concentration,  a general  economic
downturn,  changes  in the  law and  regulations  relating  to the  environment,
competition,  and the risk factors  detailed  from time to time in Casella Waste
Systems' and KTI's periodic reports and  registration  statements filed with the
Securities and Exchange Commission.