Exhibit 99.1
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE


CASELLA  WASTE SYSTEMS WILL COMPLETE KTI  TRANSACTION  AS PURCHASE,  RATHER THAN
POOLING OF INTERESTS

RUTLAND, Vt., Sept. 23 /PRNewswire/ -- Casella Waste Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: CWST
- - news) announced today that it will complete its merger with KTI (Nasdaq:  KTIE
- - news) as a tax-free  stock  purchase,  rather than a pooling of  interests  as
originally planned.

The boards of  directors  of both  companies  have  approved an amendment to the
terms of the merger agreement reflecting the change.

"Over both the short- and long-term,  completing the merger under purchase rules
of  accounting  gives us greater  strategic  flexibility  to deliver the overall
performance we expect for our  shareholders,"  John Casella,  chairman and chief
executive officer of Casella Waste Systems, said.

Because of the change in accounting treatment,  KTI's results of operations will
consolidate  only with  Casella  Waste  Systems'  results  from the point of the
merger forward.

In  addition,  the  company  also said it expects  the change  will not have any
negative impact on earnings per share on a post-merger basis.

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.  For  further
information,  contact  Joseph  Fusco,  Vice  President;  Jerry  Cifor,  Sr. Vice
President and Chief Financial Officer at (802) 775-0325;  or visit the company's
website at www.casella.com.

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.