EXHIBIT 23.1
 
              INDEPENDENT AUDITORS' CONSENT AND REPORT ON SCHEDULE
 
Waste Industries, Inc.:
 
   
     We consent to the use in this Amendment No. 3 to Registration Statement No.
333-25631 of Waste Industries, Inc. of our report dated May 5, 1997, appearing
in the Prospectus, which is a part of this Registration Statement, and to the
references to us under the headings "Selected Consolidated Financial and
Operating Data" and "Experts" in such Prospectus.
    
 
     Our audits of the financial statements referred to in our aforementioned
report also included the financial statement schedule of Waste Industries, Inc.,
as listed in Item 16. This financial statement schedule is the responsibility of
the Company's management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion based on
our audits. In our opinion, such financial statement schedule, when considered
in relation to the basic financial statements taken as a whole, presents fairly
in all material respects the information set forth therein.
 
   
DELOITTE & TOUCHE LLP
Raleigh, North Carolina
June 3, 1997