2025 in Review: Celebrating 25 Years of Innovation—and Building What’s Next

2025 was a pivotal year for Routeware—one that honored our past while laying a strong foundation for the future. As we celebrated 25 years of innovation in waste and recycling technology, we also continued to evolve our platform and deepen our connection with customers and industry partners. Each milestone and highlight from the year reinforced our mission: to help organizations deliver safer, more efficient, and more reliable waste management services to the communities they serve. As we look ahead to 2026 and beyond, we’re building on these successes with confidence and purpose.

Milestones

Celebrating 25 Years of Routeware Waste Management Technology

In 2025, Routeware proudly marked 25 years of serving the waste and recycling industry. Since our founding in 2000, our focus has remained constant. Routeware develops waste management technology that simplifies complexity, connects systems and people, and enables smarter, data-driven decisions. Over the past quarter century, we’ve evolved from early in-cab solutions to today’s fully connected workflows that unify routing, fleet management, operations, billing, and customer engagement. This milestone reflects the trust customers and partners put in Routeware. Our operations serve millions of residents, managing thousands of vehicles, and delivering billions of service notifications across North America and the UK.

Named to the Inc. 5000—for the Third Consecutive Year

Routeware was honored to be named to the 2025 Inc. 5000 list for the third year in a row, recognizing sustained growth and innovation among the fastest-growing private companies in the United States. This achievement reflects expanding customer adoption, continued investment in our waste management software portfolio, and a relentless focus on delivering measurable value for municipal and private operators. Appearing on the Inc. 5000 again shows the foundations and momentum we have built here at Routeware, with continued growth.

The Return of the Routeware Summit

2025 also marked the return of the Routeware Summit, bringing customers, partners, and industry leaders together.  Here, haulers and organizations can learn, connect, and share perspectives on the future of waste and recycling operations. Taking place over two days in Austin, Texas, the Summit featured a mix of panels and interactive workshops. The positive and constructive event feedback from Routeware customers reaffirmed the value of in-person collaboration and highlighted the power of community-driven innovation across the industry.

We are very excited to announce that planning for Routeware Summit 2026 is already underway! Save the date for November 9-11 at the Hotel Van Zandt in Austin, Texas.

Highlights

Expanding Waste Management Industry Communication and Thought Leadership

Throughout 2025, Routeware continued to invest in meaningful communication with our customers and the broader industry. Our newsletters evolved into a trusted resource, delivering waste management software and product updates, industry guides, and customer success stories that support why Routeware is among the most trusted for day-to-day operations and long-term planning. Customers can sign up for our “Success Press” and all Routeware community members can enjoy “Haul Good” by signing up via this form.

Leveraging the Power of Video

Last year, we expanded our webinar program beyond customer training to include external thought leadership and industry-focused discussions. Routeware hosted 31 webinars, engaging over 1000 participants with timely product guidance and technology insights.

Many of these sessions are now available on demand within our customer Help Center and webinars, extending their impact well beyond the live events. We encourage our Routeware community to engage Routeware experts by attending any of our 2026 webinars. Customer webinars can be viewed here and public-facing sessions can be explored here.

Strong In-Person Presence

Routeware attended 22 events in 2025, from national conferences like WasteExpo to regional tradeshows across North America. These in-person conversations continue to shape how we build and support our solutions. In 2026, we plan to more than double our presence, attending over 40 events to connect with even more communities. Explore our 2026 event schedule to meet our team!

A New Routeware Website

The Routeware of today is not the Routeware of 25 years ago—and in 2025, our website was relaunched to reflect that vital evolution. The redesigned site highlights the full breadth of our solutions and provides a clearer picture of how we support modern waste and recycling operations. It also boasts a range of helpful resources for those fleet operators who are just starting their digital solution efforts and investment.

Launching a New Help Center

As part of our expanded focus on customer support for waste management, we redesigned our Help Center to include more articles, videos, and live training opportunities. This allows customers easier access to the resources they need to succeed.

Looking Ahead to 2026

As we move into 2026, we’re building on a year defined by growth, connection, and momentum. With a strong product foundation, deeper customer engagement, strategic leadership updates, and a clear vision for the future, Routeware is well positioned to reliably help organizations modernize waste management operations and maximize the value of their data, fleets, and people.

Thank you to our customers, partners, and team members who made 2025 such a meaningful year—we’re excited for what’s ahead and proud to keep building the future of waste and recycling technology together.