WCN vs ALC Comparison

Waste Connections is the third-largest integrated provider of traditional solid waste and recycling services in North America, operating 113 active landfills (20 are exploration and production waste landfills and 16 are nonmunicipal waste landfills), 163 transfer stations, and 89 recycling operations. The firm serves residential, commercial, industrial, and energy end markets. Waste Connections entered the Canadian market via its 2016 merger with Progressive Waste. In 2024, 14% of consolidated revenue was generated from the firm's Canadian segment.

Alcon is one of the leading visioncare companies in the world. Following nine years as a Novartis subsidiary, it was spun off as a public company in April 2019. Alcon operates in two segments: visioncare and surgical. Visioncare comprises contact lenses, lenscare solutions, and a suite of ocular health products. With brands like Dailies, Total1, and Air Optix, Alcon controls about one fourth of the US contact lens market. Surgical comprises intraocular lenses, ophthalmic surgical equipment, and consumables used during surgeries. Its main products include Centurion, a phacoemulsification device used during cataract surgeries, and a portfolio of IOLs including PanOptix and Vivity. Alcon has one of the largest installed bases of eye surgical equipment in the world.