Republic Services, Inc
Encyclopedia
Republic Services, Inc is a waste management
company. Once the third largest waste management firm in the United States, on June 23, 2008 it announced its intention to purchase its larger competitor Allied Waste Industries
for $6.1 billion USD in Republic Services stock. The merged company will retain the Republic name and become the second largest (after Waste Management, Inc
) non-hazardous solid waste management company in the United States.
With its acquisition, Republic inherited Allied Waste's extensive market, including more than 10 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across 128 major markets in 40 states and Puerto Rico
. Together with Waste Management, Inc, it handles more than half of all garbage collection in the United States.
On December 5, 2008, the merged Republic Services, Inc. relocated its corporate office from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Phoenix, Arizona (Allied's current headquarters) and controls the following combined operations, compared here with their larger competitor Waste Management, Inc:
Some of Republic's facilities may be closed or consolidated during the integration.
On July 14, 2008, competitors Waste Management, Inc
announced a $34 per share offer to acquire Republic Services. On July 18, 2008, the Republic Services board of directors announced that it would not enter negotiations with Waste Management and "remains committed to the Allied Waste transaction." On August 11, 2008, the bid was raised to $37 per share; this second offer was rejected on August 15, 2008.
On June 14, 2010, long time Republic CEO James O’Connor said he will step down in January 2011. Donald Slager, a former Allied executive and Republic’s current chief operating officer who started his career as a trash truck driver, will become the new chief.
The Wall Street Journal reported in June 2010 that one trash merger that has been successful from the start is Republic Services’ $4 billion acquisition of Allied in December 2008. The combined company has delivered at the high end of the annual savings projected when they did the deal ($191 million). Republic’s share price has since increased 27%, and big-name investors have directed their attention to the company. In mid-2009, Warren Buffet accumulated about 10 million shares (equaling a roughly 3% stake), while Bill Gates
remains one of the largest investors, with a roughly 15% stake.
Republic Services owns and operates the largest landfill in the United States at 2200 acre (890.3 ha) located in Apex, Nevada
.
Republic Services has developed LFGTE projects at more than one-third of the company’s 213 landfills. These 74 projects include:
The 52 electric projects generate 323 MW of electricity, enough to power about 192,000 homes. The 22 other projects provide or process more than 58,000 scfm of gas, energy needed to heat almost 200,000 homes. The environmental benefits of all of the projects combined are equivalent to removing approximately 4 million cars from the road.
On September 21, 2009, Newsweek
released their "Green Rankings", a ranking of the 500 largest corporations on their track record on a number of environmental issues. Republic Services was ranked 448th out of 500 overall, and 46th out of 50 in their industry.
Republic Services has also had several high-profile fines levied against it by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and states' Department of Environmental Protection
in the last several years.
On April 23, 2009 Republic Services received the first-ever Environmental Award by CSX Transportation
at the awards dinner held in Jacksonville, FL. In 2008, Republic reduced carbon emissions by 389,520 tons by shipping refuse on CSXT freight rail. In addition, by choosing to ship via rail, the company conserves fossil fuels and helps alleviate congestion on the roads. Republic is one of 19 CSXT customers who, together in 2008 avoided over 1.2 million tons of carbon emissions by shipping with CSXT versus the highway alternative.
In 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency of Ohio levied a $10 million fine after Republic "failed to extinguish" an "aluminum dross
reaction/fire" at their Countywide Landfill.
In 2008, Republic Services agreed to pay a $1 million fine and up to $36 million in remediation costs for violations of the Clean Water Act
at a closed landfill
in Clark County, Nevada
.
In 2007, Republic Services was fined $725,000 by the State of California relating to the risk of hazardous waste leaking from a closed landfill
into San Francisco Bay.
In 2002, Allied Waste (then its own company, as this was prior to the merger) was orderd to pay a fine of $782,550 by the EPA and spend $2.3 million on an environmental project to improve air quality following violations of the Clean Air Act
in Roxbury, Massachusetts
.
In April 2009, Republic Services won CSX Transportation
's first annual "Green Transportation Award" for shipping practices that significantly reduced carbon emissions.
Waste management
Waste management is the collection, transport, processing or disposal,managing and monitoring of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and the process is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics...
company. Once the third largest waste management firm in the United States, on June 23, 2008 it announced its intention to purchase its larger competitor Allied Waste Industries
Allied Waste Industries
Allied Waste Industries was a Fortune 500 company headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. A vertically integrated company that owned and operated solid waste collection businesses, recycling facilities, and landfills, it was a leader in the solid waste industry in the United States...
for $6.1 billion USD in Republic Services stock. The merged company will retain the Republic name and become the second largest (after Waste Management, Inc
Waste Management, Inc
Waste Management, Inc. is a waste management, comprehensive waste, and environmental services company in North America. Founded in 1894, the company is headquartered in Suite 4000 at the First City Tower in Downtown Houston, Texas, in the United States....
) non-hazardous solid waste management company in the United States.
With its acquisition, Republic inherited Allied Waste's extensive market, including more than 10 million residential, commercial and industrial customers across 128 major markets in 40 states and Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico , officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico , is an unincorporated territory of the United States, located in the northeastern Caribbean, east of the Dominican Republic and west of both the United States Virgin Islands and the British Virgin Islands.Puerto Rico comprises an...
. Together with Waste Management, Inc, it handles more than half of all garbage collection in the United States.
On December 5, 2008, the merged Republic Services, Inc. relocated its corporate office from Fort Lauderdale, Florida to Phoenix, Arizona (Allied's current headquarters) and controls the following combined operations, compared here with their larger competitor Waste Management, Inc:
| Republic | Waste Management | |
|---|---|---|
| Employees | 36000 | 50000 |
| Landfills | 219 | 283 |
| Transfer stations | 242 | 370 |
| Collection operations | 427 | 413 |
| Recycling plants | 86 | 131 |
Some of Republic's facilities may be closed or consolidated during the integration.
On July 14, 2008, competitors Waste Management, Inc
Waste Management, Inc
Waste Management, Inc. is a waste management, comprehensive waste, and environmental services company in North America. Founded in 1894, the company is headquartered in Suite 4000 at the First City Tower in Downtown Houston, Texas, in the United States....
announced a $34 per share offer to acquire Republic Services. On July 18, 2008, the Republic Services board of directors announced that it would not enter negotiations with Waste Management and "remains committed to the Allied Waste transaction." On August 11, 2008, the bid was raised to $37 per share; this second offer was rejected on August 15, 2008.
Operations
On May 6, 2010 Allied Waste, a Republic Services company dedicated an upgrade to its Pacific Region Compost Facility (PRC) that will serve as the state’s first food composting facility. This is Oregon’s first facility permitted to accept all food waste including meat, bread and vegetable products. The Oregon Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) found that almost 15 percent of the material landfilled in Oregon is food waste. Accepting food waste, as opposed to just yard waste, requires additional infrastructure and equipment. Allied Waste paved 2 acres (8,093.7 m²) and purchased and installed a composting system that has been used successfully in numerous facilities in Washington and California. Called “aerated static pile technology”, this system captures and controls emissions from the composting process using a negative air system and requires a smaller footprint than other methods, which also reduces the amount of storm water runoff.On June 14, 2010, long time Republic CEO James O’Connor said he will step down in January 2011. Donald Slager, a former Allied executive and Republic’s current chief operating officer who started his career as a trash truck driver, will become the new chief.
The Wall Street Journal reported in June 2010 that one trash merger that has been successful from the start is Republic Services’ $4 billion acquisition of Allied in December 2008. The combined company has delivered at the high end of the annual savings projected when they did the deal ($191 million). Republic’s share price has since increased 27%, and big-name investors have directed their attention to the company. In mid-2009, Warren Buffet accumulated about 10 million shares (equaling a roughly 3% stake), while Bill Gates
Bill Gates
William Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
remains one of the largest investors, with a roughly 15% stake.
Republic Services owns and operates the largest landfill in the United States at 2200 acre (890.3 ha) located in Apex, Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
.
Environmental track record
In January 2010 the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Landfill Methane Outreach Program (LMOP) selected three Republic Services landfill gas-to-energy projects (LFGTE) as LFGTE Projects of the Year for 2009. Ox Mountain Landfill in Half Moon Bay, California; Jefferson City Landfill in Jefferson City, Missouri and Oak Grove Landfill in Winder, Georgia were honored at the annual LMOP conference in Baltimore in January 2010.Republic Services has developed LFGTE projects at more than one-third of the company’s 213 landfills. These 74 projects include:
- 52 electric generating plants
- 13 Medium Btu plants that provide LFG to industrial users
- 6 High Btu plants that produce pipeline quality gas
- 3 Leachate evaporators
The 52 electric projects generate 323 MW of electricity, enough to power about 192,000 homes. The 22 other projects provide or process more than 58,000 scfm of gas, energy needed to heat almost 200,000 homes. The environmental benefits of all of the projects combined are equivalent to removing approximately 4 million cars from the road.
On September 21, 2009, Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
released their "Green Rankings", a ranking of the 500 largest corporations on their track record on a number of environmental issues. Republic Services was ranked 448th out of 500 overall, and 46th out of 50 in their industry.
Republic Services has also had several high-profile fines levied against it by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and states' Department of Environmental Protection
Department of Environmental Protection
Department of Environmental Protection is a name used by several states in the United States of America for the agency charged with proposing and enforcing environmental law...
in the last several years.
On April 23, 2009 Republic Services received the first-ever Environmental Award by CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
at the awards dinner held in Jacksonville, FL. In 2008, Republic reduced carbon emissions by 389,520 tons by shipping refuse on CSXT freight rail. In addition, by choosing to ship via rail, the company conserves fossil fuels and helps alleviate congestion on the roads. Republic is one of 19 CSXT customers who, together in 2008 avoided over 1.2 million tons of carbon emissions by shipping with CSXT versus the highway alternative.
In 2009, the Environmental Protection Agency of Ohio levied a $10 million fine after Republic "failed to extinguish" an "aluminum dross
Dross
Dross is a mass of solid impurities floating on a molten metal. It appears usually on the melting of low-melting-point metals or alloys such as tin, lead, zinc or aluminium, or by oxidation of the metal. It can also consist of impurities such as paint leftovers...
reaction/fire" at their Countywide Landfill.
In 2008, Republic Services agreed to pay a $1 million fine and up to $36 million in remediation costs for violations of the Clean Water Act
Clean Water Act
The Clean Water Act is the primary federal law in the United States governing water pollution. Commonly abbreviated as the CWA, the act established the goals of eliminating releases of high amounts of toxic substances into water, eliminating additional water pollution by 1985, and ensuring that...
at a closed landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
in Clark County, Nevada
Clark County, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 1,375,765 people, 512,253 households, and 339,693 families residing within the MSA. The racial makeup of the MSA was 71.6% White , 9.1% Black, 5.7% Asian, 0.8% American Indian and 12.8% of other or mixed race. 22.0% were Hispanic of any race...
.
In 2007, Republic Services was fined $725,000 by the State of California relating to the risk of hazardous waste leaking from a closed landfill
Landfill
A landfill site , is a site for the disposal of waste materials by burial and is the oldest form of waste treatment...
into San Francisco Bay.
In 2002, Allied Waste (then its own company, as this was prior to the merger) was orderd to pay a fine of $782,550 by the EPA and spend $2.3 million on an environmental project to improve air quality following violations of the Clean Air Act
Clean Air Act
A Clean Air Act is one of a number of pieces of legislation relating to the reduction of airborne contaminants, smog and air pollution in general. The use by governments to enforce clean air standards has contributed to an improvement in human health and longer life spans...
in Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury, Massachusetts
Roxbury is a dissolved municipality and current neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States. It was one of the first towns founded in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1630, and became a city in 1846 until annexed to Boston on January 5, 1868...
.
In April 2009, Republic Services won CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation
CSX Transportation operates a Class I railroad in the United States known as the CSX Railroad. It is the main subsidiary of the CSX Corporation. The company is headquartered in Jacksonville, Florida, and owns approximately 21,000 route miles...
's first annual "Green Transportation Award" for shipping practices that significantly reduced carbon emissions.