Waste Management was founded in 1968 by Wayne Huizenga, Dean Buntrock, and Larry Beck. The founders immediately began acquiring smaller garbage collection companies throughout the United States.
By 1972 the company had acquired 133 smaller companies and had $82 million in revenue.
In 1993 Waste Management, Inc. became WMX Technologies, Inc. This change reflected the company’s diversification to services other than waste removal, recycling, and disposal.
In 1998 the company merged with USA Waste Services, with the new company retaining the Waste Management brand.
Today Waste Management’s network includes 367 collection operations, 255 transfer stations, 273 active landfill disposal sites, 16 waste-to-energy sites, 134 recycling plants, 111 beneficial-use landfill gas projects, and 6 independent power production plants.
The company offers its services to 27 million industrial, commercial, municipal, and residential customers in the U.S., Canada, and Puerto Rico.
Waste Management trades publicly on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol WM, is a member of the S&P 500, is #207 in the Fortune 500, has 42,700 employees, and $14.04 billion in revenue in 2013.
