Waste Management can trace its roots back to the 1890s in Chicago, Illinois when Ham Huizenga began hauling trash in the back of his wagon.
In 1968, Ham’s grandson, Wayne Huizenga, along with Dean Buntrock and Larry Beck founded what is Waste Management today. They began aggressively purchased small waste collection companies.
The company went public in 1971 and had acquired 133 companies by 1972.
In the 1980s, the company acquired Service Corporation of America and became the largest waste hauler in the US.
The company underwent an accounting scandal in the 1990s and began to clean things up in 1998 with the appointment of a new CEO.
Waste Management currently serves nearly 20 million customers in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
