History
The company was created as a waste disposal firm in 1981 by Republic Industries.[5]
In 1995, Wayne Huizenga, formerly chairman of Waste Management, invested $64 million of his own money and raised an additional $168 million to acquire the company and became its chairman.[6]
In July 1998, Republic Industries completed the corporate spin-off of Republic Services via an initial public offering, and then changed its name to AutoNation.[7]
In 2008, Waste Management bid $6.73 billion for the company.[8]
At the end of 2015, Republic Services opened a $35 million, 110,000 square-foot North Las Vegas Recycling Center, designed by local architect Edward Vance of EV&A Architects. The plant's solar panels generate enough energy to run the plant for two to three months. The plant can process two million pounds of recycled paper each day, or 70 tons per hour.[9] Eventually, the plant will be able to recycle three million pounds of paper per day.[10] Optical sorters use 2D and 3D technologies to speed sorting.[11]
In July 2016, Republic Services and Mas Energy launched a new renewable energy project to serve the Atlanta metropolitan area. The project includes three landfill gas-to-energy facilities in Buford, Griffin, and Winder. The facilities will produce 24.1 megawatts of electricity, enough to power 15,665 households.[12] The three facilities together will be the largest landfill gas-to-energy project in Georgia. Republic Services converts landfill gas, the natural byproduct of decomposing waste, to energy. The use of landfill gas is beneficial to the U.S. economy by reducing air pollution through the capture and use of methane. As of July 2016, Republic Services operated 69 landfill gas and renewable energy projects.[13][14]
In January 2016, the company said it will invest $20 million in 2016 to design and implement its Customer Resource Centers in addition to other customer focused initiatives. The company expects the changes to result in a yearly savings of about $10 million.[15] The plan calls for the consolidation of 108 regional customer centers into three main customer resource centers in Fishers, Indiana, Charlotte, North Carolina, and Chandler, Arizona.[16]
In February 2016, it was announced by North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory and N.C. Commerce Secretary John E. Skvareta, III, that Republic Services was planning to open a full-service Customer Resource Center in Charlotte. It is expected that the facility will create over 350 new jobs, while Republic's investment in the center is projected to be over $6.8 million over the next three years.[17]
In April 2017, Republic Services opened a customer service center in Fishers, Indiana, employing over 250 workers, with plans to hire an additional 120 during the year.[16] The company invested $13.6 million to renovate and equip office space along the I-69 corporate corridor in Fishers. The customer service office is expected to create up to 469 new jobs by 2025.[18]
In April 2015, Republic Services opened a landfill gas-to-energy project near Los Angeles at the Sunshine Canyon Landfill. The 20-megawatt renewable energy project can supply enough electricity to power almost 25,000 homes in the area.[19][20]
In April 2016 the city of Boise, Idaho considered the implementation of a composting program, utilizing Republic Services, the company that was already hauling garbage in the city.[21] The program went into effect in June 2017. After a little more than one month, the company picked up 1,716 tons of compost from Boise's single-family homes.[22]
In May 2017, in partnership with the Alabama Coastal Foundation (ACF) Republic Services launched an oyster shell collection program with several coastal restaurants. Funded by a two-year grant from the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, the goal of the collection program is to create sustainable oyster habitats and to teach the public about the importance of oyster shell recycling.[23][24][25]
In 2017, the company invested $29 million in solar projects at some of its landfills and other locations. Republic Services has either built, invested in, or operates over 236,000 solar panels at 19 generating facilities in the US, with a total capacity of 80 megawatts, enough electricity to power 208,000 homes.[26]
In September 2017, Republic Services and Soltage activated a 13.5 megawatt solar energy project in Massachusetts. When finished, the project, constructed on three former landfill sites, will include approximately 41,000 solar panels to power 1,900 local households and reduce carbon emissions by more than 14,000 tons.[27]
Management
In December 1998, James E. O'Connor replaced Wayne Huizenga as CEO.[44]
After 12 years as CEO of Republic Services, James O’Connor retired on January 1, 2011, and was replaced by the president and COO of Republic Services, Don Slager.[45]
James P. Snee and Katharine Weymouth were appointed to the Republic Services Board of Directors in 2018, resulting in a total of 12 board members, 11 of them independent.[46]
In April 2019, Jon Vander Ark became president[47] and in 2021, Slager retired and Vander Ark was named CEO.[48]
