History of Republic Services in Timeline

Republic Services is a leading North American waste disposal company, second only to Waste Management in the United States. They specialize in non-hazardous solid waste collection, transfer, disposal, recycling, and energy services. The company's primary operations involve collecting, transferring, and disposing of waste, as well as recycling materials and providing energy solutions. Cascade Investment, owned by Bill Gates, holds a significant ownership stake of 35.1% in Republic Services.

1910: Construction of Wintersburg Japanese Mission and manse

In 1910, the Wintersburg Japanese Mission and its manse (parsonage) were constructed. They were later destroyed by fire and demolition on February 25, 2022.

1974: Employee Retirement Income Security Act

In September 2017, a legal complaint was filed pursuant to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, concerning the illegal sale of a company in 2014.

1981: Company Creation

In 1981, Republic Services was created as a waste disposal firm by Republic Industries.

1995: Wayne Huizenga's Investment

In 1995, Wayne Huizenga, previously chairman of Waste Management, invested $64 million of his own money and raised an additional $168 million to acquire Republic Services and became its chairman.

July 1998: Corporate Spin-Off

In July 1998, Republic Industries completed the corporate spin-off of Republic Services via an initial public offering, and subsequently changed its name to AutoNation.

December 1998: CEO Replacement

In December 1998, James E. O'Connor replaced Wayne Huizenga as CEO of Republic Services.

2007: California Fine for Hazardous Waste Leak

In 2007, Republic Services was fined $725,000 by the State of California related to hazardous waste leaking from a closed landfill into San Francisco Bay.

2008: Acquisition of St. Louis Landfills and Smoldering Event

In 2008, Republic Services acquired two closed St. Louis, Missouri landfills, West Lake and Bridgeton. An underground smoldering event was detected in the closed Bridgeton Landfill, raising environmental concerns.

2008: Clean Water Act Fine and Remediation Costs

In 2008, Republic Services agreed to pay a $1 million fine and up to $36 million in remediation costs for alleged violations of the Clean Water Act at a closed landfill in Clark County, Nevada.

2008: Waste Management Bid

In 2008, Waste Management made a bid of $6.73 billion for Republic Services.

January 1, 2011: CEO Retirement and Replacement

After 12 years as CEO of Republic Services, James O’Connor retired on January 1, 2011, and was replaced by Don Slager, the president and COO of Republic Services.

2013: Barrier Construction Delay

In 2013, Republic Services announced plans to build a barrier to separate the smoldering fire from the radioactive waste at West Lake Landfill, but progress was delayed due to EPA uncertainty about the radioactive contamination's location.

2013: Legal complaint filed by Ocean View School District

In 2013, the Ocean View School District in Huntington Beach, California, filed a legal complaint against Republic Services, blocking changes to the Historic Wintersburg property due to the waste transfer station's impact on the Oak View Preschool and Oak View Elementary School.

October 2014: Purchase of Rainbow Environmental Services

In October 2014, Republic Services purchased Rainbow Environmental Services in Huntington Beach, California, including Historic Wintersburg, a National Treasure Historic Place.

2014: Lobbying and Political Contributions

In 2014, Republic Services spent approximately $600,000 in lobbying and gave $50,000 to Missouri Republicans and $20,000 to Missouri Democrats for campaign committees.

2014: Employee Retirement Income Security Act

In September 2017, a legal complaint was filed pursuant to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, regarding the 2014 illegal sale of the former employee-owned company to Republic Services.

April 2015: Landfill Gas-to-Energy Project Opened

In April 2015, Republic Services opened a landfill gas-to-energy project near Los Angeles at the Sunshine Canyon Landfill, a 20-megawatt renewable energy project that can supply enough electricity to power almost 25,000 homes.

2015: North Las Vegas Recycling Center Opened

At the end of 2015, Republic Services opened a $35 million, 110,000 square-foot North Las Vegas Recycling Center. The plant's solar panels generate enough energy to run the plant for two to three months, and it can process two million pounds of recycled paper each day, or 70 tons per hour.

2015: Historic Wintersburg Designation

In 2015, Historic Wintersburg, acquired by Republic Services as part of the Rainbow Environmental Services purchase in October 2014, was designated a "National Treasure".

2015: Advertising and Social Media Activity

In 2015, Republic Services spent between $10,000 and $100,000 on advertising, including employing representatives to criticize community activists on social media, in response to criticism about the EPA's cleanup of West Lake Landfill.

January 2016: Customer Resource Centers Investment

In January 2016, Republic Services announced an investment of $20 million to design and implement Customer Resource Centers, consolidating 108 regional customer centers into three main locations, expecting yearly savings of about $10 million.

February 2016: Customer Resource Center in Charlotte Announced

In February 2016, it was announced that Republic Services was planning to open a full-service Customer Resource Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, which is expected to create over 350 new jobs.

March 2016: EPA Studies and Barrier Construction Plans

In March 2016, the EPA released studies that showed the extent of the radioactive waste at West Lake Landfill and allowed Republic Services to build a barrier. Republic Services must submit plans for a cooling system and enlarge a plastic liner, while also installing more temperature and sulfur dioxide monitors.

April 2016: Boise Composting Program Considered

In April 2016, the city of Boise, Idaho considered implementing a composting program, utilizing Republic Services, the company that was already hauling garbage in the city.

July 2016: Renewable Energy Project Launched

In July 2016, Republic Services and Mas Energy launched a new renewable energy project to serve the Atlanta metropolitan area, including three landfill gas-to-energy facilities that will produce 24.1 megawatts of electricity.

2016: Dow Jones Sustainability Index Ranking

In 2016, Republic Services scored in the 90th percentile of the Commercial Services and Supplies sector of the Dow Jones Sustainability—North America Index™ (DJSI) and was also named to the 2016 DJSI World and North America indices.

2016: Legal settlement regarding Historic Wintersburg property

In 2016, a legal settlement included a provision that Republic Services would not use the adjacent ‘Historic Wintersburg’ property to expand operations. Republic Services stated they would not demolish the property's six historic structures and would discuss purchasing and preserving Historic Wintersburg as a heritage park.

April 2017: Customer Service Center Opened in Fishers, Indiana

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. The company invested $13.6 million to renovate and equip office space.

May 2017: Oyster Shell Collection Program Launched

In May 2017, Republic Services, in partnership with the Alabama Coastal Foundation (ACF), launched an oyster shell collection program with several coastal restaurants to create sustainable oyster habitats and educate the public about oyster shell recycling.

June 2017: Boise Composting Program in Effect

In June 2017, Boise, Idaho's composting program, utilizing Republic Services, went into effect, picking up 1,716 tons of compost from single-family homes after a little more than one month.

August 2017: Sustainability Report Released

At the end of August 2017, Republic Services released its most recent Sustainability Report describing its progress in advancing sustainability initiatives through the Blue Planet program.

September 2017: Solar Energy Project Activated in Massachusetts

In September 2017, Republic Services and Soltage activated a 13.5 megawatt solar energy project in Massachusetts, constructed on three former landfill sites, including approximately 41,000 solar panels.

September 2017: Legal Complaint Filed by Employees

In September 2017, former and current employees of Republic Services at the former Rainbow Environmental Services waste transfer station in Huntington Beach, California, filed a legal complaint pursuant to the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, regarding the 2014 illegal sale of the former employee-owned company to Republic Services.

2017: Solar Project Investments

In 2017, Republic Services invested $29 million in solar projects at some of its landfills and other locations, with over 236,000 solar panels at 19 generating facilities in the US, totaling 80 megawatts.

2017: EPA Superfund Site

In 2017, Republic Services is identified by the EPA as one of four potentially responsible parties for the EPA Superfund cleanup site West Lake Landfill in Bridgeton, Missouri. It was featured in the 2017 HBO documentary Atomic Homefront.

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February 2018: Republic Services discloses intent to sell Historic Wintersburg

In February 2018, Republic Services unexpectedly disclosed its intent to sell Historic Wintersburg for development as a self-storage facility, leading to protests from historical and civil rights organizations, including the City of Huntington Beach Historic Resources Board.

August 2018: Renewable Natural Gas Generation Announcement

In August 2018, Republic Services announced that the Pinehill Landfill in Longview, Texas, will generate 404 million cubic feet of renewable natural gas per year.

2018: Board of Directors Appointments

In 2018, James P. Snee and Katharine Weymouth were appointed to the Republic Services Board of Directors, resulting in a total of 12 board members, 11 of them independent.

April 2019: Jon Vander Ark Appointment

In April 2019, Jon Vander Ark became president of Republic Services.

September 2019: Emissions Reduction Targets Approved

In September 2019, Republic Services became the first US solid waste and recycling provider whose emissions reduction targets were approved by the Science Based Targets Initiative.

2019: Recognition as Most Sustainable Company

In 2019, Republic Services was acknowledged by Barron's as one of the United States' 100 Most Sustainable Companies for the second consecutive year.

2019: Recycling Education Program Award

In 2019, Republic Services' Recycling Simplified Education Program, which includes K-12 lesson plans and a website explaining recycling, won the Best Recycling Public Education Program Award.

May 2021: Settlement Agreement

In May 2021, plaintiffs representing 400-plus former and current employees, reached a $7.9 million settlement over a legal complaint dating back to September 2017.

2021: CEO Appointment

In 2021, Don Slager retired and Jon Vander Ark was named CEO of Republic Services.

February 25, 2022: Fire and demolition at Historic Wintersburg

On February 25, 2022, two of the oldest structures on the property, the 1910 Wintersburg Japanese Mission and 1910 manse (parsonage), were lost to fire and demolition.