Waste Industries is a

waste management Waste management or waste disposal includes the processes and actions required to manage waste from its inception to its final disposal. This includes the collection, transport, treatment and disposal of waste, together with monitorin ...

company headquartered in

Raleigh Raleigh (; ) is the capital city of the state of North Carolina and the seat of Wake County in the United States. It is the second-most populous city in North Carolina, after Charlotte. Raleigh is the tenth-most populous city in the Southeas ...

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and ...

. Specializing in non-hazardous solid waste,

recycling Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. The recovery of energy from waste materials is often included in this concept. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the p ...

collection of waste disposal from residential and commercial customers in the

southeastern United States The Southeastern United States, also referred to as the American Southeast or simply the Southeast, is a geographical region of the United States. It is located broadly on the eastern portion of the southern United States and the southern por ...

Company history

Waste Industries was created by Lonnie Poole Jr. in 1970 as a waste disposal firm. Funding for his company was from the sale of his Ohio home. Poole made the decision to start Waste Industries in Raleigh, North Carolina upon researching the need to develop a mobile landfill compactor in the American southeast region. In the 1970s, Waste Industries expanded there service operations area beyond

Wake County Wake County is located in the U.S. state of North Carolina. In the 2020 census, its population was 1,129,410, making it North Carolina's most-populous county. From July 2005 to July 2006, Wake County was the 9th-fastest growing county in the U ...

. A decade later, in 1980, the company generated over ten million dollars in revenues growing the business. During this expansion, they named their first employee, Jim Perry, as President and Chief Operating Officer. . In 1997, with an estimated revenue of $100 million, Waste Industries went public. The company continued to grow that year with an estimated 20 branches, 11 transfer stations, including 4 recycling facilities under its belt. In 2008, the company announced an agreement to go private with financial partners Macquarie Infrastructure Partners and Goldman Sachs. The total equity value of the transaction was valued at approximately $544 million. Ven Poole, son of original owner Lonnie Poole and long-time company leader, became Chairman and CEO and created his personal board. Greg Yorston became Chief Operating Office, Steve Grissiom became Chief Financial Officer, and Lisa Inman became Senior Vice President and General Counsel. On December 17, 2010, NC State University named the Poole College of Management in honoring the college's benefactor, Lonnie C. Poole, Jr. On February 28, 2014, the college unveiled a wall display in Nelson Hall honoring Poole and summarizing the progress of his company, Waste Industries. Poole was the first in his family to go to college, receiving his bachelor’s degree in engineering from NC State in 1959 and his MBA from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1965. In 2010, Poole made a $37 million gift to endow the college, which had been established in 1992. Lonnie Poole Jr. was named North Carolina Entrepreneur of the Year by Inc Magazine in 1992 and was inducted into the Environmental Industry Hall of Fame in 1994. On October 10, 2018, the company announced it was going to be sold off to a Canadian Company, GFL Environmental, for an undisclosed amount. The company's founder, Lonnie Poole Jr., stated that the company would continue to operate as Waste Industries and would remain headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina. Under new ownership, Waste Industries began acquiring independent recycling companies, including Wilmington, North Carolina-based Pink-Trash and Richlands, North Carolina-based Ray’s Rural Garbage Collection.

Full Circle Project

In 2014, Waste Industries created the Full Circle Project.North Georgian News
/ref> The Full Circle Project allows e-billing customers to choose how Waste Industries handles its charitable contributions. The charities are broken up into nine categories, including Animal Welfare, Cancer & Medical Wellness, Nature Conservation, Poverty Reduction, First Responders & Veterans, Family Wellness, and Arts, Culture & Education. At the end of the year, Waste Industries takes the percentage breakdowns and allocates its funding to various charities within that charity class at the voted percentage. Past charitable recipients of the Full Circle Project include Habitat for Humanity, The Jimmy V. Foundation, HOPE Packs, Veteran's Life Center, SPCA of Wake County, Good Shepherd Center, Food on Foot, Delaware Warriors Helping Warriors, and Food Bank of Central and Eastern NC.

References

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External links

Official WebsiteFull Circle Project
Waste management companies of the United States Companies based in Raleigh, North Carolina Renewable resource companies established in 1970 1970 establishments in North Carolina American companies established in 1970