Browning-Ferris Industries was a

North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere, Northern and Western Hemisphere, Western hemispheres. North America is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South Ameri ...

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 monitor ...

company that was bought out in 1999.

History

BFI was founded in

Houston, Texas Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

. The company was initially known as American Refuse Systems, and it opened its first landfill in 1968. The company soon became the first waste hauler on the

New York Stock Exchange The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District, Manhattan, Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is the List of stock exchanges, largest stock excha ...

, after purchasing the Browning-Ferris Machinery Company, and changing their name to Browning-Ferris Industries. BFI was an early competitor to Waste Management, Inc. BFI and Waste Management both began to buy the locally owned companies and create national brands. Many of these companies had failed in the early 1970s after failing to adapt to new environmental regulations. By 1988, BFI was the second largest publicly company in the waste management industry, serving more than 4.5 million residential customers. By 1992, it had 26,000 employees, operated in ten countries, and reported sales of 3 billion dollars. The company owned more than 90 landfills. In 1980, a manager at BFI in

Burlington, Vermont Burlington, officially the City of Burlington, is the List of municipalities in Vermont, most populous city in the U.S. state of Vermont and the county seat, seat of Chittenden County, Vermont, Chittenden County. It is located south of the Can ...

started a rival waste collection company, Kelco Disposal. As Kelco found success, in 1982, BFI started a campaign of

anti-competitive Anti-competitive practices are business or government practices that prevent or reduce competition in a market. Antitrust laws ensure businesses do not engage in competitive practices that harm other, usually smaller, businesses or consumers. ...

predatory pricing Predatory pricing, also known as price slashing, is a commercial pricing strategy which involves reducing the retail prices to a level lower than competitors to eliminate competition. Selling at lower prices than a competitor is known as underc ...

with the purpose of putting Kelco out of business. In 1984, Kelco sued BFI to stop this activity. The US federal courts agreed with Kelco, and ordered BFI to pay penalties of more than US$6 million. BFI appealed the cases, claiming that the decision violated the Eighth Amendment's prohibition of excessive bail, an argument that was rejected by the Supreme Court upholding the fine. In 1997, some local units of BFI were sold to Superior Services (later acquired by

Onyx Onyx is a typically black-and-white banded variety of agate, a silicate mineral. The bands can also be monochromatic with alternating light and dark bands. ''Sardonyx'' is a variety with red to brown bands alternated with black or white bands. ...

), Waste Management, Inc., and Waste Connections, Inc. The remainder of the company was sold to Allied Industries (later Allied Waste Industries), together with

private equity Private equity (PE) is stock in a private company that does not offer stock to the general public; instead it is offered to specialized investment funds and limited partnerships that take an active role in the management and structuring of the co ...

firms

The Blackstone Group Blackstone Inc. is an American alternative investment management company based in New York City. It was founded in 1985 as a mergers and acquisitions firm by Peter G. Peterson, Peter Peterson and Stephen A. Schwarzman, Stephen Schwarzman, who h ...

and

Apollo Management Apollo Global Management, Inc. is an American Asset Management, asset management firm that primarily invests in alternative assets. , the company had $548 billion of assets under management, including $392 billion invested in credit, including ...

, in 1999."A trash hauler is buying a much bigger rival, a type of deal that makes Wall Street a bit nervous"
''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', March 9, 1999. In 2008, Allied Waste was acquired by

Republic Services Republic Services, Inc. is a North American waste disposal company whose services include non-hazardous solid waste collection, waste transfer, waste disposal, recycling, and energy services. It is the second largest provider of waste disposal in ...

Group based in Florida. BFI had its headquarters in the Eldridge Place 1 and 2 buildings in the

Energy Corridor The Energy Corridor is a business district in Houston, Texas, located on the west side of the metropolitan area between Texas State Highway Beltway 8, Beltway 8 and the Texas State Highway 99, Grand Parkway. The district straddles a stretch of ...

area of

Houston Houston ( ) is the List of cities in Texas by population, most populous city in the U.S. state of Texas and in the Southern United States. Located in Southeast Texas near Galveston Bay and the Gulf of Mexico, it is the county seat, seat of ...

Texas Texas ( , ; or ) is the most populous U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Louisiana to the east, Arkansas to the northeast, Oklahoma to the north, New Mexico to the we ...

.Welcome to BFI
. Browning-Ferris Industries. April 28, 1999. Retrieved on February 8, 2010.Sarnoff, Nancy.

. ''

Houston Business Journal American City Business Journals, Inc. (ACBJ) is an American newspaper publisher based in Charlotte, North Carolina. ACBJ publishes ''The Business Journals'', which contains local business news for 44 markets in the United States with each market ...

''. Friday October 20, 2000. Retrieved on February 8, 2010.

Services

At its founding in 1967, the company began by collecting residential waste in the suburbs of Houston. By 1968, it had expanded into commercial and light industrial markets, and opened its first landfill. The company entered the recycling business in 1970, processing waste fibers and waste paper. From 1983 to 1990, it also processed

toxic waste Toxic waste is any unwanted material in all forms that can cause harm (e.g. by being inhaled, swallowed, or absorbed through the skin). Mostly generated by industry, consumer products like televisions, computers, and phones contain toxic chemi ...

, such as chemical wastes and

asbestos Asbestos ( ) is a group of naturally occurring, Toxicity, toxic, carcinogenic and fibrous silicate minerals. There are six types, all of which are composed of long and thin fibrous Crystal habit, crystals, each fibre (particulate with length su ...

. The company processed

medical waste Biomedical waste or hospital waste is any kind of waste containing infectious (or potentially infectious) materials generated during the treatment of humans or animals as well as during research involving biologics. It may also include waste ass ...

in the 1990s.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Browning-Ferris Industries
(Archive) Waste management companies of the United States Companies based in Houston 1999 mergers and acquisitions 1968 establishments in Texas 1999 disestablishments in Texas Companies based in Harris County, Texas

History

Services

See also

References

External links