DOJ Calls for Divestiture Prior to Allied-Republic Merger
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has reached a settlement that will require Republic Services Inc. and Allied Waste Industries Inc. to divest assets serving 15 metropolitan areas to proceed with Republic’s proposed $4.5 billion acquisition of Allied.
The settlement requires Republic and Allied to divest 87 commercial waste collection routes, nine landfills and 10 transfer stations, together with ancillary assets and, in three cases, access to landfill disposal capacity.
The DOJ’s Antitrust Division, along with seven attorneys general representing California, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Texas, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit to block the proposed transaction. At the same time, the DOJ and the seven attorneys general filed a proposed settlement that, if approved by the court, will resolve the lawsuit and the competitive concerns.
According to the complaint, the transaction, as originally proposed, would have substantially lessened competition in commercial waste collection and/or disposal services in the geographic areas of Los Angeles; San Francisco; Denver; Atlanta; northwestern Indiana; Lexington, Ky.; Flint, Mich.; Cape Girardeau, Mo.; Charlotte, N.C.; Cleveland; Philadelphia; Greenville-Spartanburg, S.C.; and Houston, Forth Worth and Lubbock, Texas. In each of these areas, Republic and Allied are two of a few significant firms providing commercial waste hauling or municipal solid waste disposal services. The acquisition would have eliminated a major competitor in each of these areas and resulted in higher prices and poorer service for consumers, according to the DOJ.
Under the proposed settlement, Republic would have to notify the DOJ and the relevant state before acquiring any waste collection and/or disposal operations in these areas for the next 10 years, the duration of the settlement.
A list of assets identified for divestiture is at www.RecyclingToday.com/news.
EPA Releases Municipal Solid Waste Characterization Study
The new report from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Municipal Solid Waste Generation, Recycling and Disposal in the United States: Facts and Figures for 2007, shows Americans recycled and composted 85 million tons of the 254 million tons of municipal solid waste generated in the country during 2007.
Each person produced 4.6 pounds of trash per day, of which 1.5 pounds were recycled or composted, according to the EPA. This represents a slight increase from 2006, when the country recycled and composted nearly 82 million tons of the 251 million tons of total municipal solid waste produced.
According to the EPA, recycling 85 billion tons of municipal solid waste in 2007 saved the energy equivalent of more than 10.7 billion gallons of gasoline and prevented the greenhouse gas emissions equivalent to 35 million passenger vehicles.
More information on the 2007 report is available at www.epa.gov/epawaste/nonhaz/municipal/msw99.htm.
New York DEC Conducts Bottle Bill Investigation
The New York State Environmental Conservation Police have conducted a statewide, coordinated enforcement sweep of 652 retail outlets to ensure compliance with the state’s Bottle Bill, according to Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Pete Grannis.
DEC officers attempted to return a variety of redeemable cans and bottles to stores and issued a total of 127 notices of violation for the state’s Bottle Bill, also known as the Returnable Container Act, when store operators refused or if other violations took place.
Law enforcement officers from each of the DEC’s nine regional offices participated in the one-day undercover investigation in October.
RecycleBank Announces Expansion Plans
New York-based RecycleBank, the developer of an incentive reward program for curbside recycling programs, has announced plans to strategically expand operations.
RecycleBank’s geographic growth into Southern, Midwestern and Western states brings the company closer to fulfilling its mission of dramatically increasing household recycling rates across the United States, according to a company press release.
RecycleBank plans to launch recycling programs in Montgomery, Ohio; Sioux Falls, S.D.; Eden Prairie and Maple Grove, Minn.; Carrollton and Plano, Texas; North Miami, Fla.; Wichita, Kan.; Albuquerque, N.M.; and Knoxville, Tenn. In each case, RecycleBank has partnered with waste haulers, material recovery facilities (MRFs) and municipalities to bring rewards for recycling to local residents.
With RecycleBank, members earn points for every pound of recyclables collected. More information is available at www.RecycleBank.com.
Explore the January 2009 Issue
Check out more from this issue and find your next story to read.
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