City of Mesa Newsroom Press Release: Republic Services

Post Date:05/13/2015 11:21 AM

Republic Services Arizona 
Celebration of Freedom July 4 in Mesa

Question: Anybody want to call that "Corporate Branding" ?
The name of one corporation appearing on promotions and publicity from the City of Mesa for a celebration of independence and freedom?

Reads and sounds like a great name connected with "a celebration of freedom", but what the press release from the city newsroom doesn't tell you is that Republic Services is a waste management and recycling company with both a bad environmental record and several very high-profile violations apparently overlooked here in Mesa - with over $12.5 Million dollars imposed as fines by the Environmental Protection Agency and $36 Million dollars in remediation costs.

Whether or not this event will be The "Coolest" Independence Festival in Arizona, a prediction made by the City of Mesa on its website http://mesaaz.gov/things-to-do/arizona-celebration-of-freedom, time will tell, but you will have to wait for details . . . you can see all the hoopla from last year's event in a video produced by Mesa Channel 11 https://youtu.be/zfnIq-Z8kZA


On September 21, 2009, Newsweek released their "Green Rankings",^[19] a ranking of the 500 largest corporations on their track record on a number of environmental issues. Republic Services was ranked 448th out of 500 overall, and 46th out of 50 in their industry.^[20]

^{- according to details and information from Wikepedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Republic_Services}

Republic Services/Allied Waste is America's second largest solid waste and recycling company. Its total revenues were $8.4 billion in 2014, with profits of more than $589 million.-
The company has monopoly-ownership of most of the landfills in Maricopa County. In Pinal County, fees for disposal range from about $22/ton in one landfill operation and $44/ton in another.

Apparently there's BIG MONEY from garbage-handling operations, whether it is called  "waste management" or "recycling".

• According to a report from July 2012 a $1.5 million-dollar fine was incurred for violations at the now-closed Queen Creek Landfill. 

From 1996 to 2007, 12 violations such as lack of reports on air quality were committed at the landfill operated by Republic Services, as Allied Waste, which will pay $710,000 of the fine. The balance, shouldered by landfill owner Maricopa County (Arizona) Solid Waste Department, will fund environmental projects to benefit the county's air quality.

• At Republic's landfills in Ohio, Missouri, California, South Carolina and other states, communities have been exposed to landfill fires, years of noxious odors and environmental violations for which Republic has been fined and sued for millions of dollars . . . Robert Morales, Director of the Teamsters Solid Waste, Recycling and Related Industries Division said that "Republic's abhorrent treatment of communities across the U.S. should give any municipality pause when considering entering into a relationship with this company."

 

• In June of last year in a town in Missouri, Republic Services announced a preliminary settlement of more than $6.8 million to settle a 2013 federal class-action lawsuit filed by residents enduring foul odors from the landfill, according to another report

To be fair and balanced, here's a YouTube Video uploaded on March 25, 2015  

Republic Services Report for First Quarter 2015