Browning-Ferris Industries was a North American waste management company that was disbanded in 1999. Its name is a licensed trademark of Allied Waste Industries. Its headquarters were located in the Eldridge Place 1 and 2 complex in the Energy Corridor area of Houston, Texas.
BFI was founded in Houston, Texas by a 28-year-old accountant named Tom Fatjo. 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, 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 a national brand. Eventually, BFI collapsed under the weight of running local businesses from a national platform. The company was sold to Allied Industries, together with private equity firms The Blackstone Group and Apollo Management, in 1999.
Some local units of Allied Waste are still known as BFI in the markets they serve. Earlier, in 1997, some local units of BFI had been sold to Superior Services, Waste Management, Inc., and Waste Connections, Inc.
In 2009, Allied Waste was acquired by Republic Services Group based in Florida.
The BFI branding is no longer seen today. The company leases two types of dumpsters to individuals and organizations: a standard, ubiquitous blue dumpster for general waste, and a green dumpster for paper recycling only. It now operates under the Allied Waste Services. Waste Connections uses the BFI blue colors, and a BFI-esque logo. In 2000, Allied Waste sold BFI's Canadian assets to a group of investors, including the BFI trademark. The new company took the name BFI Canada.
Read more about Browning-Ferris Industries: Corporate Headquarters
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