Since its inception in 1980, Clean Harbors has become the leading environmental and industrial service provider and largest hazardous waste disposal company in North America. Since 1980, field service centers have been strategically located across North America to provide emergency response services and perform planned work on customer locations. Clean Harbors is a recognized leader in environmental emergency response services.
Founded by Alan S. McKim, Clean Harbors began as a four-person tank cleaning business. Today, Clean Harbors is a publicly traded company (NYSE: CLH) that maintains a vast network of service centers and waste management, treatment and disposal facilities and provides a broad range of services. Mr. McKim continues to lead the company as Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of the Board.
Clean Harbors has achieved steady growth, both geographically and in terms of service offerings, through the acquisition of new facilities, equipment and personnel and in response to client needs. In 1986, our laboratory chemical packing services, CleanPack®, was formed to provide industries, schools and universities, and communities with vital services to manage the collection, packaging and disposal of laboratory chemicals and household hazardous waste. Clean Harbors provides comprehensive hazardous waste handling and disposal throughout North America.
In 1989, Clean Harbors purchased Chem Clear, Inc., an industrial aqueous waste treatment company. This acquisition firmly established Clean Harbors as a waste disposal provider, and the 1995 purchase of an incinerator in Kimball, Nebraska, expanded our resources in this area.
In 1998, Clean Harbors formed its Industrial Services division. Our industrial personnel perform industrial cleaning and maintenance services that require fast turnaround, such as hydro-blasting, liquid/dry vacuuming, sodium bicarbonate blasting, steam cleaning and chemical cleaning of equipment and systems.
In 2002, Clean Harbors acquired the assets of the Chemical Services Division of Safety-Kleen. This purchase added 55 service centers, 33 waste management facilities and 4,400 employees to Clean Harbors’ existing resources. In 2007, Clean Harbors acquired Teris, LLC, with its 550 employees, several field locations, incineration facility in El Dorado, Arkansas, and a treatment, storage and disposal facility in Wilmington, California.
In 2008, the Company acquired two solvent recycling facilities in Chicago, Illinois, and Hebron, Ohio. This acquisition broadened the Company’s service portfolio and established a substantial presence for Clean Harbors in the solvent recycling market.
In 2009, Clean Harbors acquired Eveready Inc., a Canadian company that provides industrial maintenance and production, lodging and seismic services. With the addition of more than 2,100 employees, 79 locations and a service fleet of over 2,400 truck and trailer units, this purchase broadened our energy and industrial service offerings and geographic reach.
Following Eveready, Clean Harbors completed a series of acquisitions to enhance and expand its energy and industrial services. Clean Harbors acquired additional capabilities in seismic services, industrial cleaning, pipeline maintenance, industrial lodging services and catalyst and refinery material processing and recycling. In 2011, Clean Harbors acquired Peak Energy Services, bringing on the capabilities to service oil and gas drilling operations by providing surface rentals and specialized liquid, solid and sludge processing.
In 2012, Clean Harbors made its largest acquisition in Company history with the purchase of Safety-Kleen. Safety-Kleen is a leading North American used oil recycling and re-refining, parts cleaning and environmental solutions company, with approximately 4,200 employees serving more than 200,000 customer locations in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico.
As we move forward, we continue to enhance our services and expand our geographic reach through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. In 2013, we acquired Evergreen Oil, a California-based company that specializes in the recovery and re-refining of used oil. In 2015, we acquired Thermo Fluids, Inc. to expand our used oil collection and recycling capabilities and strengthen our presence in the western United States.
From 2014 through 2017, Clean Harbors continued its investment in used oil collection, used oil re-refining, and lubricant blending/packaging by acquiring and building capabilities to distribute finished lubricants. Also in 2017, Clean Harbors acquired Lonestar West, further broadening its daylighting and hydro excavation services throughout the U.S. and Canada.
In 2018, we acquired Veolia’s U.S, industrial cleaning business. This acquisition provides significant scale and capabilities while increasing the size and geographic reach of our existing U.S. industrial services business.
In 2021, we acquired HydroChemPSC, a leading U.S. provider of industrial cleaning, specialty maintenance and utilities services. Its services are built around providing solutions to customers focused on cleaning, maintenance and environmental compliance of essential, mission critical equipment and infrastructure. In 2022, HydroChemPSC was rebranded to HPC Industrial.
Today, Clean Harbors has more than 400 service locations providing waste transportation and disposal, laboratory chemical packing, 24-hour emergency response, parts cleaning, and field, energy and industrial services. The Company owns and operates more than 100 waste management facilities offering a wide range of disposal options including incineration, wastewater treatment, and landfill, recycling and specialty disposal. Clean Harbors is the largest hazardous waste disposal company and the largest re-refiner of used oil in North America.