Dive Brief:
- Waste Management CEO Jim Fish told CNBC on Aug. 28 that the company has donated $3 million in cash to Hurricane Harvey relief funds including Mayor Turner's Hurricane Harvey Relief Fund, the American Red Cross and other organizations across Texas.
- Fish said Waste Management is focusing on debris removal from "critical customers" such as hospitals and shelters, and it has reached out to Waste Connections and Republic Services to share facilities that are open for disposal. "It's a bit of a puzzle to figure out where you can actually go with the material once you pick it up," he told CNBC.
- Aside from helping the community, Fish said getting the company's 2,400 area employees located and taken care of is "priority one." Employees have been asked to reach out to their immediate supervisors, and the company is working on identifying hotel space for those employees.
Dive Insight:
The effects of Hurricane Harvey have been catastrophic across Southeast Texas, especially in Houston, as rain continues to fall. An estimated 40,000 homes in the Houston area have been destroyed and the city braces itself for what may be a years-long cleanup.
While it is unclear the economic impact that Harvey will have on Waste Management — or other big companies with Houston-based headquarters — Waste Management has shown an unwavering commitment to social responsibility and customer loyalty through its donation and its offer to accommodate area employees. The company has maintained communication on Twitter, has joined forces with area competitors and has been an overall role model organization for how to operate in times of crisis.
Other area companies such as Texas Pride Disposal, Texas Disposal Systems and WCA Waste are also making plans to aid recovery efforts in the area, according to Waste360. And there's even a chance some new disposal services may be born out of the wreckage. Better Waste Disposal, a company now owned by Waste Pro, was founded in October 20005 in response to Hurricane Katrina cleanup needs — and it's not out of the question for similar services to develop in light of Harvey.
