Non-profit seeking halt to Waste Management-Oakleaf deal

Citing anti-competition concerns and failure to file the required antitrust documents, the Center for a Competitive Waste Industry (Madison, WI) has asked the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) to review the purchase of waste broker Oakleaf Global Holdings (Hartford, CT) by Waste Management, Inc. (Houston, TX) for $425 million. “From what we know now, this appears to be a bald-faced attempt to eliminate competition in a market that has been highly competitive because of these independent brokers,” Peter Anderson, the center’s executive director, told Waste & Recycling News. “It’s basically is an assault on the antitrust laws, and we hope the Justice Department will see it that way and intervene.” A Waste Management spokesperson commented, “we see it as a win-win-win for the organizations. And that is for Oakleaf and Waste Management, for the vendor hauler network, and for our customers. For our vendors, it gives them the opportunity to grow along with Waste Management. For our customers, it gives them an increased network and also more access to Waste Management´s environmental solutions.”