Founded in 1980, Clean Harbors has grown into North America’s leading provider of environmental and industrial services—and its largest hazardous waste disposal company. With field service centers strategically positioned across the continent, we deliver both planned and emergency response services wherever they’re needed.
Clean Harbors began as a four-person tank cleaning business and has since grown into a publicly traded company (NYSE: CLH) with an extensive network of service centers and waste management, treatment, and disposal facilities. Founder Alan S. McKim continues to serve as Chairman and Chief Technology Officer, guiding the company’s long-term vision and innovation.
Clean Harbors has achieved steady growth—both geographically and in its range of service offerings—through the acquisition of new facilities, equipment, and personnel, as well as in response to client needs.
In 1986, our laboratory chemical packing service, CleanPack®, was created to help industries, schools, universities, and communities 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 cleaning and maintenance services that require fast turnaround, such as hydro-blasting, liquid and 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, along with its 550 employees, several field locations, an 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 in the solvent recycling market.
In 2009, Clean Harbors acquired Eveready Inc., a Canadian company providing 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 trucks and trailers, this purchase expanded our energy and industrial service offerings and geographic reach.
Following the Eveready acquisition, Clean Harbors completed a series of additional purchases to enhance and expand its energy and industrial services. These included capabilities in seismic services, industrial cleaning, pipeline maintenance, industrial lodging, and catalyst and refinery material processing and recycling. In 2011, Clean Harbors acquired Peak Energy Services, adding the ability to support oil and gas drilling operations through surface rentals and specialized liquid, solid, and sludge processing.
In 2012, Clean Harbors completed the largest acquisition in its history with the purchase of Safety-Kleen, a leading North American used oil recycling and re-refining, parts cleaning, and environmental solutions company. The acquisition added approximately 4,200 employees serving more than 200,000 customer locations across the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico.
As we move forward, we continue to expand our services and geographic reach through organic growth and strategic acquisitions. In 2013, we acquired Evergreen Oil, a California-based company specializing in the recovery and re-refining of used oil. In 2015, we acquired Thermo Fluids, Inc., further expanding our used oil collection and recycling capabilities and strengthening our presence in the western United States.
From 2014 through 2017, Clean Harbors continued investing in used oil collection, re-refining, and lubricant blending and packaging by acquiring and building capabilities to distribute finished lubricants.
In 2018, we acquired Veolia’s U.S. industrial cleaning business, which added significant scale and capabilities while increasing the size and geographic reach of our existing U.S. industrial services operations.
In 2021, Clean Harbors acquired HydroChemPSC, a leading U.S. provider of industrial cleaning, specialty maintenance, and utilities services. Its solutions help customers maintain environmental compliance and ensure the safe operation of mission-critical equipment and infrastructure. In 2022, HydroChemPSC was rebranded as HPC Industrial.
In 2024, Clean Harbors acquired HEPACO, a leading provider of field and emergency response services based in Charlotte, North Carolina. With approximately 1,000 employees, 40 regional locations across 17 states, and a fleet of more than 900 vehicles, HEPACO specializes in environmental remediation, field services, and 24-hour emergency response. This acquisition expanded Clean Harbors’ geographic footprint in the Eastern United States and strengthened its capabilities across rail, marine, and other key service markets.
Today, Clean Harbors operates approximately 900 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, 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.