Established in 1987, it operates the waste management operations of WMI outside North America. It currently operates in 18 countries: Italy, Sweden, Germany, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Denmark, Austria, Finland, Israel, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, China (including Hong Kong), Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Brunei.
WMI collects and transports solid, hazardous, and medical waste. In addition, it recycles residential, commercial, and industrial waste. Services include recycling, processing, landfills, incinerators and contamination services. Since 1989, it has consistently grown from $350 million in sales to about $1.8 billion, more than a five fold growth in sales. Profits have increased during these five years from about $22 million to about $167 million, over seven-fold. In 1995 WMI lost $315,000 in its Italian operations.
But from 1992 to 1994 sales and profits slowed. With sales in 1992 of $1.3 million and profits of $132 million, increases slowed to sales increase of 15% and profits of 13%. Then in 1995 WMI lost over $5 million, a reason for the appointing of a new WMI chief executive officer.
WMI's growth has been mainly through acquisitions in the materials recovery and recycling sectors. In 1995 it made 25 acquisitions by paying $34 million. They were all small businesses.
At the end of 1995, WMI had 1500 municipal contracts involving 6.8 million households, 260,000 solid waste customers, and 28,000 hazardous waste customers. Its collection services yielded 64% of its business, while treatment and disposal services made up the rest. About 4/5 this of its business is in Europe. with Italy (23%), Germany (14%), Netherlands (11%), and the United Kingdom (11%) leading the way. WMI is also known as Wessex Waste in Britain, as Sellbergs and SAKAB in Sweden, Ohlig and Schreber Stadtereinigang Gmblt in Germany, and as WMI Jatehuolto Oy in Finland, as IGM and Sacagica in Italy and Icoya in the Netherlands.
In July 1995, WMX announced Joseph M. Holsten, 43, as the new chief executive of WMI. Holsten has been chief financial officer for WMX but has spent much of his career in international operations. With his coming three top WMI officials were relieved of their positions. The WALL STREET JOURNAL reports this happening "amid disappointing results in parts of the European business."
In 1997 the company sold their business in France and Spain. In addition, in 1998, they sold their German waste-to-energy facility. Also in 1998 the company with their South American partner, Dideco Americana, acquired 80% of Enterpa Ambiential SA (EASA), the largest solid waste company in Brazil. The company hopes to take advantage of Brazil's high rate of urbanization and drive towards privatization of public services. Bo Gabrielson was Chief Executive in 1998.