Who Owns Clean Harbors?
Clean Harbors is owned by its shareholders as Clean Harbors, Inc., a public company listed on the NYSE under ticker CLH. Founded in 1980 by Alan McKim, it is North America's largest provider of hazardous waste disposal and environmental services, with fiscal 2025 revenue of approximately $6.03 billion and about 22,600 employees.
Parent Company
Founded
1980
Status
Publicly Traded
Headquarters
United StatesOfficial Website
Who Owns Clean Harbors?
- Parent Company: Clean Harbors, Inc.
- Ownership Type: Wholly owned
- Company Type: Publicly Traded
- Stock Ticker: NYSE: CLH
| Brand | Parent Company | Ownership Type |
|---|---|---|
| Clean Harbors | Clean Harbors, Inc. | Wholly owned |
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History of Clean Harbors
- Founded: 1980
- Founders: Alan S. McKim
Alan McKim founded Clean Harbors in 1980 in Brockton, Massachusetts, starting with one truck cleaning tanks and handling industrial waste in New England. The timing was right: the new Superfund law and tightening EPA rules created a regulated market for hazardous waste disposal that barely existed before.
The 1980s brought rapid expansion as Clean Harbors won contracts for site cleanup and industrial maintenance. It went public in 1987, using the capital to buy treatment facilities and expand beyond New England. Through the 1990s it acquired incineration capacity and built the asset base that defines it today.
A series of acquisitions shaped the modern company. It bought Chemical Waste Management's assets, expanded into Canada, and built a field services network handling everything from refinery turnarounds to disaster response. The 2012 acquisition of Safety-Kleen for $1.25 billion added the North American used-oil collection and re-refining business, creating the company's second major segment.
Clean Harbors has handled some of the continent's largest environmental jobs. It managed waste removal after the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, ran decontamination programs during the 2020 pandemic, and responded to the 2023 East Palestine, Ohio train derailment cleanup.
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Recent years have been a record run financially. Revenue grew from $3.14 billion in 2020 to $6.03 billion in fiscal 2025, with adjusted EBITDA reaching $1.17 billion. The company added industrial services capacity through acquisitions including Thompson Industrial Services in 2024 and continued buying regional waste businesses.
About Clean Harbors, Inc.
What does Clean Harbors own?
It owns the largest network of hazardous waste incinerators, landfills, and treatment facilities in North America, hundreds of service locations, and the Safety-Kleen used-oil collection and re-refining business.
Is Clean Harbors publicly traded?
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Yes. It trades on the New York Stock Exchange under ticker CLH and is a component of the S&P MidCap 400 index.
Who founded Clean Harbors?
Alan S. McKim, who started the company in Brockton, Massachusetts in 1980 with one truck. He led it for 43 years and remains executive chairman.
Where is Clean Harbors headquartered?
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Norwell, Massachusetts, on Boston's South Shore.
How many brands does Clean Harbors own?
Two principal brands: Clean Harbors for environmental and industrial services, and Safety-Kleen for oil collection and re-refining, plus smaller acquired service brands.
Who owns Clean Harbors?
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Public shareholders, primarily institutional investors. No controlling shareholder exists, though founder Alan McKim retains a significant stake as executive chairman.
How does Clean Harbors make money?
Through fees for waste collection, treatment, and disposal at its own facilities; industrial cleaning and emergency response contracts; and Safety-Kleen's used-oil collection charges plus sales of re-refined lubricants.
- Founded: 1980
- Headquarters: Norwell, Massachusetts, USA
- Company Type: Publicly Traded
- Stock: NYSE: CLH
- Revenue: $6.03 billion (FY2025)
- Employees: Approximately 22,600
Where Is Clean Harbors Made / Based?
- Headquarters: Norwell, Massachusetts, USA
- Manufacturing / Operations: United States, Canada
Clean Harbors Categories & Tags
Clean Harbors Sustainability & Ethics
The company's core business is itself an environmental service: it disposes of hazardous materials that would otherwise contaminate land and water. Its sustainability case centers on the volume of waste treated, Safety-Kleen's re-refining of hundreds of millions of gallons of used oil annually, and its safety record.
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Its fiscal 2025 total recordable incident rate of 0.49 was the lowest in company history, a meaningful metric in an industry where worker exposure is the primary risk. It reports environmental, health, and safety data through annual disclosures.
The honest caveat is that Clean Harbors operates incinerators and landfills, facilities with inherent emissions and siting controversies, and it has paid environmental penalties over the years typical of a major waste handler.
Clean Harbors Recalls & Controversies
Clean Harbors has paid periodic environmental fines typical of the hazardous waste industry. Historical matters include EPA and state enforcement actions over waste handling at individual facilities, generally resolved through settlements and corrective work rather than operating restrictions.
The company took on reputational exposure in 2023 when it handled contaminated soil and water from the East Palestine, Ohio train derailment, drawing protests and scrutiny over where the waste was sent. The work proceeded under EPA oversight and was completed without enforcement action against the company.
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Its incinerator and landfill operations periodically attract local opposition over emissions and siting, the standard friction for hazardous waste infrastructure operators.
Clean Harbors Ownership: Pros & Cons
Advantages
- +Owns scarce permitted disposal assets competitors cannot easily replicate
- +Integrated model from waste pickup through final disposal captures margin at each step
- +Non-discretionary demand from regulated industries
- +Record 2025 financials with strong free cash flow
- +Safety-Kleen adds countercyclical used-oil economics
Considerations
- -Exposure to environmental liability is inherent to the business
- -Safety-Kleen margins depend on volatile used-oil charge-for-oil spreads
- -Heavy regulatory oversight across every facility
- -Local opposition to incinerators and landfills is persistent
- -Growth depends partly on acquisitions in a consolidating market
Frequently Asked Questions About Clean Harbors
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Sources & Further Reading
Competitors to Clean Harbors
No direct competitors found in the same category. This could be because Clean Harborsoperates in a unique market segment or we're still building our competitor database.
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Clean Harbors, Inc. Stock Information
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