text: market knowledge, community relations and name recognition, and to instill their entrepreneurial drive 
  at all levels of our operations. By furnishing the local management of such acquired companies with our 
  Ñnancial and marketing resources and technical expertise, we believe that the acquired companies are 
  better able to secure additional municipal franchises and other contracts. 
  
  *Privatize Municipal Operations and Acquire Divested Operations.*We also seek to acquire solid 
  waste collection operations, transfer stations and landÑlls that municipalities and other governmental 
  authorities are privatizing. Many municipalities are seeking to outsource or sell these types of solid 
  waste operations, as they lack the capital, technical expertise and/or operational resources necessary to 
  comply with increasingly stringent regulatory standards and/or to compete eÅectively with private- 
  sector companies. In addition, we have acquired, and will continue to seek to acquire, operations and 
  facilities that may be divested by other publicly-owned waste companies. 
  
  **Operations**
  
  Our operations primarily consist of the collection, transfer and disposal of non-hazardous solid waste. 
  
  *Collection Services.*We provide solid waste collection services to commercial, industrial, municipal and 
  residential customers in 22 states through 140 collection companies. In 2004, 74.3% of our revenue was 
  derived from collection services consisting of approximately 32.5% from services provided to municipal and 
  residential customers, 36.6% from services provided to commercial customers, and 30.9% from services 
  provided to industrial and other customers. 