Allied Waste Industries CEO Thomas Van Weelden talks to The Wall Street Transcript.

NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 3, 1998--The Wall Street Transcript has published an in-depth interview with Thomas Van Weelden of Allied Waste Industries (Nasdaq: AWIN), in which he talks at length about the company's expansion as a vertically-integrated solid waste management firm that currently provides waste collection, transportation and disposal services to an estimated 2.2 million customers through its operations in 28 states.

Describing the firm's method of entering new markets, he says: "We focus on markets where the way in which waste flow is handled is about to undergo a fundamental change. Such a change may be the transfer of a municipality's waste management services from public to private hands. Another fundamental change may be the elimination of a large portion of the market due to the closure of a major landfill nearby."

"We seek to gain control of all aspects of the solid waste flow and management process: we want to collect it, transfer it, recycle it if it's necessary, and then deliver it to our own landfill. Achieving control over the whole process creates greater efficiencies and margins, thus, higher profitability."

Asked about growth potential in the current environment, he replies: "We have no international operations; we currently operate in only 28 states, so we have significant opportunity to continue to expand into other states; and we have no meaningful exposure to a possible domestic economic slowdown. Garbage is a great business because it needs to be picked up every morning."

To read the complete interview, go to http://www.twst.com/pdf/awin.pdf. It requires Adobe Acrobat (TM) reader to view the document. The Wall Street Transcript does not endorse the views of any interviewee nor does it make stock recommendations.

The Wall Street Transcript is a premier weekly investment publication serving serious long-term investors for over 35 years. The Transcript publishes industry roundtables and interviews with Wall Street analysts, money managers and company CEOs, and is read by top money managers, brokers and individual investors. For subscriptions information call [phone].