Ruckelshaus Is Elected Browning-Ferris Chief

William D. Ruckelshaus, who served two terms as head of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, on Wednesday was elected chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Browning-Ferris Industries Inc., one of the world’s largest waste disposal companies.

Ruckelshaus has been on the Browning-Ferris board of directors since June, 1987. He succeeds Harry J. Phillips Sr., who will become chairman of the Houston-based company’s executive committee.

Besides stints at the EPA, Ruckelshaus has been deputy attorney general and acting director of the FBI. He also has served in the House of Representatives of his home state of Indiana and as chief counsel for the Indiana attorney general’s office.

Browning-Ferris, whose revenue rose from $300 million to approximately $2 billion annually during Phillips’ 11-year tenure, has subsidiaries that provide collection, transfer, processing, recovery and disposal of solid wastes and chemical wastes for commercial, industrial and governmental customers. It also provides solid waste collection and disposal services for residential customers.

It has more than 18,000 employees who work at affiliates in 225 locations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Kuwait, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Spain, the United Kingdom and Venezuela.