EXHIBIT 23


                    CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT PUBLIC ACCOUNTANTS

               As  independent  public  accountants,  we hereby  consent  to the
incorporation by reference in this Form 10-K and in The ServiceMaster  Company's
previously  filed  Registration   Statement  File  Nos.  333-53142,   333-50886,
333-42680,  333-33580,  333-78239,  333-74781, 033-55761, 033-39148 on Form S-8,
No. 333-91381 on Form S-3, and 333-75069 on Form S-4 of our report dated January
23, 2001 of The  ServiceMaster  Company's  Annual Report to Shareholders for the
year ended  December 31,  2000.  It should be noted that we have not audited any
financial  statements  of  ServiceMaster  subsequent  to December 31,  2000,  or
performed any audit procedures subsequent to the date of our report.


                                        Arthur Andersen LLP



Chicago, Illinois
March 23, 2001