Exhibit 2.5 to 1997 Form 10-K

                              CERTIFICATE OF MERGER

                                       OF

                        SERVICEMASTER LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
                        (a Delaware limited partnership)

                                       AND

                  THE SERVICEMASTER COMPANY LIMITED PARTNERSHIP
                        (a Delaware limited partnership)

                                  WITH AND INTO

                            THE SERVICEMASTER COMPANY

             in accordance with Section 263 General Corporation Law
                            of the State of Delaware

                                    * * * * *

         THE  SERVICEMASTER  COMPANY,  a corporation duly organized and existing
under  and by virtue of the laws of the  State of  Delaware,  desiring  to merge
ServiceMaster  Limited  Partnership,  a Delaware  limited  partnership,  and The
ServiceMaster Company Limited Partnership, a Delaware limited partnership,  with
and into  itself  pursuant  to the  provisions  of  Section  263 of the  General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, DOES HEREBY CERTIFY as follows:

         First:     The name and state of organization of each constituent
business entity of the merger (the "Merger") is as follows:

         Name                                    State of Organization

         ServiceMaster Limited Partnership             Delaware

         The ServiceMaster Company
           Limited Partnership                         Delaware

         The ServiceMaster Company                     Delaware

         Second: A Merger and Reorganization  Agreement (the "Merger Agreement")
has  been  approved,  adopted,  certified,  executed  and  acknowledged  by each
constituent  business  entity in  accordance  with  Section  263 of the  General
Corporation  Law of the State of Delaware and in accordance  with Section 17-211
of the Delaware Revised Uniform Limited Partnership Act.

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         Third:   The name of the surviving business entity of the Merger is The
ServiceMaster Company (the "Surviving Business Entity").

         Fourth: The Certificate of Incorporation of The ServiceMaster  Company,
a Delaware corporation,  which is surviving the merger, shall be the Certificate
of Incorporation of the Surviving Business Entity.

         Fifth:  The merger shall be effective on January 1, 1998 at 12:01 A.M.,
Eastern Standard Time.

         Sixth:  Anything  herein or elsewhere to the contrary  notwithstanding,
the  Merger  Agreement  may  be  amended  or  terminated  and  abandoned  by the
constituent  business  entities  at any time  prior to the  date of  filing  the
Certificate of Merger with the Secretary of State of the State of Delaware.

         Seventh:    An executed copy of the Merger Agreement is on file at the
principal place of business of the Surviving Business Entity, the address of 
which is:  One ServiceMaster Way, Downers Grove, Illinois 60515.

         Eighth:     A copy of the Merger Agreement will be furnished by the 
Surviving Business Entity on request and without cost to any person holding any 
interest in the constituent business entities.

                                   * * * * *

         IN WITNESS WHEREOF,  the undersigned,  for the purposes of effectuating
the  Merger  of the  constituent  business  entities  pursuant  to  the  General
Corporation Law of the State of Delaware, under penalties of perjury does hereby
declare and certify that this is the act and deed of The  ServiceMaster  Company
and the facts stated herein are true and  accordingly  has hereunto  signed this
Certificate of Merger this 18th day of December 1997.

                                        THE SERVICEMASTER COMPANY

ATTEST:                                 By: /s/ Vernon T. Squires
                                            Its Sr. Vice President
                                                and General Counsel
/s/William T. McCormick
Assistant Secretary