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Building Value
Together

The end-of-life for materials can often be the start of something new. That’s why we work not only to manage waste responsibly, but also to collaborate with our stakeholders to find ways to create new value—together.

Solving Waste Together

How we work with our diverse customer base to create an array of waste solutions.

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Mitigating Climate Change

The role that materials management solutions play in mitigating the emissions that contribute to climate change.

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Putting People First

Our 45,000 employees enable us to solve waste and play a vital role in communities we serve.

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Contributing to Communities

We strive to make every community that we call home a better place to live and work.

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How we are building value

Big Ideas for a
Better World
Mitigating Climate Change
How WM
Responded To
Covid-19
Renewable Energy
UN Sustainable Development Goals
Partnering to Solve
the Problems
with Plastic
Driving End-Market Demand
Innovative Employee Pathways Program
10 Years of the
Greenest Show
on Grass

About This Report

Waste Management is committed to consistent public disclosure and discussion of our progress through the publication of our Sustainability Report. In the past, we have published a comprehensive report every two years and an update of key data in between. Our last comprehensive report was published in 2018, with available data and key discussion items updated in 2019. Going forward, we are taking a new approach to reporting by publishing content in two different formats to further enhance reporting transparency:

  • Our annual Sustainability Report details the progress on our most material issues over the past year and is now available as an interactive website and PDF.
  • Complementing our report is a new Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Resource Hub that houses easily accessible, detailed information and data related to many aspects of our ESG performance, policies and initiatives, as well as an archive of past reports and updates to recent initiatives.

This report generally covers ESG performance for 2019 and early 2020 and, unless otherwise noted in the report, the report boundary is Waste Management’s wholly owned operations, which are in the United States, Canada and India. All data is for the year ended December 31, 2019, except where noted. Notes on the scope of the data, including changes to methodology from the prior reporting period, are included either with charts or in footnotes.

View our Forward-Looking Information.

Forward-looking Information

This report contains forward-looking statements, including statements concerning the company’s outlook, performance or results in the future, as well as statements of beliefs about the future, plans and strategies or anticipated events. You should view these statements with caution since they are based on the facts and circumstances known to the company as of the date the statements are made and are subject to risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to be materially different. Such risks include, but are not limited to, increased competition; pricing actions; failure to implement our optimization, growth, and cost savings initiatives and overall business strategy; failure to identify acquisition targets and negotiate attractive terms; failure to consummate or integrate the acquisition of Advanced Disposal Services, Inc. or other acquisitions; failure to obtain the results anticipated from the acquisition of Advanced Disposal Services, Inc. or other acquisitions; environmental and other regulations, including developments related to emerging contaminants and renewable fuel; commodity price fluctuations; international trade restrictions; weakness in general economic conditions and capital markets; public health, business disruption and other impacts of COVID-19 (coronavirus) and other pandemic conditions; failure to obtain and maintain necessary permits; disposal alternatives and waste diversion; declining waste volumes; failure to develop and protect new technology; failure of technology to perform as expected, including implementation of a new enterprise resource planning system; failure to prevent, detect and address cybersecurity incidents or comply with privacy regulations; significant environmental or other incidents resulting in liabilities and brand damage; significant storms and destructive events influenced by climate change; labor disruptions; impairment charges; and negative outcomes of litigation or governmental proceedings. Please also see Part I, Item 1A of the company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K, and subsequent Form 10-Qs, filed with the SEC for additional information regarding these and other risks and uncertainties applicable to our business. The company assumes no obligation to update any forward-looking statement, including financial estimates and forecasts, whether as a result of future events, circumstances or developments or otherwise.