The material we manage across our recycling facilities, organics processing and landfills is a function of what — and how much — people and businesses throw away.

As North America’s leading environmental services provider, WM is committed to ensuring that all discarded material is handled in the most environmentally beneficial way, which often includes changing the behavior of industries and individuals. We are making progress by working across our supply chain to help develop new technologies and markets for recycled materials, while simultaneously educating consumers on how to dispose of all forms of waste properly.

Given currently available technology, many waste streams still cannot be successfully or profitably recycled and processed into new materials. To ensure these forms of waste do not enter natural land areas or waterways where they can cause harm as they degrade, we manage them safely and responsibly through our network of active municipal solid waste landfill sites.

WM provides solid waste collection services to millions of customers — from communities to households to public venues to large companies. We safely manage the disposal of waste, including common municipal trash and highly specialized materials such as medical and industrial waste. We handle this volume by operating the largest network of landfills in our industry while working hard to minimize the impact those facilities have on neighbors and the environment.

WM’s modern landfills in the U.S. were developed under the Federal Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), which requires rigorous siting evaluation, site characterization and scientific engineering design, as well as a comprehensive permitting and regulatory approval process that includes public notification and comment. Modern landfills are highly engineered according to RCRA standards to maximize environmental safety and sustainability. These sites utilize modern technology such as groundwater monitoring, landfill gas collection and control systems and cover systems. WM plans to continue investing strategically in landfill modernization, focusing on improved operational management and emissions measurement.

A new system known as the Connected Landfill® technology simplifies this work, equipping landfill assets with internet-connected devices and sensors. Technicians are able to review data remotely via dashboards on mobile devices, allowing them to monitor changes, make decisions and even directly interact with equipment with the push of a button. With less time spent in transit, landfill employees will be able to spend more time managing landfill productivity and health. Based on its success, we plan to expand our use of this technology to other sites.

WM’s landfills are living laboratories used to test new technologies to help us improve how we manage stormwater and leachate and how we design and maintain landfill cover and gas collection systems. To enhance environmental performance and reduce operational costs, we test the effectiveness of new technologies at select sites before broadly employing them at all sites.

We also work with waste sector experts to understand what happens within landfills after they close. Studies have shown that modern municipal solid waste landfills tend to improve predictably over time, steadily producing less gas and leachate. Many of our landfills are designed and managed to ensure they can be used after closure for commerce, industry or even conversion into wildlife habitat or public parks.

Managing for the Environment

WM works hard every day to ensure we are maintaining safety and environmental quality across all of our landfills and throughout every phase of the landfill’s lifecycle. One strategy we implement is our well-established Heat Accumulation Program. This program sets engineering standards intended to help reduce internal landfill pressures and prevent heat accumulation in landfills, which can lead to issues with landfill gas, leachate, odors and ground stability.

• For new landfill sites or cells, enhanced design features are utilized in construction to help mitigate the potential for elevated temperature issues
• For existing landfills that face increased risk of elevated temperatures, we have standard measurement procedures that monitor changes in landfill conditions, which can be proactively addressed
• In the case of landfills with identified temperature concerns, measures are in place to help relieve the conditions through strategic adjustments to landfill gas wells and leachate extraction

WM utilizes extensive engineering controls and practices to protect surface water and groundwater. We maintain a comprehensive network of groundwater monitoring wells around our facilities, and every landfill uses monitoring strategies — many involving sophisticated statistical evaluations — to ensure that adjacent surface water and groundwater are protected.

Our modern municipal solid waste landfill liners capture liquids within the waste, which are then managed according to applicable regulations and design standards. Modern RCRA Subtitle C- and D-regulated landfill liners continue to perform as designed, not allowing leakage through the liner that requires cleanup of groundwater under neighboring properties. We use managed basins, tanks, containment structures and separators to redirect liquids for proper disposal and treatment. We also monitor on-site wastewater treatment plants to optimize efficiency and utilize a toolkit of best management practices for our field operations.

WM landfills collect and discharge millions of gallons of stormwater each year. The water is then managed onsite within stormwater structures and ponds to ensure it is clean enough to meet strict state requirements before being released.

Innovation in Landfill Cover

A closed landfill’s final cap or cover is one of its most important environmental protection features. It must be constructed in accordance with federal and state requirements and properly maintained for years into the future. A typical final cap comprises a plastic membrane, a drainage system and a covering of soil. These covers are engineered to prevent precipitation from percolating through the landfilled waste. We also have some landfills that host solar arrays, helping enhance both environmental protection and renewable energy generation for local communities.

WM has also permitted over 40 sites for the design and construction of innovative evapotranspiration final covers. These covers are constructed of soil and selected vegetation and are specifically designed to store water and release it to plants through evaporation. By working with nature, evapotranspiration covers provide long-term, sustainable protection, are easy to maintain and provide a natural habitat for native plants and grasses.

Long-Term Stewardship

Just as we strive for safety and environmental quality at all our operating landfills, we want to be stewards of the environment when facilities reach their permitted capacity. WM has an independent, formally designated department, the Environmental Legacy Management Group, which manages the company’s closed landfills. The department is separate from ongoing operations, with specialists experienced in the science and engineering of site closure and long-term property management. These experts bring a fresh eye to inactive landfill sites and are attentive to opportunities for secure, long-term site maintenance, including opportunities for sites to provide new benefits to communities. Currently, WM has several closed landfill sites that provide access to green space and areas for recreational activities.