A Civil Rights Assessment analyzed the impact of WM's policies and practices on the civil rights of stakeholders, focusing on Diversity & Inclusion, Environmental Justice (EJ), and Supplier Diversity.

The findings underscore WM’s commitment to operating with consciousness of the impact operations may have on surrounding communities, including those with EJ indicators. In addition, the assessment noted WM’s investments in transparency and building positive relationships, further positioning WM as a good neighbor.

To maintain our responsiveness to community concerns — and our openness to working on projects that serve community interests — WM will continue to anchor our efforts around the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) definition of environmental justice which focuses on the just treatment and meaningful involvement of all people, regardless of income, race, color, national origin, Tribal affiliation, or disability.

Understanding transparency is essential to building trust amongst stakeholders. WM will continue to address environmental justice concerns by utilizing data to provide transparency and accountability. Leveraging data enables us to make informed decisions to proactively monitor our impact on and engagement within the communities we serve.

Methodology

Since 2010, WM has conducted periodic reviews of environmental justice data by analyzing the income and race demographics of residents in proximity to our facilities.

To identify communities with environmental justice indicators, we use several datasets, including the U.S. Census, EPA’s Environmental Justice Screening and Mapping (EJSCREEN) tool, and open-source data from Environmental Systems Research Institute, Inc. (ESRI), a leader in geographic information system (GIS) software, location intelligence and mapping. In 2021, we updated our methodology to reflect feedback from investors and environmental justice experts, focusing on demographic data within a one-kilometer radius of our facilities. We also updated our methodology to align with the EPA's definition of "low income," as detailed in the EJSCREEN tool. Our methodology will continuously evolve to strengthen accuracy, transparency and alignment with the most widely used environmental justice tool, the EPA’s EJSCREEN.

The charts below display the percentage of WM sites related to two demographic characteristics: percentage minority or non-minority populations; and households above or below low-income thresholds, as defined by U.S. EPA’s EJSCREEN tool.

The data presented below was updated at the beginning of 2024 with the latest information available through ESRI, EPA EJSCREEN, and the 2020 U.S. Census. To learn more about the EPA EJSCREEN definitions and methodology, please visit the EPA’s FAQ site.