At WM, our three sustainability ambitions — material is repurposed, energy is renewable and communities are thriving – guide our work and the way we show up for our employees, customers, communities and the environment. WM’s recently released 2025 Sustainability Report details the significant progress we made on bringing these ambitions to life in 2024. Here are some of the highlights:
- Progressing our sustainability growth strategy: WM is on track to invest more than $3 billion in strengthening our recycling and renewable natural gas (RNG) infrastructure from 2022 through 2026. Last year, we upgraded or built 12 recycling facilities and opened five WM-owned RNG facilities. Overall in 2024 we recovered more than 16 million tons of material for recycling and converted 58.1 million MMBtu of landfill gas to energy for sale/use.
- Advancing sustainability with our customers: To help enable the circular economy, WM’s network of experts collaborates with a wide variety of customers to identify and implement sustainability-related initiatives that can aid their unique needs. In 2024, WM became an Official Sustainability Partner of Major League Baseball®, onboarding 15 individual clubs, through which we delivered strategic support for materials management programs (recovery, recycling, organics) and related education for fans.
- Innovating to reduce our climate impact: To meet our greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions target, which has been approved and validated by the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), we are investing in landfill cover and capping systems and landfill gas capture and emissions measurement, as well as continuing to transition our fleet to run on lower-carbon fuels. Last year, we reduced our Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by 22% from a 2021 baseline, allocated renewable natural gas to 74% of our alternative fuel consumption and utilized 65% of captured landfill gas for beneficial use.
- Valuing and empowering our employees: At WM, our people are essential to our success, and they thrive when we prioritize their safety, development and well-being. In 2024, we achieved a 6% reduction in overall injuries, provided $11.4 million in tuition coverage for more than 2,500 participants in our education benefit program and engaged 78% of employees in our annual survey to gather feedback and insights.
- Strengthening our communities: WM is committed to supporting the communities where we live and work by offering educational opportunities, protecting and providing access to green space and filling other gaps they might have. Last year, we made $27.6 million in charitable contributions, protected 13,500 acres of green space through certified programs and provided 321,000 meals through holiday giving campaigns. Since 2022, we have positively impacted 2.6 million people through targeted social impact programs.
By leveraging our extensive infrastructure, innovative practices and deep expertise to help address pressing environmental challenges, we are driving sustainability today, For Tomorrow®.