Our Fifth Constituent

Like all good corporations, Waste Management serves diverse constituencies. 

We come to work each morning intently focused on customers… the communities we’re privileged to serve… shareholders who invest capital and confidence in our mission… and the colleagues we proudly work alongside.

And we also act on behalf of a fifth constituent: one that is broad in scope and, at times, challenging to define. A constituency that doesn’t act like the other groups we serve. It doesn’t call our customer service line, write us letters or votes its shares at our annual meeting.

The environment is our valued fifth constituent. It’s a natural entity that instills us with a sense of purpose and links us inextricably with the people we serve. It demands our attention and our commitment every single day, although it will never say so directly.  

The environment works hard for us. It is the foundation of our communities, economies, progress and prosperity. Its natural resources feed and shelter us, fuel transportation and energy production, enable medical advances and technical innovation. When our environment thrives, we do, too. When resources are diminished, damaged or destroyed – we suffer the consequences. Sometimes not immediately, or directly; but eventually we do. Our resources are finite.

We at Waste Management appreciate the boundless capacity of humans, working individually and within organizations, to act and advocate on behalf of the environment.

And we believe – we know – that serving our fifth constituent well serves us all. Communities are healthier. Customers are productive. Investors reap the rewards of responsible, sustainable growth. Employees are proud to commit their time to making a positive difference.

We’ve seen the results first-hand in our business:

• Our team turns waste into power through landfill-gas-to-energy facilities that reduce the impact of fossil fuels. We produce enough energy each year to power nearly half a million homes, offsetting the use of more than 2.5 tons of coal.
• We create certified wildlife habitat sites at our landfills. We’ve protected 25,000 acres of land so far, and our next phase in habitat preservation will focus on smaller, more urban sites where habitat is a valuable community amenity.
• Even the most visible symbol of our business, our fleet of collection trucks, is working for the environment. Our collection fleet is the foundation of the essential service we provide to communities. We transport recyclables and waste to highly regulated facilities that maximize recovery of resources and minimize any potential environmental impacts. Several years ago, we looked hard at how our fleet could be as efficient and clean as possible. We determined that converting to natural gas vehicles is the best option to improve efficiency and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Switching to a natural gas fleet reduced carbon dioxide emissions, and made the fleet quieter and more reliable. To date, we’ve put more than 6,000 natural gas collection vehicles into operation – making ours the largest heavy-duty natural gas fleet in the country. Our investment in natural gas vehicles also includes over 100 public fueling stations for our fleet, with many serving as public fueling stations to help support other local natural gas fleets.

We know there is much more we can do – and we’re committed to doing more – and doing better – every day.

We also know that Waste Management is not alone in its effort to advocate for the environment. There are companies larger and smaller than ours, around the globe, that are equally committed to acting responsibly and caring for the natural resources we’ve been entrusted with. There are governmental and non-governmental organizations dedicated to environmental causes. And there are educators, scientists, inventors, and individual crusaders who give voice to the fifth constituent.

We are grateful to all who seek to solve problems and safeguard our planet for future generations. We serve multiple stakeholders – constituents who contribute to business success and societal wellbeing. But none is more important, in my mind, than the natural environment that sustains us all.