WM
WM (NYSE: WM) is North America's largest environmental solutions provider, offering residential, commercial, industrial, and healthcare waste collection, recycling, and secure destruction services across all 50 US states and Canada with nearly 50,000 team members.
- Company typePublic
- Founded1968
- HeadquartersHouston, United States
- Headcount5,001–10,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What WM does
WM (NYSE: WM), formerly Waste Management, is North America's largest provider of comprehensive environmental solutions, headquartered in Houston, Texas and operating across all 50 US states and Canada with nearly 50,000 team members. The company delivers curbside residential waste and recycling collection, commercial waste and recycling pickup, roll-off dumpster rentals, construction and demolition debris removal, bulk pickup, specialty recycling for bulbs, batteries, and electronics, and — through its Stericycle and Shred-it subsidiaries — regulated medical waste management and secure information destruction. WM owns and operates an industry-leading infrastructure network of landfills, transfer stations, and recycling facilities that processed 14 million tons of material for recycling or reuse annually, making it North America's largest residential recycler.
Underlying the service delivery is a technology stack centered on the elements data analytics platform (visibility into waste, recycling, and sustainability strategy for National Accounts customers), WM Smart Truck natural-gas-fueled fleet with route optimization, the My WM self-service portal and mobile app for residential and small commercial customers, and the WM One Solution platform unifying solid waste, recycling, and special/hazardous waste treatment. Sub-brands include Bagster, WM Healthcare Solutions, WM At Your Door Special Collection, LampTracker Recycle By Mail, and WM Advisory Services for sustainability consulting.
WM makes money through subscription-based residential and commercial collection contracts (monthly and annual billing), pay-as-you-go roll-off rentals, managed services for National Accounts and healthcare facilities, and managed services for secure destruction. Distribution is a hybrid: direct-to-consumer online and mobile ordering for residential and small commercial customers, sales-led for mid-market commercial accounts, and dedicated enterprise field sales for National Accounts customers with 10+ locations. Customer segments span individual homeowners, SMBs, multi-location enterprises across retail, grocery, hospitality, restaurants, healthcare, and manufacturing, and healthcare facilities requiring regulated waste compliance. The company's primary legal operating entity is Waste Management Service Center, Inc., with WM Intellectual Property Holdings, L.L.C. holding IP assets.
WM firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- WM
- Legal name
- Waste Management Service Center, Inc.
- Website
- https://wm.com
- Company type
- Public
- Founded year
- 1968
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 5,001–10,000 employees
- Short description
- WM (NYSE: WM) is North America's largest environmental solutions provider, offering residential, commercial, industrial, and healthcare waste collection, recycling, and secure destruction services across all 50 US states and Canada with nearly 50,000 team members.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
WM industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Waste Management Services
- NAICS
- Solid Waste Collection (562111), Waste Collection (5621), Hazardous Waste Treatment and Disposal (562211), Waste Treatment and Disposal (5622), Waste Management and Remediation Services (562)
- SIC
- Refuse Systems (4953), Hazardous Waste Management (4955), Sanitary Services (4950)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Landfill Disposal (BPALACAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) & Universal Waste Sorting Facilities (EUAIADAK), Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) Collection & Program Operations (BPALAFAL)
Keywords
Where WM is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Houston
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
WM business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Residential Waste Collection: Recurring curbside trash and recycling pickup services for homeowners. Weekly collection with subscription-based billing.
- Commercial Waste Collection: Business trash and recycling pickup with one-year service agreements. Dumpster rentals and recurring pickup services.
- Roll-Off Dumpster Rental: Temporary dumpster rentals for construction, commercial, and residential projects. One-time and recurring service options.
- National Accounts Services: Scalable waste and recycling programs for multi-region businesses with dedicated account management and data analytics.
- Healthcare Waste Services: Medical waste disposal, compliance solutions, sharps disposal, pharmaceutical waste, and secure document destruction through Stericycle and Shred-it acquisitions.
- Specialty Recycling Services: Mail-in recycling kits for bulbs, batteries, electronics, and e-waste through LampTracker and Recycle By Mail programs.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Residential Service - MOVERS10 Promotion |
| Subscription | Monthly | Residential Curbside Service |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Roll-Off Dumpster Sizes |
| Subscription | Annual | Commercial Dumpster Service |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels6 records
Marketing channels5 records
WM product offering
Product offeringCore offering
WM (formerly Waste Management) is North America's leading provider of comprehensive environmental solutions, offering waste collection, recycling, and dumpster rental services for residential, commercial, industrial, and healthcare customers. Core offerings include curbside residential trash and recycling pickup, commercial dumpster services, roll-off dumpster rentals in sizes from 10 to 40 yards, construction and demolition waste disposal, medical waste services through Stericycle, and secure document destruction through Shred-it.
Product overview
WM (formerly Waste Management) is North America's leading provider of comprehensive environmental solutions, operating as a platform of interconnected waste management services. The core offerings include Residential Trash Collection & Recycling (curbside pickup with My WM portal management) and Commercial Waste Disposal & Recycling (with various dumpster sizes), supported by specialized services like Roll-Off Dumpster Rental (available in 10-40 yard sizes), Bulk Trash Pickup, Construction & Demolition Waste Disposal, and Bagster® bags. Healthcare solutions are delivered through WM Healthcare Solutions, WM One Solution, and acquired brands Stericycle (medical waste) and Shred-it (secure destruction). The elements® data analytics platform powers National Accounts services, while WM Advisory Services provides sustainability consulting. Additional offerings include eWaste disposal, LampTracker® mail-in recycling, WM At Your Door Special Collection®, Waste Compactors, Portable Toilets, Drop-Off Locations (landfills and recycling facilities), and educational programs like Recycle Right and Recycling 101. The My WM platform serves as the unified customer portal for account management.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Bagster®: A dumpster-in-a-bag® product offering holds up to 3,300 lbs. of waste and debris, available at home improvement stores nationwide and online.
- WM Healthcare Solutions℠
- WM One Solution℠
- elements®
- WM Advisory Services
Products and services
- Residential Trash Collection and Recycling
Quantifiable outcome
- 14 million tons of material recycled or reused annually
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use WM
Customer profileNamed customers3 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles5 records
WM technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
WM partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Six partnerships are on record, tiered core, flagship and minor.
- StericyclecoreAcquired by WM, Stericycle is a trusted leader in regulated waste and compliance solutions. Through this acquisition, WM offers an expanded portfolio of healthcare waste services including medical waste disposal, OSHA and HIPAA compliance solutions, sharps disposal, and pharmaceutical waste management across North America.
- Shred-itcoreAcquired by WM, Shred-it is a pioneer in secure information destruction. Partners with WM to offer secure destruction of paper documents, hard drives, and specialty items to help protect sensitive information and support compliance with privacy regulations.
- The ThunderbirdsflagshipThe Thunderbirds are the organizers of the WM Phoenix Open golf tournament. WM and The Thunderbirds created the WM Phoenix Open Working For Tomorrow Fund to support emissions reduction, sustainable materials management, and water management projects. The event has achieved zero waste status for 13 consecutive years.
- Change the CourseminorWater restoration partner for WM Phoenix Open. Millions of gallons of water are restored to support AZ Tribal Nations through Water Restoration Certificates. 2025 beneficiary of WM Phoenix Open Working For Tomorrow Fund.
- Waste NotminorArizona-based non-profit focused on feeding the hungry. 2025 beneficiary of WM Phoenix Open Working For Tomorrow Fund supporting charitable giving initiatives.
- The First TeeminorYouth development organization. The First Tee's Dream Day activities at WM Phoenix Open help drive local youth engagement with the tournament.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
WM competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Waste Connections: Waste Connections (NYSE: WCN) is a leading North American solid waste services company with a similar integrated collection, transfer, landfill, and recycling model. It competes head-to-head with WM for commercial and municipal contracts, especially after acquiring Advanced Disposal Services.
- GFL Environmental: GFL Environmental (NYSE: GFL) is a Canadian-headquartered solid waste and environmental services provider operating across Canada and the U.S. It offers residential, commercial, and industrial collection plus recycling and soil remediation, directly competing with WM in several Canadian provinces and U.S. regions.
- Republic Services: Republic Services is the closest direct competitor to WM, also a publicly traded (NYSE: RSG) integrated solid waste services provider in North America offering residential, commercial, and industrial collection plus landfills and recycling. The two together dominate the U.S. hauling market and directly compete on national accounts and route density.
- Casella Waste Systems: Casella Waste Systems (NASDAQ: CWST) is a vertically integrated solid waste, recycling, and resource management company primarily serving the northeastern U.S. It directly competes with WM in overlapping regions and has been expanding its resource solutions arm adjacent to WM's recycling operations.
Broad incumbents
- Reworld (formerly Covanta): Reworld (NYSE: REWR, formerly Covanta) is a waste-to-energy and sustainable materials management company operating incineration and energy-from-waste facilities. It is comparable to WM's landfill gas-to-energy and RNG operations and overlaps with WM's disposal-side business.
- Clean Harbors: Clean Harbors (NYSE: CLH) is the largest North American provider of environmental and industrial services, including hazardous waste management, industrial cleaning, and emergency response. It competes with WM's Stericycle-acquired hazardous waste and compliance business, though its portfolio extends well beyond solid waste.
Regional players
- Secure Energy Services: Secure Energy Services is a Canadian-based environmental solutions and energy infrastructure company with waste management and recycling operations serving Western Canada. It overlaps with WM's Canadian footprint in select provinces and competes for industrial waste contracts.
Others
- Shred-it (legacy): Pre-acquisition, Shred-it was a leading North American secure information destruction provider. It is directly comparable to WM's secure destruction offering, with similar enterprise compliance customer segments, and would otherwise compete in document destruction services.
- Stericycle (legacy): Before WM's acquisition, Stericycle was a publicly traded regulated medical waste and compliance services company. It remains a directly comparable operator to WM's healthcare waste segment and would otherwise be a direct competitor for hospital and clinic contracts.
Emerging players
- Heritage-Crystal Clean: Heritage-Crystal Clean (NASDAQ: HCCI) provides parts cleaning, hazardous and non-hazardous waste services, and used oil collection to industrial customers. It is comparable to WM's industrial/hazardous waste and oil collection adjacencies through its One Solution platform, though at a smaller scale.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
WM social profiles
Digital presenceWM financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
WM leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
WM subsidiaries and ownership
Company hierarchySubsidiaries2 records
WM funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
WM M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about WM
What does WM do?
WM (formerly Waste Management) is North America's leading provider of comprehensive environmental solutions, offering waste collection, recycling, and dumpster rental services for residential, commercial, industrial, and healthcare customers. Core offerings include curbside residential trash and recycling pickup, commercial dumpster services, roll-off dumpster rentals in sizes from 10 to 40 yards, construction and demolition waste disposal, medical waste services through Stericycle, and secure document destruction through Shred-it.
Is WM a public or private company?
WM is a public company. It is classified as public and is currently operating.
When was WM founded?
WM was founded in 1968. It employs 5,001 to 10,000 people.
Where is WM based?
WM is headquartered in Houston, United States, in the North America region.
How does WM make money?
Six revenue lines are on record. Residential Waste Collection is the primary driver. The others are commercial Waste Collection, roll-Off Dumpster Rental, national Accounts Services, healthcare Waste Services and specialty Recycling Services.
Who are WM's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Waste Connections, GFL Environmental, Republic Services and Casella Waste Systems. Broad incumbents are Reworld (formerly Covanta) and Clean Harbors. Secure Energy Services is listed as a regional player. Others are Shred-it (legacy) and Stericycle (legacy). Heritage-Crystal Clean is listed as an emerging player.
Does WM have an API?
No public API is recorded for WM.
What industry is WM in?
WM's product category is Waste Management Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPALACAA, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Landfill Disposal, with a secondary code of EUAIADAK, Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) & Universal Waste Sorting Facilities. Its NAICS code is 562111 and its SIC code is 4953.