The company continues to invest in its Recycling Processing and Sales and WM Renewable Energy segments, which is part of its sustainability growth strategy. These investments are intended to increase automation, reduce labor dependency, and support increased recycling capacity.

Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2023, the company revised its segment reporting to reflect the financial results of its collection, transfer, disposal and resource recovery services businesses independently, and include its WM Renewable Energy business as a reportable segment.

The company is investing in technology to improve processes, drive operational efficiency, and enhance customer experience. This includes automation and optimization strategies to reduce labor dependency and improve service quality.

Management is focused on yield management through price leadership, while also investing in automation to improve processes and drive operational efficiency. They are also focused on the cost to serve their customers to improve profit margins.

The company's strategy includes a focus on sustainability, environmental stewardship, and reducing waste at each stage from collection to disposal, while recovering valuable resources and creating clean, renewable energy.

Management is focused on keeping employees safe, improving diversity and inclusion, managing employee turnover, increasing retention, succession planning and development, and supporting employee experience.

The company's operations are subject to extensive and evolving federal, state, provincial and local environmental protection, health, safety, land use, zoning, transportation, and other related laws and regulations, which can restrict operations, increase costs, or require additional capital expenditures.

Jurisdictions are increasingly taking action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and landfills are a focal point for climate-related goals. The company is actively working with policymakers to promote recognition of the significant reductions in GHG emissions that the industry has already achieved.

The company is regularly the target of attempted cyber intrusions, and any significant cybersecurity incident could result in material business disruption, direct financial loss, negative publicity, brand damage, alleged violation of privacy laws, loss of customers, potential regulatory enforcement or private litigation liability and competitive disadvantage.

The company faces intense competition from governmental, quasi-governmental and private sources in all aspects of its operations, including large national waste management companies, counties and municipalities, and regional and local companies.

The company faces intense competition in its solid waste business based on pricing and quality of service. They also compete for business based on breadth of service offerings.

As companies, individuals and communities look for ways to be more sustainable, the company is promoting its comprehensive services that go beyond its core business of collecting and disposing of waste in order to meet their needs.

The company is investing in technology-led automation and optimization to improve operational efficiency and reduce labor dependency. They are also focusing on the cost to serve their customers to improve profit margins.

The company is experiencing supply chain disruptions and labor shortages, which have led to increased costs and limited availability of certain assets. These challenges could negatively impact the company's ability to service customers.

The company is focused on controlling costs to mitigate inflationary pressures on labor and the goods and services they rely upon to deliver service to their customers. They are also focused on increasing average unit rates to recover inflationary cost increases.

The company is accelerating investments in technology-led automation and optimization to improve processes, drive operational efficiency, and enhance customer experience.

The company is implementing technologies to further enhance the safety, reliability and efficiency of its collection operations and further digitalize its customer self-service.

The company is continually scouting, evaluating and running proof-of-concepts of innovative technologies within its core operations to improve safety, operational efficiencies and customer solutions.

The company allocated $2.9B to capital expenditures in 2023, with a focus on sustainability growth projects in its Recycling Processing and Sales and WM Renewable Energy segments.

The company allocated $2.4B to shareholders through dividends and share repurchases in 2023, and the Board of Directors expects to increase the quarterly dividend by 7.1% in 2024.

Recently issued proposed regulations applicable to the investment tax credit could call into question the company's ability to realize some or all of the tax benefit, which would negatively impact financial expectations in connection with its significant planned and ongoing investments in sustainability growth projects.

The company's strategy includes a focus on sustainability, environmental stewardship, and reducing waste at each stage from collection to disposal, while recovering valuable resources and creating clean, renewable energy.

The company is committed to fostering an environment where all team members feel welcomed, valued and seen. They have developed two new D&I goals to increase the representation of women and racial/ethnic minority employees in the workforce and in management roles.

The company supports policies seeking to advance high standards of environmental performance and the fair treatment of people of all races, cultures, and incomes, and they continue to proactively engage with local communities.

The company is experiencing macroeconomic pressures, including inflation and rising interest rates, and market disruption resulting in labor, supply chain and transportation constraints, which have impacted their results and are continuing.

The company's revenues, earnings and cash flows fluctuate based on changes in commodity prices, and commodity prices for recyclable materials are particularly susceptible to volatility based on macroeconomic conditions and regulations that affect their ability to export products.

Customers are increasingly diverting waste to alternatives to landfill disposal, such as recycling and composting, while also working to reduce the amount of waste they generate, which could reduce the company's landfill volumes.