Basis of Presentation (Policies) |
6 Months Ended |
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Jun. 30, 2026 | |
| Basis of Presentation | |
| Basis of Presentation | The financial statements presented in this report represent the consolidation of Waste Management, Inc., a Delaware corporation; its wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries; and certain variable interest entities for which Waste Management, Inc. or its subsidiaries are the primary beneficiaries as described in Note 13. Waste Management, Inc. is a holding company and all operations are conducted by its subsidiaries. When the terms “the Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” are used in this document, those terms refer to Waste Management, Inc., together with its consolidated subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities. When we use the term “WMI,” we are referring only to Waste Management, Inc., the parent holding company. We are North America’s leading provider of comprehensive environmental solutions, providing services throughout the United States (“U.S.”) and Canada. We partner with our customers and the communities we serve to manage and reduce waste at each stage from collection to disposal, while recovering valuable resources and creating clean, renewable energy. Our solid waste business is operated and managed locally by our subsidiaries that focus on distinct geographic areas and provide collection, transfer, disposal, recycling and resource recovery services. Through our Renewable Energy segment, we are also a leading developer, operator and owner of landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the U.S. and Canada that produce renewable electricity and renewable natural gas (“RNG”), which is a significant source of fuel that we allocate to our natural gas fleet. Our Healthcare Solutions segment provides regulated waste and compliance services (“RWCS”) and secure information destruction (“SID”) services in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe that protect people and brands, promote health and well-being and safeguard the environment. Additionally, through our Recycling Processing and Sales segment, we are a leading recycler in the U.S. and Canada, handling materials that include paper, cardboard, glass, plastic and metal. Our senior management evaluates, oversees and manages the financial performance of our business through five reportable segments, referred to as (i) Collection and Disposal - East Tier (“East Tier”); (ii) Collection and Disposal - West Tier (“West Tier”); (iii) Recycling Processing and Sales; (iv) Renewable Energy and (v) Healthcare Solutions. Our East and West Tiers along with certain ancillary services (“Other Ancillary”) that are not managed through our Tier segments, but that support our collection and disposal operations, form our “Collection and Disposal” business. We also provide additional services not managed through our five reportable segments, which are presented as Corporate and Other. Refer to Note 7 for further discussion. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of June 30, 2026 for the three and six months ended June 30, 2026 and 2025 are unaudited. In the opinion of management, these financial statements include all adjustments, which, unless otherwise disclosed, are of a normal recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows and changes in equity for the periods presented. The results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. The financial statements presented herein should be read in conjunction with the financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2025. In preparing our financial statements, we make numerous estimates and assumptions that affect the accounting for and recognition and disclosure of assets, liabilities, equity, revenues and expenses. We must make these estimates and assumptions because certain information that we use is dependent on future events, cannot be calculated with precision from available data or simply cannot be calculated. In some cases, these estimates are difficult to determine, and we must exercise significant judgment. In preparing our financial statements, the most difficult, subjective and complex estimates and the assumptions that present the greatest amount of uncertainty relate to our accounting for landfills, environmental remediation liabilities, long-lived asset impairments, intangible asset impairments and the fair value of assets and liabilities acquired in business combinations. Actual results could differ materially from the estimates and assumptions that we use in the preparation of our financial statements. |
| Revenue Recognition | Revenue Recognition We generally recognize revenue as services are performed or products are delivered. For example, revenue typically is recognized as waste is collected; tons are received at our landfills, transfer stations or processing facilities; or recycling and other commodities, such as RNG, electricity and capacity, Renewable Identification Numbers (“RINs”) and Renewable Energy Credits (“RECs”), are sold. Compliance services revenues are recognized over the contractual service period. We also bill for certain services prior to performance. Such services include, among others, certain commercial and residential contracts and equipment rentals. These advanced billings are included in deferred revenues and recognized as revenue in the period service is provided. Substantially all our deferred revenues during the reported periods are realized as revenues within to three months, when the related services are performed. Contract Acquisition Costs Our incremental direct costs of obtaining a contract, which consist primarily of sales incentives, are generally deferred and amortized to selling, general and administrative expense over the estimated life of the relevant customer relationship, ranging from to 16 years. Contract acquisition costs that are paid to the customer are deferred and amortized as a reduction in revenue over the contract life. Our contract acquisition costs are classified as current or noncurrent based on the timing of when we expect to recognize amortization and are included in other assets in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. As of June 30, 2026 and December 31, 2025, we had $230 million and $237 million, respectively, of deferred contract costs, of which $184 million and $177 million, respectively, were related to deferred sales incentives. |
| Leases | Leases Amounts for our operating lease right-of-use assets are recorded in other long-term assets and the current and long-term portion of our operating lease liabilities are reflected in accrued liabilities and other long-term liabilities, respectively, in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. Amounts for our financing leases are recorded in property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and depletion, and current or long-term debt in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, as appropriate. |
| Concentrations of Credit Risk | Concentrations of Credit Risk Financial instruments that potentially subject us to concentrations of credit risk consist primarily of cash and cash equivalents, investments held within restricted funds, and accounts and other receivables. We make efforts to control our exposure to credit risk associated with these instruments by (i) placing our assets and other financial interests with a diverse group of credit-worthy financial institutions; (ii) holding high-quality financial instruments while limiting investments in any one instrument and (iii) maintaining strict policies over credit extension that include credit evaluations, credit limits and monitoring procedures, although generally we do not have collateral requirements for credit extensions. We also control our exposure associated with trade receivables by discontinuing service, to the extent allowable, to non-paying customers. However, our overall credit risk associated with trade receivables is limited due to the large number and diversity of customers we serve. |
| Reclassifications | Reclassifications When necessary, reclassifications have been made to our prior period financial information to conform with the current year presentation, including the reclassification of interest accretion on landfill and environmental remediation liabilities from operating expenses to depreciation, depletion, amortization and accretion in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. These reclassifications are not material to our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. |
| Adoption of New Accounting Standards in 2026 | Adoption of New Accounting Standards in 2026 Improvements to Measurement of Credit Losses for Accounts Receivable and Contract Assets In July 2025, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2025-05, “Financial Instruments – Credit Losses (Topic 326): Measurement of Credit Losses for Account Receivable and Contract Assets” (“ASU 2025-05”), which simplifies the estimation of expected credit losses for current accounts receivable and current contract assets arising from transactions accounted for under Accounting Standards Codification 606, Revenue from Contracts with Customers. The amendments permit entities to elect a practical expedient to assume the current conditions as of the balance sheet date will remain unchanged for the remaining life of the asset when developing a reasonable and supportable forecast for purposes of estimating expected credit losses. The Company adopted ASU 2025-05 on a prospective basis and elected the practical expedient during the quarter ended March 31, 2026. The adoption of the amended guidance did not have a material impact on our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements. |