WM opens four new facilities as part of $3 billion expansion plan

WM will celebrate the grand openings of four all-new recycling and renewable natural gas (RNG) projects across the U.S. as part of a long-term expansion plan. The company will further invest about $3 billion in its sustainability growth strategy from 2022 to 2026 which is expected to result in 39 new or upgraded facilities and 20 new WM-owned RNG facilities. 

WM facilities are advancing recycling across the U.S.

WM will host grand opening events for newly upgraded recycling facilities near Baltimore and Central Texas, as well as new RNG facilities in the Chicago and Philadelphia areas, totalling more than $323 million in executed investments. Among these upgrades is the Mesquite Creek Recycling Facility in New Braunfels, Texas — one of the fastest-growing markets in America. Additionally, the Elkridge Recycling Facility near Baltimore is now WM's largest recycling facility by hourly processing capacity, and the Fairless RNG Facility outside Philadelphia is now the largest of its kind owned by WM.

So far, WM has completed eight out of 20 planned RNG facilities and 27 out of 39 planned recycling facilities and intends to open additional sites in 2025 as part of its enterprise-wide investment plans.

Once all planned recycling and RNG facilities are complete, the expanded network is expected to add more than 2.8 million incremental tons of annual recycling capacity and 25 million MMBtu of renewable natural gas each year. The new and upgraded recycling facilities will be outfitted with the latest technology that uses artificial intelligence and automation to increase the amount of material that can be captured for potential reuse. The RNG facilities process captured landfill gas into pipeline-quality renewable natural gas, positioning WM's landfill assets as a community energy partner.

Driving a sustainable future 

WM also continues to invest in innovative capabilities to monitor and mitigate landfill air emissions. WM recently acquired Blue Sky Resources and AirLogic analytics platform, providing WM with a comprehensive tool to track and compare data from various detection technologies to help better locate and mitigate potential emissions. 

"We are meeting our customers' needs today and investing in communities for the long term through our planned growth in recycling and renewable energy infrastructure," said Jim Fish, president and chief executive officer, WM. "As demand for recycling and renewable energy rises, WM is leading the industry in leveraging technology and automation to deliver solutions to our customers and help drive a more sustainable future."

"Technology and innovation underpin our sustainability strategy, and we are adding optical sorters, intelligent sorting equipment, and more at our recycling sites to help capture more material, including in areas that lack recycling access today," said Tara Hemmer, chief sustainability officer, WM. "We're also proud to turn landfill gas captured at WM landfill sites into a renewable energy source, which could power up to 1.7 million homes by 2026 and support our objective of maximizing the allocation of RNG to WM's natural gas collection fleet."