5 Biggest Waste Management Companies in the World

1. Waste Management (NYSE:WM)

Revenue of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 15,455

Total comprehensive income of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 1,749

Total assets of the company in 2019 (in 000’s of dollars): 27,743

Total employees of the company in 2019: 44,900

Topping the list of the 5 biggest waste management companies in the world is the very appropriately named Waste Management, which is also one of the oldest companies in our list, having been founded 53 years ago in 1968. The company is headquartered in Houston, Texas and has 346 transfer stations, 146 recycling plants, 293 active landfill disposal sites, six independent power production plants and 111 beneficial use landfill gas projects. The company’s massive resources have enabled it to provide environmental and waste management services to at least 21 million households across the United States. The company also has at least 26,000 collection as well as transfer vehicles which means it has the largest fleet in the entire waste management industry on a global level.

Along with Republic Services, Waste Management provides more than half of the garbage collection in the United States, which is no mean feat. Even the waste management industry is not safe from malpractice or accusations of impropriety though, which is why Waste Management as been involved in a fair few issues of its own, which includes accounting improprieties in 1998, which led to the company losing more than $6 billion in value. In 2005, it entered into an agreement with SAP AG, one of the biggest IT services companies in the world, but the project was not completed by 2007 and was considered to be a complete failure and a blackmark on the company. This eventually led to a case between the company and SAP which in turn led to a one time payment from SAP to the company.

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