WASTE MANAGEMENT INC - Quarter Report: 2020 March (Form 10-Q)

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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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Form 10-Q

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(Mark One)

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Waste Management, Inc.

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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1001 Fannin Street

Houston, Texas 77002

(Address of principal executive offices)

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(713) 512-6200

(Registrant’s telephone number, including area code)

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Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☑  No  ☐

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  ☑  No  ☐

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act.

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If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act. ☐

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Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  ☐  No  ☑

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The number of shares of Common Stock, $0.01 par value, of the registrant outstanding at May 1, 2020 was 422,025,023 (excluding treasury shares of 208,257,438).

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PART I.

Item 1.    Financial Statements.

WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(In Millions, Except Share and Par Value Amounts)

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See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

(In Millions, Except per Share Amounts)

(Unaudited)

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CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(In Millions)

(Unaudited)

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See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(In Millions)

(Unaudited)

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See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CHANGES IN EQUITY

(In Millions, Except Shares in Thousands)

(Unaudited)

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See Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

(Unaudited)

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1.    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., its consolidated subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities. When we use the term “WM,” we are referring only to Waste Management, Inc., the parent holding company.

We are North America’s leading provider of comprehensive waste management environmental services. We partner with our residential, commercial, industrial and municipal 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, and recycling and resource recovery services. Through our subsidiaries, we are also a leading developer, operator and owner of landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States (“U.S.”).

We evaluate, oversee and manage the financial performance of our Solid Waste business subsidiaries through our 17 Areas. We also provide additional services that are not managed through our Solid Waste business, which are presented in this report as “Other.” Additional information related to our segments is included in Note 7.

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of March 31, 2020 and for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019 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, 2019.

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 and reserves associated with our insured and self-insured claims. Actual results could differ materially from the estimates and assumptions that we use in the preparation of our financial statements.

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 or transfer stations, or recycling commodities are collected or delivered as product. We bill for certain services prior to performance. Such services include, among others, certain commercial and residential contracts and equipment rentals. These advance 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 one to three months when the related services are performed.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

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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 5 to 13 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 Sheet.

As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, we had $163 million and $153 million, respectively, of deferred contract costs, of which $118 million and $117 million, respectively, was related to deferred sales incentives. For the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, amortization of our deferred contract costs was not material to our results of operations.

Leases

Amounts for our operating lease right-of-use assets are recorded in long-term other assets in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. 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 current or long-term debt in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, as appropriate.

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 our restricted trust and escrow accounts, and accounts receivable. 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.

Adoption of New Accounting Standards

Financial Instruments-Credit Losses — In June 2016, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued Accounting Standards Update (“ASU”) 2016-13 associated with the measurement of credit losses on financial instruments. On January 1, 2020, we adopted this ASU using the modified retrospective transition method. The amended guidance replaced the previous incurred loss impairment methodology of recognizing credit losses when a loss is probable, with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to assess credit loss estimates. This expected loss model generally results in earlier recognition of an allowance for losses. We recognized a net $2 million after tax decrease to retained earnings as of January 1, 2020 for the cumulative impact of adopting the amended guidance.

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Our receivables, which are recorded when billed, when services are performed or when cash is advanced, are claims against third parties that will generally be settled in cash. The carrying value of our receivables, net of the allowance for doubtful accounts, represents the estimated net realizable value. Past-due receivable balances are written off when our internal collection efforts have been unsuccessful. Also, we recognize interest income on long-term interest-bearing notes

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WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

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receivable as the interest accrues under the terms of the notes. We no longer accrue interest once the notes are deemed uncollectible.

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For trade receivables the Company relies upon, among other factors, historical loss trends, the age of outstanding receivables, and existing as well as expected economic conditions. Due to the adoption of ASU 2016-13, we recognized a $1 million pre-tax decrease to our allowance for doubtful accounts on trade receivables.

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In January 2020, the World Health Organization declared a novel strain of coronavirus (“COVID-19”) a Public Health Emergency of International Concern and subsequently declared COVID-19 a global pandemic in March 2020. Our reserves established as of March 31, 2020 include consideration of the expected impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. As of March 31, 2020, we had $1,846 million of trade receivables, net of allowance of $28 million. Approximately $5 million of the reserves established as of March 31, 2020 are attributable to the expected impact from the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on an aging analysis as of March 31, 2020, 90% of our trade receivables were outstanding less than 60 days.

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The following table reflects the activity in our allowance for doubtful accounts of trade receivables for the quarters ended March 31 (in millions):

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For other receivables as well as loans and other instruments, the Company relies primarily on credit ratings and their associated default rates based on the maturity of the instrument. All receivables, as well as other instruments, are adjusted for our expectation of future conditions and trends. Due to the adoption of ASU 2016-13, we recognized a $4 million pre-tax increase to our allowance for doubtful accounts on notes and other receivables. As of March 31, 2020, we had $494 million of notes and other receivables, net of allowance of $5 million. Based on an aging analysis as of March 31, 2020, 65% of our other receivables were due within 12 months or less.

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Implementation Costs Incurred in a Cloud Computing Arrangement — In August 2018, the FASB issued ASU 2018-15 associated with a customer’s accounting for implementation costs incurred in a cloud computing arrangement that is a service contract. The amendments align the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred in a hosting arrangement that is a service contract with the requirements for capitalizing implementation costs incurred to develop or obtain internal-use software. Costs for implementation activities in the application development stage are capitalized as prepayments depending on the nature of the costs, while costs incurred during the preliminary project and post-implementation stages are expensed as the activities are performed. The Company adopted this amended guidance on January 1, 2020 prospectively, and it did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Reclassifications

When necessary, reclassifications have been made to our prior period financial information to conform to the current year presentation and are not material to our consolidated financial statements.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

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2.    Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities

Liabilities for landfill and environmental remediation costs are presented in the table below (in millions):

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The changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities for the three months ended March 31, 2020 are reflected in the table below (in millions):

At several of our landfills, we provide financial assurance by depositing cash into restricted trust funds or escrow accounts for purposes of settling final capping, closure, post-closure and environmental remediation obligations. Generally, these trust funds are established to comply with statutory requirements and operating agreements. See Note 13 for additional information related to these trusts.

3.    Debt and Interest Rate Derivatives

The following table summarizes the major components of debt as of each balance sheet date (in millions) and provides the maturities and interest rate ranges of each major category as of March 31, 2020:

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WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

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Debt Classification

As of March 31, 2020, we had approximately $1.9 billion of debt maturing within the next 12 months, including (i) $600 million of 4.75% senior notes that mature in June 2020 and $400 million of 4.60% senior notes that mature in March 2021; (ii) $639 million of tax-exempt bonds with term interest rate periods that expire within the next 12 months, which is prior to their scheduled maturities, and (iii) $237 million of other debt with scheduled maturities within the next 12 months, including $130 million of tax-exempt bonds. As of March 31, 2020, we have classified $1.5 billion of debt maturing in the next 12 months as long-term because we have the intent and ability to refinance these borrowings on a long-term basis as supported by the forecasted available capacity under our $3.5 billion long-term U.S. and Canadian revolving credit facility (“$3.5 billion revolving credit facility”), as discussed below. The remaining $387 million of debt maturing in the next 12 months is classified as current obligations.

As of March 31, 2020, we also have $169 million of variable-rate tax-exempt bonds that are supported by letters of credit under our $3.5 billion revolving credit facility, of which $33 million mature within the next 12 months. The interest rates on our variable-rate tax-exempt bonds are generally reset on either a daily or weekly basis through a remarketing process. All recent tax-exempt bond remarketings have successfully placed Company bonds with investors at market-driven rates and we currently expect future remarketings to be successful. However, if the remarketing agent is unable to remarket our bonds, the remarketing agent can put the bonds to us. In the event of a failed remarketing, we have the availability under our $3.5 billion revolving credit facility to fund these bonds until they are remarketed successfully. Accordingly, we have classified the $136 million of variable-rate tax-exempt bonds with maturities of more than one year as long-term in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of March 31, 2020.

Access to and Utilization of Credit Facilities and Commercial Paper Program

$3.5 Billion Revolving Credit Facility — Our $3.5 billion revolving credit facility provides us with credit capacity to be used for cash borrowings, to support letters of credit and to support our commercial paper program. The rates we pay for outstanding U.S. or Canadian loans are generally based on LIBOR or CDOR, respectively, plus a spread depending on the Company’s debt rating assigned by Moody’s Investors Service and Standard and Poor’s. As of March 31, 2020, we had no borrowings and $412 million of letters of credit issued and supported by the facility, leaving unused and available credit capacity of $3.1 billion. WM Holdings, a wholly-owned subsidiary of WM, guarantees all of the obligations under the $3.5 billion revolving credit facility.

Commercial Paper Program — We have a commercial paper program that enables us to borrow funds for up to 397 days at competitive interest rates. The rates we pay for outstanding borrowings are based on the term of the notes. The commercial paper program is fully supported by our $3.5 billion revolving credit facility. As of March 31, 2020, we had no outstanding borrowings under our commercial paper program.

Other Letter of Credit Facilities — As of March 31, 2020, we had utilized $525 million of other letter of credit facilities, which are both committed and uncommitted, with terms maturing through April 2021.

Debt Borrowings and Repayments

Senior Notes — In May 2019, WM issued $4.0 billion of senior notes. A portion of the proceeds was used to retire certain high-coupon senior notes as well as for general corporate purposes including the repayment of outstanding commercial paper at the time of the offering. We intend to use the remaining net proceeds of our May 2019 senior notes issuance to pay a portion of the consideration related to our pending acquisition of Advanced Disposal Services, Inc. (“Advanced Disposal”), pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”), which is discussed further in Note 8. Certain of these senior notes due 2024, 2026, 2029 and 2039 with an aggregate principal amount of $3.0 billion, include a special mandatory redemption feature. This feature provides that if the acquisition of Advanced Disposal is not completed on or prior to July 14, 2020, or if, prior to such date, the Merger Agreement is terminated for

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WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

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any reason, we will be required to redeem all of such outstanding notes equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amounts of such notes, plus accrued but unpaid interest.

Canadian Senior Notes — The $30 million decrease during the three months ended March 31, 2020 is due to decreases in the Canadian currency translation rate.

Financing Leases and Other — The decrease during the three months ended March 31, 2020 is due to $25 million of cash repayments primarily related to our federal low-income housing investments, financing leases and other obligations, partially offset by an increase of $5 million associated with non-cash financing arrangements.

Interest Rate Derivatives

In the first quarter of 2020, we entered into a treasury rate lock with a total notional value of $100 million to secure an underlying interest rate in anticipation of a senior note issuance during the second quarter of 2020. We expect to use the net proceeds from this future issuance to repay our 4.75% senior notes due June 2020 and for general corporate purposes. We have designated our treasury lock as a cash flow hedge. All financial statement impacts associated with this financial hedge are immaterial as of and for the quarter ended March 31, 2020. There was no significant ineffectiveness associated with this hedge during the three months ended March 31, 2020.  

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4.    Income Taxes

Our effective income tax rate was 17.0% and 24.8% for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. This decrease in our effective income tax rate was primarily driven by the impacts of excess tax benefits related to equity-based compensation and a non-deductible impairment recognized in 2019, both discussed further below. We evaluate our effective income tax rate at each interim period and adjust it as facts and circumstances warrant.

Equity-Based Compensation — During the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, we recognized a reduction in our income tax expense of $21 million and $13 million, respectively, for excess tax benefits related to the vesting or exercise of equity-based compensation awards.

Investments Qualifying for Federal Tax Credits — We have significant financial interests in entities established to invest in and manage low-income housing properties. We support the operations of these entities in exchange for a pro-rata share of the tax credits they generate. The low-income housing investments qualify for federal tax credits that we expect to realize through 2030 under Section 42 or Section 45D of the Internal Revenue Code.

We also hold a residual financial interest in an entity that owns a refined coal facility that qualified for federal tax credits under Section 45 of the Internal Revenue Code through 2019. The entity sold the majority of its assets in 2020. The sale resulted in a $7 million non-cash impairment of our investment during the three months ended March 31, 2020.

We account for our investments in these entities using the equity method of accounting, recognizing our share of each entity’s results of operations and other reductions in the value of our investments in equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities, within our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. During the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, we recognized $26 million (including the $7 million impairment of the refined coal facility noted above) and $9 million of net losses, respectively. The related reduction in our income tax expense, which is primarily due to federal tax credits realized from the investments, was $24 million and $15 million for the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively. In addition, during the three months ended March 31, 2020 and 2019, we recognized interest expense of $3 million and $2 million, respectively, associated with our investments in low-income housing properties. See Note 13 for additional information related to these unconsolidated variable interest entities.

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WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

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Tax Implications of Impairment — We recognized a $52 million impairment charge during the three months ended March 31, 2019 which was not deductible for tax purposes. See Note 9 for additional information.

Recent Legislation — On March 27, 2020, the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (the “CARES Act”) was enacted in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The CARES Act contains numerous income tax provisions, none of which directly affected our income tax expense in the first quarter of 2020 or are expected to have a material impact on our income tax expense in future reporting periods. The Company is evaluating the impact of the Act and currently expects to benefit from the deferral of certain payroll taxes through the end of calendar year 2020.

5.    Earnings Per Share

Basic and diluted earnings per share for the three months ended March 31 were computed using the following common share data (shares in millions):

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6.    Commitments and Contingencies

Financial Instruments — We have obtained letters of credit, surety bonds and insurance policies and have established trust funds and issued financial guarantees to support tax-exempt bonds, contracts, performance of landfill final capping, closure and post-closure requirements, environmental remediation and other obligations. Letters of credit generally are supported by our $3.5 billion revolving credit facility and other credit facilities established for that purpose. These facilities are discussed further in Note 3. Surety bonds and insurance policies are supported by (i) a diverse group of third-party surety and insurance companies; (ii) an entity in which we have a noncontrolling financial interest or (iii) a wholly-owned insurance captive, the sole business of which is to issue surety bonds and/or insurance policies on our behalf.

Management does not expect that any claims against or draws on these instruments would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. We have not experienced any unmanageable difficulty in obtaining the required financial assurance instruments for our current operations as a result of COVID-19 or other economic factors. In an ongoing effort to mitigate risks of future cost increases and reductions in available capacity, we continue to evaluate various options to access cost-effective sources of financial assurance.

Insurance — We carry insurance coverage for protection of our assets and operations from certain risks including general liability, automobile liability, workers’ compensation, real and personal property, directors’ and officers’ liability, pollution legal liability and other coverages we believe are customary to the industry. Our exposure to loss for insurance claims is generally limited to the per incident deductible under the related insurance policy. Our exposure could increase if our insurers are unable to meet their commitments on a timely basis.

We have retained a significant portion of the risks related to our health and welfare, general liability, automobile liability and workers’ compensation claims programs. “General liability” refers to the self-insured portion of specific third-party claims made against us that may be covered under our commercial General Liability Insurance Policy. For our self-insured portions, the exposure for unpaid claims and associated expenses, including incurred but not reported losses, is

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WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

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based on an actuarial valuation or internal estimates. The accruals for these liabilities could be revised if future occurrences or loss development significantly differ from such valuations and estimates. We use a wholly-owned insurance captive to insure the deductibles for our general liability, automobile liability and workers’ compensation claims programs.

We do not expect the impact of any known casualty, property, environmental or other contingency to have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Guarantees — In the ordinary course of our business, WM and WM Holdings enter into guarantee agreements associated with their subsidiaries’ operations. Additionally, WM and WM Holdings have each guaranteed all of the senior debt of the other entity. No additional liabilities have been recorded for these intercompany guarantees because all of the underlying obligations are reflected in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. See Note 14 for additional information.

As of March 31, 2020, we have guaranteed the obligations and certain performance requirements of third parties in connection with both consolidated and unconsolidated entities, including guarantees to cover certain market value losses for certain properties adjacent to or near 18 of our landfills. Additionally, in connection with the divestiture of our Wheelabrator business in 2014, we agreed to continue providing guarantees of certain of its operational and financial performance obligations. As of March 31, 2020, all such previously outstanding guarantees of Wheelabrator’s obligations have been returned, replaced or expired, with the exception of a financial and performance guarantee pertaining to one Wheelabrator facility. We anticipate this remaining guarantee will be released during the second quarter of 2020, and Wheelabrator has provided surety bonds and a letter of credit to protect us from possible exposure under the guarantee. We have also agreed to indemnify certain third-party purchasers against liabilities associated with divested operations prior to such sale. Additionally, under certain of our acquisition agreements, we have provided for additional consideration to be paid to the sellers if established financial targets or other market conditions are achieved post-closing, and we have recognized liabilities for these contingent obligations based on an estimate of the fair value of these contingencies at the time of acquisition. We do not believe that these contingent obligations will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, and we do not expect the financial impact of operational and financial performance guarantees to materially exceed the recorded fair value.

Environmental Matters — A significant portion of our operating costs and capital expenditures could be characterized as costs of environmental protection. The nature of our operations, particularly with respect to the construction, operation and maintenance of our landfills, subjects us to an array of laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment. Under current laws and regulations, we may have liabilities for environmental damage caused by our operations, or for damage caused by conditions that existed before we acquired a site. In addition to remediation activity required by state or local authorities, such liabilities include potentially responsible party (“PRP”) investigations. The costs associated with these liabilities can include settlements, certain legal and consultant fees, as well as incremental internal and external costs directly associated with site investigation and clean-up.

Estimating our degree of responsibility for remediation is inherently difficult. We recognize and accrue for an estimated remediation liability when we determine that such liability is both probable and reasonably estimable. Determining the method and ultimate cost of remediation requires that a number of assumptions be made. There can sometimes be a range of reasonable estimates of the costs associated with the likely site remediation alternatives identified in the environmental impact investigation. In these cases, we use the amount within the range that is our best estimate. If no amount within a range appears to be a better estimate than any other, we use the amount that is the low end of such range. If we used the high ends of such ranges, our aggregate potential liability would be approximately $145 million higher than the $248 million recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of March 31, 2020. Our ultimate responsibility may differ materially from current estimates. It is possible that technological, regulatory or enforcement developments, the results of environmental studies, the inability to identify other PRPs, the inability of other PRPs to contribute to the settlements of such liabilities, or other factors could require us to record additional liabilities. Our ongoing review of our remediation liabilities, in light of relevant internal and external facts and circumstances, could result in

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WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

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revisions to our accruals that could cause upward or downward adjustments to our balance sheet and income from operations. These adjustments could be material in any given period.

As of March 31, 2020, we have been notified by the government that we are a PRP in connection with 75 locations listed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA’s”) Superfund National Priorities List (“NPL”). Of the 75 sites at which claims have been made against us, 15 are sites we own. Each of the NPL sites we own was initially developed by others as a landfill disposal facility. At each of these facilities, we are working in conjunction with the government to evaluate or remediate identified site problems, and we have either agreed with other legally liable parties on an arrangement for sharing the costs of remediation or are working toward a cost-sharing agreement. We generally expect to receive any amounts due from other participating parties at or near the time that we make the remedial expenditures. The other 60 NPL sites, which we do not own, are at various procedural stages under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, known as CERCLA or Superfund.

The majority of proceedings involving NPL sites that we do not own are based on allegations that certain of our subsidiaries (or their predecessors) transported hazardous substances to the sites, often prior to our acquisition of these subsidiaries. CERCLA generally provides for liability for those parties owning, operating, transporting to or disposing at the sites. Proceedings arising under Superfund typically involve numerous waste generators and other waste transportation and disposal companies and seek to allocate or recover costs associated with site investigation and remediation, which costs could be substantial and could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements. At some of the sites at which we have been identified as a PRP, our liability is well defined as a consequence of a governmental decision and an agreement among liable parties as to the share each will pay for implementing that remedy. At other sites, where no remedy has been selected or the liable parties have been unable to agree on an appropriate allocation, our future costs are uncertain.

On October 11, 2017, the EPA issued its Record of Decision (“ROD”) with respect to the previously proposed remediation plan for the San Jacinto waste pits in Harris County, Texas. McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corporation (“MIMC”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of WM, operated some of the waste pits from 1965 to 1966 and has been named as a site PRP. In 1998, WM acquired the stock of the parent entity of MIMC. MIMC has been working with the EPA and other named PRPs as the process of addressing the site proceeds. On April 9, 2018, MIMC and International Paper Company entered into an Administrative Order on Consent agreement with the EPA to develop a remedial design for the EPA’s proposed remedy for the site. Allocation of responsibility among the PRPs for the proposed remedy has not been established. As of March 31, 2020 and December 31, 2019, the recorded liability for MIMC’s estimated potential share of the EPA’s proposed remedy and related costs was $57 million and $56 million, respectively. MIMC’s ultimate liability could be materially different from current estimates.

Item 103 of the SEC’s Regulation S-K requires disclosure of certain environmental matters when a governmental authority is a party to the proceedings, or such proceedings are known to be contemplated, unless we reasonably believe that the matter will result in no monetary sanctions, or in monetary sanctions, exclusive of interest and costs, of less than $100,000. The following matters are disclosed in accordance with that requirement. We do not currently believe that the eventual outcome of such matters, individually or in the aggregate, could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

On July 10, 2013, the EPA issued a Notice of Violation ("NOV") to Waste Management of Wisconsin, Inc., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of WM, alleging violations of the Resource Conservation Recovery Act concerning acceptance of certain waste that was not permitted to be disposed of at the Metro Recycling & Disposal Facility in Franklin, Wisconsin. The parties are exchanging information and working to resolve the NOV.

On November 25, 2019, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division, issued an NOV to Waste Management of Metro Atlanta, Inc., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of WM. The NOV alleges violations of Georgia environmental statutes and the related permits for Pine Bluff Landfill resulting from

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WASTE MANAGEMENT, INC.

NOTES TO CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS — (Continued)

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slope stability concerns at the landfill that are being remediated. The parties are exchanging information and working to resolve the NOV.

From time to time, we are also named as defendants in personal injury and property damage lawsuits, including purported class actions, on the basis of having owned, operated or transported waste to a disposal facility that is alleged to have contaminated the environment or, in certain cases, on the basis of having conducted environmental remediation activities at sites. Some of the lawsuits may seek to have us pay the costs of monitoring of allegedly affected sites and health care examinations of allegedly affected persons for a substantial period of time even where no actual damage is proven. While we believe we have meritorious defenses to these lawsuits, the ultimate resolution is often substantially uncertain due to the difficulty of determining the cause, extent and impact of alleged contamination (which may have occurred over a long period of time), the potential for successive groups of complainants to emerge, the diversity of the individual plaintiffs’ circumstances, and the potential contribution or indemnification obligations of co-defendants or other third parties, among other factors. Additionally, we often enter into agreements with landowners imposing obligations on us to meet certain regulatory or contractual conditions upon site closure or upon termination of the agreements. Compliance with these agreements inherently involves subjective determinations and may result in disputes, including litigation.

Litigation — As a large company with operations across the U.S. and Canada, we are subject to various proceedings, lawsuits, disputes and claims arising in the ordinary course of our business. Many of these actions raise complex factual and legal issues and are subject to uncertainties. Actions that have been filed against us, and that may be filed against us in the future, include personal injury, property damage, commercial, customer, and employment-related claims, including purported state and national class action lawsuits related to: alleged environmental contamination, including releases of hazardous material and odors; sales and marketing practices, customer service agreements and prices and fees; and federal and state wage and hour and other laws. The plaintiffs in some actions seek unspecified damages or injunctive relief, or both. These actions are in various procedural stages, and some are covered, in part, by insurance. We currently do not believe that the eventual outcome of any such actions will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

WM’s charter and bylaws provide that WM shall indemnify against all liabilities and expenses, and upon request shall advance expenses to any person, who is subject to a pending or threatened proceeding because such person is or was a director or officer of the Company. Such indemnification is required to the maximum extent permitted under Delaware law. Accordingly, the director or officer must execute an undertaking to reimburse the Company for any fees advanced if it is later determined that the director or officer was not permitted to have such fees advanced under Delaware law. Additionally, the Company has direct contractual obligations to provide indemnification to each of the members of WM’s Board of Directors and each of WM’s executive officers. The Company may incur substantial expenses in connection with the fulfillment of its advancement of costs and indemnification obligations in connection with actions or proceedings that may be brought against its former or current officers, directors and employees.

Multiemployer Defined Benefit Pension Plans — About 20% of our workforce is covered by collective bargaining agreements with various local unions across the U.S. and Canada. As a result of some of these agreements, certain of our subsidiaries are participating employers in a number of trustee-managed multiemployer defined benefit pension plans (“Multiemployer Pension Plans”) for the covered employees. In connection with our ongoing renegotiation of various collective bargaining agreements, we may discuss and negotiate for the complete or partial withdrawal from one or more of these Multiemployer Pension Plans. A complete or partial withdrawal from a Multiemployer Pension Plan may also occur if employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement vote to decertify a union from continuing to represent them. Any other circumstance resulting in a decline in Company contributions to a Multiemployer Pension Plan through a reduction in the labor force, whether through attrition over time or through a business event (such as the discontinuation or nonrenewal of a customer contract, the decertification of a union, or relocation, reduction or discontinuance of certain operations) may also trigger a complete or partial withdrawal from one or more of these pension plans. During the first quarter of 2020, we recognized a $3 million charge to operating expenses for the withdrawal from an underfunded Multiemployer Pension Plan.

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We do not believe that any future liability relating to our past or current participation in, or withdrawals from, the Multiemployer Pension Plans to which we contribute will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or liquidity. However, liability for future withdrawals could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or cash flows for a particular reporting period, depending on the number of employees withdrawn and the financial condition of the Multiemployer Pension Plan(s) at the time of such withdrawal(s).

Tax Matters — We participate in the IRS’s Compliance Assurance Process, which means we work with the IRS throughout the year towards resolving any material issues prior to the filing of our annual tax return. Any unresolved issues as of the tax return filing date are subject to routine examination procedures. We are currently in the examination phase of IRS audits for the 2017 through 2020 tax years and expect these audits to be completed within the next 24 months. We are also currently undergoing audits by various state and local jurisdictions for tax years that date back to 2014. We maintain a liability for uncertain tax positions, the balance of which management believes is adequate. Results of audit assessments by taxing authorities are not currently expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

7.    Segment and Related Information

We evaluate, oversee and manage the financial performance of our Solid Waste business subsidiaries through our 17 Areas. The 17 Areas constitute operating segments and we have evaluated the aggregation criteria and concluded that, based on the similarities between our Areas, including the fact that our Solid Waste business is homogenous across geographies with the same services offered across the Areas, aggregation of our Areas is appropriate for purposes of presenting our reportable segments. Accordingly, we have aggregated our 17 Areas into three tiers that we believe have similar economic characteristics and future prospects based in large part on a review of the Areas’ income from operations margins. The economic variations experienced by our Areas are attributable to a variety of factors, including regulatory environment of the Area; economic environment of the Area, including level of commercial and industrial activity; population density; service offering mix and disposal logistics, with no one factor being singularly determinative of an Area’s current or future economic performance.

In the fourth quarter of 2019, as part of our annual review process, we analyzed the Areas’ income from operations margins for purposes of segment reporting and realigned our Solid Waste tiers to reflect recent changes in their relative economic characteristics and prospects. These changes are the results of various factors including acquisitions, divestitures, business mix and the economic climate of various geographies. As a result, we reclassified Western Canada from Tier 1 to Tier 2 and Northern California from Tier 3 to Tier 2. Reclassifications have been made to our prior period condensed consolidated financial information to conform to the current year presentation.

Tier 1 is comprised of our operations across the Southern U.S., with the exception of Southern California and the Florida area, and also includes the New England states and the tri-state area of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio. Tier 2 includes California, Canada, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Tier 3 encompasses all the remaining operations including the Pacific Northwest, the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., the Florida area, Illinois and Missouri.

The operating segments not evaluated and overseen through the 17 Areas are presented herein as “Other” as these operating segments do not meet the criteria to be aggregated with other operating segments and do not meet the quantitative criteria to be separately reported.

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Summarized financial information concerning our reportable segments for the three months ended March 31 is shown in the following table (in millions):

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The mix of operating revenues from our major lines of business for the three months ended March 31 are as follows (in millions):

Fluctuations in our operating results may be caused by many factors, including period-to-period changes in the relative contribution of revenue by each line of business, changes in commodity prices and general economic conditions. Current quarter operating results were negatively impacted by COVID-19, as volumes declined beginning in March 2020 in our landfill, industrial and commercial collection businesses due to steps taken by national and local governments to slow the spread of the virus, including travel bans, prohibitions on group events and gatherings, shutdowns of certain businesses, curfews, shelter-in-place orders and recommendations to practice social distancing.

In addition, our revenues and income from operations typically reflect seasonal patterns. Our operating revenues tend to be somewhat higher in summer months, primarily due to the higher construction and demolition waste volumes. The volumes of industrial and residential waste in certain regions where we operate also tend to increase during the summer months. Our second and third quarter revenues and results of operations typically reflect these seasonal trends.

Service disruptions caused by severe storms, extended periods of inclement weather or climate extremes resulting from climate change can significantly affect the operating results of the Areas affected. On the other hand, certain destructive weather and climate conditions, such as wildfires in the Western U.S. and hurricanes that most often impact

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our operations in the Southern and Eastern U.S. during the second half of the year, can increase our revenues in the Areas affected. While weather-related and other event driven special projects can boost revenues through additional work for a limited time, as a result of significant start-up costs and other factors, such revenue can generate earnings at comparatively lower margins.

8.    Acquisitions

Pending Acquisition

On April 14, 2019, we entered into an Agreement and Plan of Merger to acquire all outstanding shares of Advanced Disposal for $33.15 per share in cash, representing a total enterprise value of $4.9 billion when including approximately $1.9 billion of Advanced Disposal’s net debt. Advanced Disposal’s solid waste network includes 95 collection operations, 73 transfer stations, 41 owned or operated landfills and 22 owned or operated recycling facilities. On June 28, 2019, Advanced Disposal announced that 85.9% of the outstanding shares of its common stock entitled to vote were voted in favor of the proposal to adopt the Merger Agreement at a special meeting of stockholders held that day. Despite the general business disruption caused by COVID-19, we continue to make progress and currently anticipate being in a position to receive final antitrust regulatory approval and proceed toward closing by the end of the second quarter of 2020.

Acquisition

Petro Waste Environmental LP (“Petro Waste”) — On March 8, 2019, Waste Management Energy Services Holdings, LLC, an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of WM, acquired Petro Waste. The acquired business provides comprehensive oilfield environmental services and solid waste disposal facilities in the Permian Basin and the Eagle Ford Shale. The acquisition has expanded our offerings and enhanced the quality of solid waste disposal services for oil and gas exploration and production operations in Texas. Our purchase price was primarily allocated to seven landfills, which are included in our property and equipment. The acquisition accounting for this transaction was finalized in 2019 and was funded with borrowings under our commercial paper program. For the three months ended March 31, 2019, the impact of the acquisition was not material to our consolidated financial statements.

9.  Asset Impairments

Equity in Net Losses of Unconsolidated Entities

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During the first quarter of 2020, we recorded an impairment charge of $7 million related to our investment in a refined coal facility which is discussed further in Note 4. The fair value of our investment was not readily determinable; thus, we determined the fair value using management assumptions pertaining to investment value (Level 3).

Other, Net

During the first quarter of 2019, we recognized a $52 million impairment charge related to our minority-owned investment in a waste conversion technology business. We wrote down our investment to its estimated fair value as the result of a third-party investor’s transactions in these securities. The fair value of our investment was not readily determinable; thus, we determined the fair value utilizing a combination of quoted price inputs for the equity in our investment (Level 2) and certain management assumptions pertaining to investment value (Level 3).

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10.  Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

The changes in the balances of each component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, which is included as a component of Waste Management, Inc. stockholders’ equity, are as follows (in millions, with amounts in parentheses representing decreases to accumulated other comprehensive income):

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