A Dark Vector Cognition product

Cover and table of contents

10K characters. Original on sec.gov · Markdown

Cover and table of contents

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UNITED STATES SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

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Form 10-K

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(Mark One)

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☑ ANNUAL REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

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For the fiscal year ended December 31**, 2025**

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OR

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☐ TRANSITION REPORT PURSUANT TO SECTION 13 OR 15(d) OF THE SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE ACT OF 1934

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For the transition period from to

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Commission file number 1-12154

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Waste Management, Inc**.**

(Exact name of registrant as specified in its charter)

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Delaware73-1309529
(State or other jurisdiction of(I.R.S. Employer
incorporation or organization)Identification No.)
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800 Capitol Street Suite 3000​
Houston**,** Texas77002
(Address of principal executive offices)(Zip code)

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Registrant’s telephone number, including area code:

(713) 512-6200

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

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Title of Each ClassTrading SymbolName of Each Exchange on Which Registered
Common Stock, $0.01 par valueWMNew York Stock Exchange

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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined by Rule 405 of the Securities Act. Yes ☑ No ◻

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Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act. Yes ◻ No ☑

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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 Regulations S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit and post 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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Large accelerated filer ☑Accelerated filer ◻
Non-accelerated filer ◻Smaller reporting company ☐
Emerging growth company ☐

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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 has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☑

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If securities are registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act, indicate by check mark whether the financial statements of the registrant included in the filing reflect the correction of an error to previously issued financial statements. ◻

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Indicate by check mark whether any of those error corrections are restatements that required a recovery analysis of incentive-based compensation received by any of the registrant’s executive officers during the relevant recovery period pursuant to §240.10D-1(b). ◻

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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 aggregate market value of the voting stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant as of June 30, 2025 was approximately $92.0 billion. The aggregate market value was computed by using the closing price of the common stock as of that date on the New York Stock Exchange (“NYSE”). (For purposes of calculating this amount only, all directors and executive officers of the registrant have been treated as affiliates.)

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The number of shares of Common Stock, $0.01 par value, of the registrant outstanding as of February 5, 2026 was 403,335,781 (excluding treasury shares of 226,946,680).

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DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

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Document​ ​Incorporated as to
Proxy Statement for the 2026 Annual Meeting of Stockholders​Part III

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

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​​Page
Cautionary Statement on Forward-Looking Statements3
​PART I​
Item 1.Business4
Item 1A.Risk Factors23
Item 1B.Unresolved Staff Comments38
Item 1C.Cybersecurity38
Item 2.Properties39
Item 3.Legal Proceedings40
Item 4.Mine Safety Disclosures40
​PART II​
Item 5.Market for Registrant’s Common Equity, Related Stockholder Matters and Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities41
Item 6.[Reserved]42
Item 7.Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations42
Item 7A.Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk69
Item 8.Financial Statements and Supplementary Data71
Item 9.Changes in and Disagreements with Accountants on Accounting and Financial Disclosure134
Item 9A.Controls and Procedures134
Item 9B.Other Information135
Item 9C.Disclosure Regarding Foreign Jurisdictions that Prevent Inspections136
​PART III​
Item 10.Directors, Executive Officers and Corporate Governance136
Item 11.Executive Compensation136
Item 12.Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters136
Item 13.Certain Relationships and Related Transactions, and Director Independence136
Item 14.Principal Accounting Fees and Services137
​PART IV​
Item 15.Exhibits137
Item 16.Form 10-K Summary140

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Cautionary Statement About Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains certain forward-looking statements that are made subject to the safe harbor protections provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are often identified by the words, “will,” “may,” “should,” “continue,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “expect,” “target,” “plan,” “forecast,” “project,” “estimate,” “intend,” “commit,” “potential” and words of a similar nature and generally include statements regarding future results of operations, including revenues, earnings or cash flows; plans and objectives for the future, including share repurchases; projections, estimates or assumptions relating to our operational or financial performance, including anticipated impacts of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and the One Big Beautiful Bill Act; projections, estimates or assumptions relating to our capital expenditures; or our opinions, views or beliefs about the effects of current or future events, circumstances or performance.

You should view these statements with caution. These statements are not guarantees of future performance, circumstances or events. They are based on facts and circumstances known to us as of the date the statements are made, and you should not place undue reliance on any such forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from our historical experience and our present expectations or anticipated results. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described in Part I, “Item 1A. Risk Factors” and elsewhere in this Annual Report and may also be described from time to time in our future reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). We do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements to reflect events, circumstances, changes in expectations or other developments after the date of those statements.

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PART I

Next: Item 1. Business.