Think Green

Sometimes our responsibility to help has a greater urgency and we are well prepared to lend a hand. When disaster strikes, there is no substitute for having Waste Management in the community. Our company is often called upon to help, whether the crisis comes in the form of floods, fires, earthquakes, storms or hurricanes. That’s because WM has the resources, the network of assets and the expertise to handle the intensive work required in disaster cleanups. We are able to send extra manpower and equipment into the area, put plans in place and people on the job as quickly as is safely possible, and provide specialized services such as hazardous waste disposal and contaminated soil remediation. It is no surprise that WM is often contracted by the Federal Emergency Management Agency to coordinate disaster cleanups.

WM Turns Wheels to Benefit Disaster Relief Efforts
In 2005, the American Red Cross presented Waste Management with its Circle of Humanitarians Award in recognition of the company's contribution to tsunami relief. Waste Management was the winning bidder for the celebrity-autographed Harley

Davidson, auctioned by The Tonight Show's host Jay Leno to raise money following the December 2004 disaster. The winning bid was $800,100. The Circle of Humanitarians Award is the National Red Cross' highest honor and recognizes financial support of the organization's services for those in need. Later in the year, the Harley Davidson was placed on the auction block once again, this time to raise money for hurricane relief efforts in the United States. Waste Management sold the motorcycle for $1 million, which benefited the Bush-Clinton Katrina Fund.

WM Sets Up Camp in Aftermath of Katrina
Following Hurricane Katrina, Waste Management set up a temporary housing village just outside New Orleans to provide meals, sleeping quarters, Internet communications and medical care for 250 employees during the rebuilding effort. The company sent more than 50 trucks, 2,000 containers, 200 people and a mobile disaster unit to the area to assist with the recovery and cleanup. A support fund of nearly $650,000, consisting of donations by employees, vendors and matching corporate funds, provided help for employees directly affected by the 2005 hurricanes.