Privacy Policy

Last Updated September 20, 2024

Waste Management Service Center, Inc. and its affiliates (collectively, “WM”) has created this privacy policy (“Privacy Policy”) in order to demonstrate our firm commitment to your online privacy. The following describes our practices for collecting, using, and disclosing personal information, including without limitation on the WM websites we link to this policy, with service providers concerning individuals conducting work for WM but employed by a third party, and mobile applications (collectively, the “Sites”). This Privacy Policy also applies to contract employees, employees of service providers, and any other individuals conducting work for WM but employed by a third party.

By using a Site, or by choosing to submit personal information to WM, you signify your consent to all of the terms of this Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with any terms of this Privacy Policy, please do not use this Site or submit any personal information to WM. You may withdraw your consent to our use and sharing of your personal information subject to applicable legal and contractual restrictions, however please note that we may be unable to provide certain goods or services to you or process an application on your behalf if you choose to do so.

Please note that when you access any external links from WM’s Sites (including any WM affiliate Sites), they may have different privacy policies specific to those Sites. We are not responsible for such sites, and we encourage you to read all privacy policies posted on the web sites that you visit.

1. Definition of Personal Information

This Privacy Policy applies to any personal information we collect or receive about you, from you or any other source. “Personal information” as used in this Privacy Policy refers to any information that identifies, relates to, describes, or is reasonably capable of being associated with a particular individual and that is recorded in any form (such as your name, your phone number, your postal and email address and your payment information), as further defined in the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (“PIPEDA”) and applicable provincial legislation. It may also include technical information such as your IP address, browser settings and device ID, but only when this information can identify you as an individual. Please note that personal information excludes information that is anonymized and cannot be associated with an identifiable individual and aggregate information which represents compiled data from a group of individuals who can no longer be individually identified.

2. Personal Information Collection

The personal information WM collects directly from you depends on how you use our Sites and services. WM generally collects personal information when you request a service, browse a Site or interact with us directly, as deemed necessary for the purposes defined in this Privacy Policy. For example:

  • Personal identifiers. WM may collect personal information like name, telephone number, e-mail address, government identifiers, home or business and mailing address when you access certain areas of the WM Sites that require registration for certain services, or if you require more information about those services or send us questions, comments, suggestions or complaints.
  • Payment information. If you decide to purchase our products or services, our third-party services providers may need to collect certain additional information, like your credit or debit card number and expiration date, bank routing information and account number.
  • Video images. If you use our services, we also collect photos and videos from cameras on our trucks (such as of our container or receptacle) to analyze the use and delivery of our services. For example, we use this information to determine whether containers have been overfilled, or damaged, and to enforce our terms of service with you.
  • Professional or employment-related information. When you apply for an employment opportunity, we may collect professional or employment related information and other information you submit to us, which may include some of the information described above as well as letters of motivation, your resume, references and any additional information provided by you in an application.

In certain cases, we may collect additional information, as required, such as your transaction history or tendencies (products and/or services purchases, obtained or considered) as well as call recordings when you contact us through our customer support center.

Device Information. When you connect to our services using a custom application (apps), we may collect device-specific information through our website or other technologies such as your device model, operating system, unique device identifiers, and mobile network information. We may associate your unique device identifier or phone number with information that you may have used to register for certain services or purchase products. Server logs that are maintained by us or by our third-party service providers may contain information about the services that you have used, and your device-specific information. We may also maintain digital communication logs that track information like your phone number, calling-party number, forwarding numbers, time and date of calls, duration of calls, and SMS routing information. We may use your device’s IP address or MAC address to track device-event information such as crashes, system activity, hardware settings, browser type, browser language, the date and time of your request and referral URL.

Specialized Information. We may collect and store information (including personal information) locally on your device through our website or other technologies such as browser web storage (including HTML 5), application data caches, cookies or other similar technologies. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a web page server. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. The term “cookie” also includes other similar technologies that store or access information on the user’s device.

Certain services may include a unique application number in connection with the installation of apps. This number and information, including, without limitation, operating system type and app version number may be sent to our service providers when you install, update or uninstall apps. We may also collect and process information about your general geographic location, such as your postal code, IP address, your browser type, pages you view, links you click, the length of time you visit or use the service, browsing paths and digital interactions with our site or apps, interaction with Web sites, apps & ads, and how you use the service.

Surveillance Cameras and Call Recordings. Please be aware that we use cameras capable of video recording in certain locations, including on certain devices, vehicles or containers, to protect our rights, property and safety and those of our employees, customers and the public and in order to look for ways to improve our customers’ experiences. For example, these cameras may capture images of bins that may be damaged or overloaded or that have contamination and WM may then recommend solutions. The purpose of these cameras is not to identify bystanders and when possible, we will be using blurring technology. Where this is applicable, signs will be posted to indicate that cameras are in use. We may also use tools to collect audio, electronic, visual, or similar information such as photographs and images and call/video recordings (e.g., of customer support calls) for similar purposes, including for quality control, employee training and/or for compliance or to fulfill a legal function or obligations.

3. Your Choices and Rights

Changing your communication preferences. You may be offered the opportunity to subscribe to and receive additional information about our products and services. You can change your choices by contacting our customer service e-mail at [email protected]. Each commercial e-mail that we send to you will offer you the opportunity to opt-out of continuing to receive such messages. We may take up to 10 business days to process your opt-out requests. In some instances, we may have already shared your information with one of our authorized service providers before you changed your information preferences, and you may briefly continue to receive e-mail even after you have opted out. Please note that even if you have indicated your choice not to receive commercial emails from us, we may still communicate with you in connection with a service, in accordance with applicable law (for example, to send you important service information or certain transactional messages).

Changing your cookie preferences. We use technology to enhance your experience and present you with offers, including personalized advertising. Through technologies such as cookies, our Sites recognize you when you use or return to them and can provide you with a seamless experience. Depending on the region in which you reside, you may be able to set your browser settings to use our Site without cookies functionality, to manage your cookie consent preferences by clicking on “Cookies Preferences” in the footer of our Sites or in our cookie banner, and/or to delete the cookies already stored on your computer. Please note that if you block or delete cookies, you may not be able to utilize the features of the services on our Site  to their fullest potential and we will not be able to present personally-tailored content and  advertisements to you.

Depending on the region in which you reside, your browser may provide you with some options regarding cookies. For more detailed information about how to disable or administer your cookie settings in your web browser, please refer to the applicable page for the browser you are using:

4. Our Use and Sharing of Your Personal Information

Uses of Personal Information. WM may use personal information to operate our business and provide our services, to respond to your inquires or complaints, to process job applications, to improve our Sites and services, for marketing and advertising purposes, and for legal, safety, and security purposes, including to protect our rights, property and safety and those of our employees, customers and the public and to detect and prevent fraud. For example, we use this information to analyze the use and delivery of our services, such as determining whether containers have been overfilled, or damaged, and to enforce our terms of service with you.

We use cookies and similar technologies for capturing usage Information (collectively “Tracking Technologies”) for the following purposes:

  • Essential. We may use cookies or other Tracking Technologies that we consider ‎are strictly necessary to allow you to use and access our Site, including cookies ‎required to prevent fraudulent activity and improve security.‎ These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. They are usually only set in response to actions made by you, which amount to a request for services, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in or filling in forms. Some of these cookies do not collect personal information. We also use other first-party cookies to collect certain measurement data that are necessary to help us manage our business activities and that do not collect your personal information. You can set your browser to block or alert you about these cookies, but some parts of the site may not work properly. Some of these cookies do not collect personal information.
  • Performance Related. We may use cookies or other Tracking Technologies that are useful ‎in order to assess the performance of our web services, including as part of our analytic ‎practices or otherwise to improve the content, products or services offered through our web services.‎ These cookies allow us to count visits and traffic sources so we can measure and improve the performance of our website. They help us to know which pages are the most and least popular and see how visitors move around the site
  • Advertising Related. We may use Tracking Technologies to deliver content relevant to your ‎interests on our Site and third-party sites based on how you interact with our content. ‎ These cookies are used by third parties to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant adverts on other sites. This includes using Tracking Technologies to understand the usefulness to you of the ‎content that has been delivered to you.‎ They are generally based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device.

We use both first- and third-party cookies. First-party cookies are set by WM, and third-party cookies are cookies set from a domain different to our domain. You may obtain more information on third-party cookies and our vendors by clicking here: https://www.wm.com/ca/en/privacy/cookies.

We do not control third party websites and are not responsible for their privacy statements. Please refer to any third party’s privacy policy for information on what information they collect, how they use it, and how long it is stored. If you want to block all cookies, you may be able to do so by activating the settings in your browser(s). However, if you use your browser settings to block all cookies (including those strictly necessary for our website to function) then you may not be able to access all or parts of our website.

We may also use your personal information to communicate with you in a variety of ways (for example, by email, telephone, text message, direct mail or through our online support services) about our programs, products, services, special offers, promotions, contests or events that may be of interest to you. If you no longer wish to receive our commercial electronic messages, please follow the unsubscribe procedure included in each of these messages. For more information on this topic, see Your Choices and Rights.

Sharing. At times WM may use the services of independent companies to provide certain services to you, including, without limitation, to entities affiliated to WM, website hosting services, payment processing, product promotions, order processing and shipping services, companies assisting us in conducting business (including waste vendors and governmental entities), information technology vendors and visitor surveys. WM may share your personal information with these service providers as appropriate under our business models, including to assist us in carrying out the purposes described in this Privacy Policy, or otherwise disclosed to you, it being understood that they will only be permitted to use the information as part of the performance of their work for us or when the disclosure of the information is required by law and that such third parties will have appropriate privacy standards in place. Other than our service providers, we do not share personally identifiable information with non-related third parties without your consent, except to the extent necessary to complete your request for products and services offered through the WM Sites.

WM may also use or disclose your personal information as is necessary to: (a) comply with a subpoena or court order; (b) cooperate with law enforcement or other government agencies; (c) establish or exercise our legal rights; (d) protect the property or safety of our company and employees, contractors, vendors, suppliers, the public and customers; (e) assert or defend against legal claims; (f) help with internal and external investigations; (g) to complete a business transaction or in the context of a prospective transaction, such as a transfer of assets or shares or merger, in accordance with applicable legal requirements, or (g) as otherwise required by law or permitted by law. We may disclose your information in connection with the sale or merger of a WM company or any transaction that involves the sale or assignment of some or all of our assets.

5. Data Storage and Security

WM has implemented physical, electronic, and procedural security measures to assist with safeguarding your personal information in our possession, and to help protect against unauthorized access and disclosure. Only our authorized personnel and those of our service providers who perform legitimate business functions for WM are authorized to access your personal information.

We maintain policies and practices which ensure the protection of your personal information. Depending on the volume and sensitivity of the information, the purposes for which it is used and the format in which it is stored, we implement a combination of measures to protect your personal information, including:

  • Internal policies and procedures that define the roles and responsibilities of our employees throughout the information life cycle and limit their access to such information on a “need-to-know” basis;
  • If information is collected or stored in electronic format, technical safeguards such as encryption, firewalls, antivirus software and similar measures;
  • A designated Privacy Officer to monitor WM’s compliance with applicable data protection laws;
  • Employee privacy and data security training;
  • Procedures for receiving, investigating and responding to complaints or inquiries regarding WM’s information handling practices, including any security incidents involving personal information;
  • Framework governing the retention and destruction of personal information, as more fully described above in the Data Integrity and Retention section of this Privacy Policy;
  • Contractual protections and other measures to ensure that service providers with whom we share personal information maintain adequate privacy protections and standards. For example, we generally require our service providers to limit their use and retention of personal information to what is necessary to provide their services and to notify us in case of any actual or suspected security incident. We also try to monitor and audit their compliance with these requirements in various ways (e.g. on-site inspections (if feasible), surveys and interviews, proof of certification).

Notwithstanding our efforts, the Internet has inherent security risks. WM cannot promise, and you should not expect, that your personal information, personal searches, and other communications will always remain secure. You should take care with regard to how you handle and disclose your personal information or any username or password that you are required to use to access services on our Sites.

6. We transfer Personal Information Outside Canada

Some or all of the personal information we collect may be stored, accessed or processed on servers located outside your jurisdiction of residence (for example, outside your province or outside Canada), whose data protection laws may differ from the jurisdiction in which you live. As a result, this information may be subject to access requests from governments, courts, or law enforcement in those jurisdictions according to laws in those jurisdictions.

By providing us with personal information, you understand and expressly agree that we may transfer it outside of Canada to, for example, the United States of America and/or India, or your jurisdiction of residence. If you do not agree to the transfer of your personal information outside of Canada, do not provide us with personal information.

7. Children and Data Collection

WM’s Sites are general audience Sites. WM’s Site content is not directed toward children who are under the age of 14. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children or minors. If WM becomes aware that a child has provided us with personal information without parental consent, that information will be deleted from our databases. If you have questions about personal information that may have been submitted by your child, please contact us as indicated in the Privacy Support Contact section below.

8. Accessing and Correcting your Personal Information

You may request access to your personal information and to request a correction to it if you believe it is inaccurate, incomplete or no longer up to date, subject to limited exceptions set out in applicable laws.

Depending on the law applicable in the jurisdiction where you reside and subject to legal or contractual restrictions, you may also be entitled to:

  • Request information on automated processing of your personal information. You can obtain information on the personal information used to render the decision (and request that this information be correct) and the reasons, principal factors and parameters that led to the decision.
  • Obtain a copy of the personal information we collected from you.
  • Obtain additional information about data processing, including the personal information collected and how it is processed by WM.

To submit a request, please contact us as indicated in the Privacy Support Contact section below. We may require you to verify your identity before processing your request.

9. Data Integrity and Retention

WM will only process personal information in a way that is compatible with and relevant for the purpose for which it was collected or authorized by you.

Please note that we will only retain your personal information for as long as reasonably necessary for the above purposes or as required by law. Once no longer required, your personal information will be securely destroyed or anonymized, in compliance with applicable laws.

10. This Privacy Policy May Change

WM may update this Privacy Policy from time to time, and you should take the time to review it each time that you visit one of our Sites. The Privacy Policy is current as of the date which appears at the top of this page. By using one of our Sites, or providing us with personal information after we update this Privacy Policy, you agree to this Privacy Policy as revised. If the changes we make are significant, we will provide a more prominent notice and obtain consent when required by applicable laws. If you do not agree to the changes in our Privacy Policy, it is your responsibility to stop using our Sites. It is your obligation to ensure that you read, understand and agree to the latest version of the Privacy Policy.

11. Privacy Support Contact

WM is committed to protecting your personal privacy. If you have questions or comments about our efforts to protect your personal privacy, or if you require additional information about WM’s privacy commitment or practices, please contact us at [email protected]. You may also write to our Privacy Officer at:

WM, Attn: WM Privacy Team
800 Capitol St. Suite 3000
Houston, Texas 77002