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Waste Management Makes Money From Hauling Garbage. But It Expects More Than Half of Its Profit Growth to Come From

Summary

The article highlights Waste Management's unexpected profit growth strategy. While the company's primary revenue source involves hauling and disposing of trash in its extensive landfill network, Waste Management has found hidden value in the decomposition process. The decomposition of waste in landfills releases landfill gases (LFGs), which can be harvested to produce electricity or refined into renewable natural gas (RNG). Waste Management is prioritizing the conversion of LFG to RNG, having built five facilities between 2015 and 2022 and planning to construct 20 more by 2026. Despite significant capital expenditures, the company expects these RNG facilities to generate $450 million in annual free cash flow by 2026, constituting over half of its projected profit growth.

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