Press Release

Simi Valley, CA, January 21, 2009 - The Simi Valley Landfill is one of 24 Wildlife Habitat certified sites featured in Waste Management’s 2008 corporate sustainability report, “The Color of Our World,” which has just been released. The report outlines the internal steps Waste Management is taking to advance its environmental performance, as well as the growing number of environmental services it provides for customers. The report is available at http://www.wm.com/wm/environmental/srr.asp.

“A sustainability program requires everyone in our organization to envision a better future, and take concrete steps to protect and enhance the environment,” said David Steiner, CEO of Waste Management. “Many people identify us by our green trucks and bins, but we want customers to understand we are more than a garbage company; we enable others to succeed by helping them to implement responsible social and environmental business practices. Not only are we setting ambitious targets for our own operations, we are also continually expanding the ways we can help customers thrive through efficient and responsible practices.”

Here in Ventura County Waste Management’s operations include residential, commercial, recycling and industrial services to over 100,000 customers. The Simi Valley Landfill provides environmentally friendly green energy programs that include landfill gas-to-energy, greenwaste, concrete, asphalt, dirt and construction and demolition recycling. The landfill is also recognized by the Wildlife Habitat Council as a certified site for efforts in conservation preservation. We are very proud to be mentioned on page 46 and 49 of the 2008 Sustainability Report for our community partnerships with the Simi Valley Boys and Girls Club, Simi Valley Police Foundation, Simi Valley Education Foundation, Habitat for Humanity and the Simi Valley Boys and Girls Club Business of the Year Award.

“I’m proud to work for a company that has a strategic plan for sustainability, and that’s evident here in Ventura County,” said Mike Smith of Waste Management. “We see sustainability as our fundamental service. We provide environmental solutions and programs for our customers and our communities.”

In 2007, the baseline year of the report, Waste Management established four key goals for corporate sustainability:

• Doubling waste-based energy production: Today, Waste Management creates enough energy to power 1 million homes each year through landfill-gas-to-energy and waste-to-energy facilities. By 2020, the company expects to produce enough electricity to power more than 2 million homes.
• Triple the volume of recyclables: Waste Management currently manages 8 million tons of recyclables, and by 2020 it plans to process more than 20 million tons.
• Improve fuel efficiency: By directing capital spending of up to $500 million per year over the next decade, Waste Management will move to increase fleet efficiency by 15 percent and reduce emissions by 15 percent by 2020.
• Preserve and restore wildlife habitat: Waste Management plans to quadruple the number of its facilities certified by the Wildlife Habitat Council from 24 to 100. By 2020, the company expects to have set aside 25,000 acres for conservation and wildlife habitat.