Segment and Related Information | 7. Segment and Related Information Our senior management evaluates, oversees and manages the financial performance of our Solid Waste operations through two operating segments. Our East Tier primarily consists of geographic areas located in the Eastern U.S., the Great Lakes region and substantially all of Canada. Our West Tier primarily includes geographic areas located in the Western U.S., including the upper Midwest region, and British Columbia, Canada. Each of our Solid Waste operating segments provides integrated environmental services, including collection, transfer, recycling, and disposal. The East and West Tiers are presented in this report and constitute our existing Solid Waste business. The operating segments not evaluated and overseen through our East and West Tiers are presented herein as “Other” as these operating segments do not meet the criteria to be aggregated with other operating segments and do not meet the quantitative criteria to be separately reported. Summarized financial information concerning our reportable segments is shown in the following table (in millions): Gross Intercompany Net Income Operating Operating Operating from Revenues Revenues(d) Revenues Operations Three Months Ended June 30: 2023 Solid Waste: East Tier $ 2,761 $ (569) $ 2,192 $ 625 West Tier 2,666 (582) 2,084 618 Solid Waste (a) 5,427 (1,151) 4,276 1,243 Other (b) 901 (58) 843 (13) 6,328 (1,209) 5,119 1,230 Corporate and Other (c) — — — (286) Total $ 6,328 $ (1,209) $ 5,119 $ 944 2022 Solid Waste: East Tier $ 2,609 $ (496) $ 2,113 $ 581 West Tier 2,612 (540) 2,072 608 Solid Waste (a) 5,221 (1,036) 4,185 1,189 Other (b) 901 (59) 842 18 6,122 (1,095) 5,027 1,207 Corporate and Other (c) — — — (317) Total $ 6,122 $ (1,095) $ 5,027 $ 890 Gross Intercompany Net Income Operating Operating Operating from Revenues Revenues(d) Revenues Operations Six Months Ended June 30: 2023 Solid Waste: East Tier $ 5,403 $ (1,103) $ 4,300 $ 1,175 West Tier 5,203 (1,136) 4,067 1,190 Solid Waste (a) 10,606 (2,239) 8,367 2,365 Other (b) 1,756 (112) 1,644 (17) 12,362 (2,351) 10,011 2,348 Corporate and Other (c) — — — (579) Total $ 12,362 $ (2,351) $ 10,011 $ 1,769 2022 Solid Waste: East Tier $ 4,992 $ (941) $ 4,051 $ 1,112 West Tier 5,018 (1,030) 3,988 1,157 Solid Waste (a) 10,010 (1,971) 8,039 2,269 Other (b) 1,758 (109) 1,649 19 11,768 (2,080) 9,688 2,288 Corporate and Other (c) — — — (630) Total $ 11,768 $ (2,080) $ 9,688 $ 1,658 (a) Income from operations provided by our Solid Waste business is generally indicative of the margins provided by our collection, landfill, transfer and recycling lines of business. From time to time, the operating results of our reportable segments are significantly affected by certain transactions or events that management believes are not indicative or representative of our results. Income from operations in our Solid Waste business increased primarily due to (i) revenue growth in our collection and disposal business driven by yield and (ii) fuel tax credits recognized in the current year which were nominal in the prior year period as the majority of our fuel tax credits were not recognized until August 2022 due to the timing of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 (“IRA”). These increases were partially offset by (i) inflationary cost pressures; (ii) labor cost increases from frontline employee wage adjustments and annual merit increases and (iii) reduced profitability in our recycling business from the decline in recycling commodity prices and lower volumes. (b) “Other” includes (i) elements of our Strategic Business Solutions (“WMSBS”) business that are not included in the operations of our reportable segments; (ii) elements of our sustainability business that includes landfill gas-to-energy operations managed by our WM Renewable Energy business, our Sustainability and Environmental Solutions business and recycling brokerage services and not included in the operations of our reportable segments; (iii) certain other expanded service offerings and solutions and (iv) the results of non-operating entities that provide financial assurance and self-insurance support for our Solid Waste business, net of intercompany activity. The decrease in income from operations was due to (i) reduced profitability in our WM Renewable Energy business due to lower market values for renewable fuel standard credits and lower electricity and natural gas prices and (ii) the decline in recycling brokerage commodity prices affecting profitability in our recycling business. (c) “Corporate and Other” operating results reflect certain costs incurred for various support services that are not allocated to our reportable segments. These support services include, among other things, treasury, legal, digital, tax, insurance, centralized service center processes, other administrative functions and the maintenance of our closed landfills. Income from operations for “Corporate and Other” also includes costs associated with our long-term incentive program. The improvement in income from operations was primarily driven by (i) lower annual incentive compensation costs; (ii) lower professional fees in connection with investments in our digital program, as certain strategic projects have now been implemented and (iii) a charge during the first quarter of 2022 to adjust an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary’s estimated potential share of the liability for a proposed environmental remediation plan at a closed site. These lower costs were partially offset by annual merit increases and market adjustments for deferred compensation plans related to investment performance. (d) Intercompany operating revenues reflect each segment’s total intercompany sales, including intercompany sales within a segment and between segments. Transactions within and between segments are generally made on a basis intended to reflect the market value of the service . The mix of operating revenues from our major lines of business are as follows (in millions): Three Months Ended Six Months Ended June 30, June 30, 2023 2022 2023 2022 Commercial $ 1,424 $ 1,355 $ 2,836 $ 2,642 Industrial 974 942 1,907 1,778 Residential 866 832 1,720 1,637 Other collection 191 181 363 334 Total collection 3,455 3,310 6,826 6,391 Landfill 1,265 1,194 2,417 2,245 Transfer 585 554 1,125 1,040 Recycling 370 468 728 921 Other (a) 653 596 1,266 1,171 Intercompany (b) (1,209) (1,095) (2,351) (2,080) Total $ 5,119 $ 5,027 $ 10,011 $ 9,688 (a) The “Other” line of business includes (i) certain services provided by our WMSBS business; (ii) certain services within our sustainability business including our landfill gas-to-energy operations managed by our WM Renewable Energy business; (iii) certain other expanded service offerings and solutions and (iv) the results of non-operating entities that provide financial assurance and self-insurance support for our Solid Waste business, net of intercompany activity. Revenue attributable to collection, landfill, transfer and recycling services provided by our “Other” businesses has been reflected as a component of the relevant line of business for purposes of presentation in this table. (b) Intercompany revenues between lines of business are eliminated in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included within this report. Fluctuations in our operating results may be caused by many factors, including period-to-period changes in the relative contribution of revenue by each line of business, changes in commodity prices and general economic conditions. Our revenues and income from operations typically reflect seasonal patterns. Our operating revenues tend to be somewhat higher in summer months, primarily due to the higher construction and demolition waste volumes. The volumes of industrial and residential waste in certain regions where we operate also tend to increase during the summer months. Our second and third quarter revenues and results of operations typically reflect these seasonal trends. Service or operational disruptions caused by severe storms, extended periods of inclement weather or climate events can significantly affect the operating results of the geographic areas affected. Extreme weather events may also lead to supply chain disruption and delayed project development, or disruption of our customers’ businesses, reducing the amount of waste generated by their operations. Conversely, certain destructive weather and climate conditions, such as wildfires in the Western U.S. and hurricanes that most often impact our operations in the Southern and Eastern U.S. during the second half of the year, can increase our revenues in the geographic areas affected as a result of the waste volumes generated by these events. While weather-related and other event-driven special projects can boost revenues through additional work for a limited time, due to significant start-up costs and other factors, such revenue can generate earnings at comparatively lower margins. |