Waste Management 2013 Annual Report Download - page 150

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Discussion and Analysis
We owned or operated 262 solid waste and five secure hazardous waste landfills at December 31, 2013 and
264 solid waste and five secure hazardous waste landfills at December 31, 2012. At December 31, 2013 and
2012, the expected remaining capacity, in cubic yards and tonnage of waste that can be accepted at our owned or
operated landfills, is shown below (in millions):
December 31, 2013 December 31, 2012
Remaining
Permitted
Capacity
Expansion
Capacity
Total
Capacity
Remaining
Permitted
Capacity
Expansion
Capacity
Total
Capacity
Remaining cubic yards ..... 4,839 279 5,118 4,778 592 5,370
Remaining tonnage ....... 4,769 282 5,051 4,558 612 5,170
Based on remaining permitted airspace as of December 31, 2013 and projected annual disposal volumes, the
weighted average remaining landfill life for all of our owned or operated landfills is approximately 46 years.
Many of our landfills have the potential for expanded disposal capacity beyond what is currently permitted. We
monitor the availability of permitted disposal capacity at each of our landfills and evaluate whether to pursue an
expansion at a given landfill based on estimated future waste volumes and prices, remaining capacity and
likelihood of obtaining an expansion permit. We are seeking expansion permits at 25 of our landfills that meet
the expansion criteria outlined in the Critical Accounting Estimates and Assumptions section above. Although no
assurances can be made that all future expansions will be permitted or permitted as designed, the weighted
average remaining landfill life for all owned or operated landfills is approximately 49 years when considering
remaining permitted airspace, expansion airspace and projected annual disposal volume.
The number of landfills we own or operate as of December 31, 2013, segregated by their estimated
operating lives (in years), based on remaining permitted and expansion airspace and projected annual disposal
volume, was as follows:
0to5 6to10 11 to 20 21 to 40 41+ Total
Owned ................................. 9 12 29 63 96 209
Operated through lease(a) .................. 6 3 4 2 7 22
Operating contracts(b) ..................... 11 5 7 5 8 36
Total landfills ............................ 26 20 40 70 111 267
(a) Landfills we operate through lease agreements are similar to landfills we own because we own the landfill’s
operating permit and will operate the landfill for the entire lease term, which in many cases is the life of the
landfill. We are usually responsible for the final capping, closure and post-closure obligations of the
landfills we lease.
(b) For operating contracts, the property owner owns the permit and we operate the landfill for a contracted
term, which may be the life of the landfill. However, we are generally responsible for final capping, closure
and post-closure obligations under the operating contracts.
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