Environmental Policy

Environmental Policy Statement

Environmental Policy Statement

Purpose

As a leading integrated provider of waste services in North America, Waste Connections, Inc. recognizes the importance of our role in supporting the development of a sustainable and prosperous society and in protecting the health and safety of our local communities.  These priorities inspire us to build trust through collaboration and to embody a culture that drives on-going improvement in our business practices toward a more sustainable future.  Waste Connections is focused on environmental protection and compliance and believes that the integration of sustainable business practices into our company will create lasting benefits for our stakeholders.

To better articulate our policies and programs and to communicate them effectively throughout our organization and to those with whom we do business, we have developed this Environmental Policy Statement (this “Policy Statement”).  Our Board of Directors exercises oversight over Waste Connections’ compliance programs and has endorsed this Policy Statement.  Our management, including our Vice President – Engineering and Sustainability, oversees the implementation of this Policy Statement and coordinates our efforts to ensure that a clear statement of our general policies and principles concerning environmental protection and compliance is available throughout our organization.

Waste Connections intends to operate in an environmentally responsible manner to reduce our impact on climate change, conserve natural resources, and comply with applicable environmental laws and regulations.  This Policy Statement helps to advance those goals.

Scope

This Policy Statement applies to Waste Connections, Inc., its subsidiaries, operating divisions and affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, and employees.  This Policy Statement applies to all business operations in which Waste Connections has at least a fifty-percent ownership interest.  Waste Connections will devote sufficient resources to implement this Policy Statement over time and to train our employees to carry out its objectives. Waste Connections will work to expand the scope of this Policy Statement to include its application to third-party business partners with which Waste Connections conducts a significant volume of work.

Policy

Environmental Compliance.  Waste Connections believes that our stakeholders benefit from a strong compliance function.  Waste Connections works to comply with all applicable federal, state, provincial and local environmental, health and safety (“EHS”) laws and regulations as a minimum standard for our operations.  In certain areas, we encourage business practices that exceed simply complying.  As appropriate, Waste Connections will adopt frameworks to develop and report data from our operations using environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) metrics required by regulatory agencies with jurisdiction, including without limitation: the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission; and other state, provincial, local and Canadian regulatory agencies having jurisdiction over our operations.

Operational Standards.  Waste Connections will operate in a responsible manner designed to be protective of the environment, our employees and the communities in which we operate. Waste Connections has established practices to monitor environmental compliance, evaluate risk, and reduce pollution and adverse operational consequences.

Environmental Management System or “EMS.”  Waste Connections utilizes and strives to regularly improve our EMS (The Cube, the Environmental Compliance Audit Center, and/or other future systems) to track, audit, respond, and promote EHS compliance on a corporate and site-by-site basis, and implement measures to reduce recurrence of any deficiencies identified.  Ongoing improvement of our EMS includes our efforts to better ensure that our data is accurate and complete, and in a format that allows for effective and timely reporting, as required by applicable laws and rules, or as desirable.

Facility Management, Closure and Rehabilitation / Biodiversity.  Waste Connections will strive to ensure its facilities are constructed and maintained in accordance with applicable laws, that operational and environmental monitoring programs are reviewed and improved, where necessary, and that our operational procedures and contractual relationships foster appropriate management of effluent, and waste classification, acceptance and management.  As facilities are developed, operated and transitioned into closure, we will ensure that site construction, operation and closure plans are compliant with applicable laws and rules, and work to design such plans to be effective at restoring the land to a condition that is hospitable to the biodiversity of the surrounding environment.

Emergency Preparedness.  Waste Connections has established and will improve as necessary emergency response action plans on a site-specific basis, including processes to guide site personnel and local community service providers during emergency events.  As necessary, local stakeholders will be engaged into response planning and implementation.

Resource Efficiency.  Waste Connections will work to reduce internal waste generation to mitigate our environmental impact and undertake reasonable efforts to improve fleet fuel management on a company-wide basis.  Waste Connections will also evaluate methodologies to reduce GHG and other emissions from our operations.

External Communication.  Waste Connections will promote the benefits of pollution prevention, environmental stewardship, and proper waste management, including resource recovery, to local stakeholders and customers.

Stakeholder Engagement.  Waste Connections will strive to engage our stakeholders as part of our environmental decision-making process and strive to integrate stakeholder considerations, where appropriate, in a commercially reasonable way. Waste Connections will promote the fair treatment and opportunity for meaningful involvement in our environmental decision-making processes of those within the communities we serve.

Environmental Performance Measurement.  Waste Connections will report our environmental progress, including on ESG issues, through our Sustainability Reports, and, as required by applicable regulatory agencies.

Employee Training.  Waste Connections provides appropriate training required by applicable laws as well as oversight and resources to our employees to promote awareness and successful implementation of this Policy Statement.

Implementation and Enforcement

Policy Integration.  Waste Connections will integrate environmental and ESG considerations, including, but not limited to, reduction of GHG emissions and related climate change impacts, generation and use of clean, renewable energy, and opportunities for growth of recycling and waste diversion, into our strategic planning and operational management processes.

Risk Management.  Waste Connections will incorporate environmental risk assessment, including the potential impact from climate change, into our enterprise risk management process.

Corporate Management.  Waste Connections’ management, including our Vice President – Engineering and Sustainability, is responsible for communicating and implementing this Policy Statement; however, all employees are responsible for adhering to this Policy Statement.  Waste Connections’ management will monitor, audit, investigate and evaluate operations on an on-going basis and make recommendations to the Board of Directors on programs or modifications to programs that should improve Waste Connections’ environmental and ESG performance.  The Board of Directors and executive management will monitor Waste Connections’ environmental performance and this Policy Statement and recommend updates as needed and appropriate.

Policy Communication.  Any employee who suspects or becomes aware of any actual or potential violation of this Policy Statement, any actual or potential threat to  health or the environment caused by our operations, or any other actual or potentially illegal or unethical behavior involving any Waste Connections personnel or operations, should immediately report such suspected or known activity through Waste Connections’ confidential Ethics and Compliance Hotline at http://www.wasteconnections.ethicspoint.com/ or (877) 797-3674, or call Waste Connections’ Legal Department at (832) 442-2288. This Policy Statement and all subsequent material modifications will be communicated to all officers, directors and employees, and will be made available to the public.

Variances from Policy.  Any variance from this Policy must be in writing and obtained from our Vice President – Engineering and Sustainability.

Updated:  July 26, 2022