WM's "Landfill of the Future" Advances Towards Autonomous Equipment Testing

First in the waste industry technology aims to enhance employee safety and improve operational efficiency

Key Highlights

• WM has successfully piloted technology to enable landfill operators to remotely control heavy equipment, improving safety and efficiency
• WM is now collaborating with Caterpillar to test autonomous operation of landfill equipment

HOUSTON, Aug. 3, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- WM announced it is taking the next steps in developing the landfill of the future.  Building on a successful pilot of remote-controlled heavy equipment in landfill operations, WM is further collaborating with Caterpillar to test autonomous heavy equipment solutions.

WM is the first company to utilize the Cat® Command remote-controlled technology in the solid waste industry.  In late 2025, WM began operating a bulldozer equipped with Cat® Command remote-controlled technology at its Marana, Arizona landfill, using the machine to move and disperse waste. 

Based on the success of this remote-controlled technology pilot, WM and Caterpillar will collaborate on testing a Caterpillar-developed autonomous landfill compactor. This effort aims to advance the journey toward additional autonomous solutions in landfill operations.

Watch the following video for more about WM's use of Cat® Command technology.

Remote-controlled technology offers the following benefits including:

• Enhanced operational efficiency and productivity.
• Improved employee safety through remote operation from a climate-controlled environment.
• Increased operational visibility with a 360-degree view enabled by strategically positioned cameras.

Autonomous solutions can offer even-greater operational efficiency, productivity, and help improve safety.

"At WM, technology advancement isn't just a business strategy—it's how we put our people-first approach into action. By leveraging innovation, we're reducing employee exposure to risk from challenging environments," said John Morris, President of WM. "As these technologies evolve, we see significant opportunity for operators to oversee a range of remotely-controlled and autonomous equipment across sites while enhancing safety, efficiency and performance and, at the same time, advance their careers with new skills."

"Collaborating with customers who are pioneering in their industry, like WM, is how we accelerate what's next," said Bob De Lange, Group President for Digital, Technology & Distribution at Caterpillar. "We're excited to work alongside WM on their journey—bringing advanced technologies into real-world operations to improve safety, drive productivity and help advance the landfill of the future."

About WM

WM (WM.com) is North America's leading provider of comprehensive environmental solutions. Previously known as Waste Management and based in Houston, Texas, WM is driven by commitments to put people first and achieve success with integrity. WM, through its subsidiaries, provides collection, recycling and disposal services to millions of residential, commercial, industrial, medical and municipal customers throughout the U.S. and Canada. With innovative infrastructure and capabilities in recycling, organics and renewable energy, WM provides environmental solutions to and collaborates with its customers in helping them pursue their sustainability goals. In North America, WM has the largest disposal network and collection fleet, is the largest recycler and is a leader in beneficial use of landfill gas, with a growing network of renewable natural gas plants and the most landfill gas-to-electricity plants, as well as the largest heavy-duty natural gas truck fleet in the industry. WM, through its subsidiaries, also provides collection and disposal services of regulated medical waste and secure information destruction services in the U.S., Canada and Western Europe. To learn more about WM and the company's sustainability progress and solutions, visit Sustainability.WM.com.

SOURCE WM