Environmental
Management System
Maintaining a robust Environmental Management System (EMS) is part of our operating practices and risk mitigation strategy, as detailed in our Environmental Policy. Our EMS is an all-encompassing approach to environmental protection and regulatory compliance with oversight from our Executive Vice President — Engineering and Disposal as well as our Vice President — Engineering and Sustainability, and Vice President, Deputy General Counsel — Compliance and Government Affairs. Waste Connections' EMS is managed by our corporate environmental manager and utilized by more than 1,800 trained professionals in the field. Our EMS is designed to prioritize environmental protection and promote the rapid flow of information from the field to those overseeing the EMS.
In order to ensure and track regulatory compliance, we utilize a proprietary compliance-tracking tool called “the Cube” to provide notifications, tracking and reporting of regulatory and permit-related tasks. The Cube notifies facility managers of upcoming tasks, documents their completion and uploads to each respective site's operating record. Monthly progress reports are provided to corporate environmental managers, resulting in follow-ups at multiple levels of management.
Disposal sites are audited annually by one or more of our environmental professionals who review operating records, infrastructure, physical conditions, and identify potential risks of non-compliance for remediation and documentation. Our EMS also regulates the day-to-day handling and documentation of waste streams generated from operations, with all wastes disposed or recycled by third-party customers inventoried and tracked through our audit function to demonstrate proper handling.
All sites incorporate emergency response planning, including contingencies for responding to various natural disasters or addressing other regional or local needs depending on geography. Regular emergency action plan training further enhances emergency response plans.
