RSG US Equity☆

ITEM 1A. RISK FACTORS

Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains certain forward-looking information about us that is intended to be covered by the safe harbor for “forward-looking statements” provided by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements are statements that are not historical facts. Words such as “guidance,” “expect,” “will,” “may,” “anticipate,” “plan,” “estimate,” “project,” “intend,” “should,” “can,” “likely,” “could,” “outlook” and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. Among other sections of this Form 10-K, the Risk Factors and Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations include forward-looking statements. These statements include statements about our plans, strategies and prospects. Forward-looking statements are not guarantees of performance. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and are subject to risk and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in, or implied or projected by, the forward-looking information and statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, such expectations may not prove to be correct. Among the factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations expressed in the forward-looking statements are:

•general economic and market conditions, including inflation and changes in fuel, interest rates, international trade restrictions, labor, risk, health insurance and other variable costs that generally are not within our control, and our exposure to credit and counterparty risk;

•fluctuations in prices for recycled commodities that we sell to customers;

•whether our estimates and assumptions concerning critical accounting issues are correct or appropriate, including estimates and assumptions concerning selected balance sheet accounts, income tax accounts, final capping, closure, post-closure and remediation costs, available airspace, projected costs and expenses related to our landfills and property and equipment, fair values of acquired assets and liabilities assumed in our acquisitions and labor, fuel rates and economic and inflationary trends;

•competition and demand for services in the environmental services industry;

20

Table of Contents

•price increases to our customers, which may not be adequate to offset the impact of increased costs, including labor, third-party disposal and fuel and may cause us to lose volume;

•our ability to manage growth and execute our growth strategy;

•our compliance with, and future changes in, environmental and flow control regulations and our ability to obtain approvals from regulatory agencies in connection with operating and expanding our landfills and other facilities;

•the impact on us of our substantial indebtedness, including on our ability to obtain financing on acceptable terms to finance our operations and growth strategy and to operate within the limitations imposed by financing arrangements;

•our ability to retain our investment grade ratings for our debt;

•our dependence on key personnel;

•our dependence on large, long-term collection, transfer and disposal contracts;

•the capital intensive nature of our business, which may consume cash in excess of cash flow from operations;

•exposure to liabilities or losses, to the extent not adequately covered by insurance, which could result in substantial expenses;

•risks associated with undisclosed liabilities of acquired businesses;

•risks associated with pending and future legal proceedings, including litigation, audits or investigations brought by or before any governmental body;

•severe weather conditions, including those brought about by climate change, which could impair our financial results by causing increased costs, loss of revenue, reduced operational efficiency or disruptions to our operations;

•compliance with existing and future legal and regulatory requirements, including changes relating to PFAS and other chemicals of emerging concern and limitations or bans on disposal of certain types of wastes or on the transportation of waste, which could limit our ability to conduct or grow our business, increase our costs to operate or require additional capital expenditures;

•our ability to achieve reduction in our greenhouse gas emissions and our other sustainability goals;

•safety and operational risks, including the risk of personal injury to our employees or third parties;

•potential increases in our costs if we are required to provide additional funding to any multiemployer pension plan to which we contribute or if a withdrawal event (including our voluntary withdrawal, which we consider from time to time, or the mass withdrawal of all contributing employers from any underfunded multiemployer pension plan) occurs with respect to any such plan;

•the negative impact on our operations of union organizing campaigns, work stoppages or labor shortages;

•the negative effect that trends toward requiring recycling, waste reduction at the source and prohibiting the disposal of certain types of wastes could have on volumes of waste going to landfills;

•changes by the Financial Accounting Standards Board or other accounting regulatory bodies to generally accepted accounting principles or policies;

•the impact of United States and international tax laws and regulations on our business;

•risks related to interruptions and breaches of our information technology systems that could adversely affect, or temporarily disable, all or a portion of our operations or have a negative effect on our infrastructure;

•the negative impact that a cyber-security incident could have on our business and our relationships with customers and employees; and

•acts of war, riots or terrorism, including the continuing war on terrorism, as well as actions taken or to be taken by the United States or other governments as a result of further acts or threats of terrorism and the impact of these acts on economic, financial and social conditions in the United States.

The risks included here are not exhaustive. Refer to the Risk Factors in this Item 1A for further discussion regarding our exposure to risks. You should be aware that any forward-looking statement in this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents incorporated herein by reference or elsewhere, speaks only as of the date on which we make it. Additionally, new risk factors emerge from time to time and it is not possible for us to predict all such risk factors, or to assess the impact such risk factors might have on our business or the extent to which any factor or combination of factors may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance on any forward-

21

Table of Contents

looking statement. Except to the extent required by applicable law or regulation, we undertake no obligation to update or publish revised forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and the documents incorporated by reference, as the case may be, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.

Risks Related to Our Business and Operations

The environmental services industry is highly competitive and includes competitors that may have greater financial and operational resources, flexibility to reduce prices or other competitive advantages that could make it difficult for us to compete effectively.

We principally compete with large national waste management companies, numerous municipalities and numerous regional and local companies. Competition for collection accounts is typically based on the quality of services, ease of doing business and/or price. Competition for disposal business is primarily based on geographic location, quality of operations and price. One of our competitors may have greater financial and operational resources than we do. Further, many counties and municipalities that operate their own collection and disposal facilities have the benefits of tax revenue and greater opportunities for tax-exempt financing. Our ability to obtain solid waste volume for our landfills also may be limited by the fact that some major collection operations also own or operate landfills to which they send their waste. In certain markets in which we do not own or operate a landfill, our collection operations may have difficulty competing effectively. We are also subject to risks associated with contracts awarded by municipalities and other entities through competitive bidding. For example, we may not be the successful bidder, we may need to lower our price in order to win or retain a contract, and our competitors may have lower financial expectations that permit them to reduce their prices in order to win a contract. If we were to lose market share or if we were to lower prices to address competitive issues, it could negatively impact our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Increases in the cost of fuel or petrochemicals increase our operating expenses, and we may not be able to recover such cost increases from our customers.

We depend on fuel purchased in the open market to operate our collection and transfer trucks and other equipment used for collection, transfer, disposal and other environmental services. Fuel prices are unpredictable and fluctuate significantly based on events beyond our control, including geopolitical developments, actions by the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other oil and gas producers, changes in refinery operations, supply and demand for oil and gas, war, terrorism and unrest in oil-producing countries, adverse weather and regional production patterns. Due to contractual or market factors, we may not be able to offset increased fuel costs resulting from such volatility through fuel recovery fees. Our fuel costs were $470 million in 2024, or 2.9% of revenue, compared to $542 million in 2023, or 3.6% of revenue.

At current consumption levels, a twenty-cent per gallon change in the price of diesel fuel changes our fuel costs by approximately $27 million on an annual basis. Offsetting these changes in fuel expense would be changes in our fuel recovery fee charged to our customers. At current participation rates, we believe a twenty-cent per gallon change in the price of diesel fuel changes our fuel recovery fee by approximately $38 million. A substantial rise or drop in fuel costs could materially affect our revenue and cost of operations.

Over the last decade, regulations have been adopted mandating changes in the composition of fuels for motor vehicles. The renewable fuel standards that the EPA sets annually affect the type of fuel our motor vehicle fleet uses. It is difficult to predict the quantity of renewable fuel volumes that the EPA will mandate for future years. These regulations are one of many factors that may affect the cost of the fuel we use.

Part of our fleet of vehicles is powered by CNG and we also operate CNG fueling stations. We have invested higher upfront capital costs in order to purchase and support our CNG vehicles and fueling stations in order to reduce our overall fleet operating costs through lower fuel expenses and to create a competitive advantage in communities that focus on protecting the environment. CNG is not yet widely adopted in North America. As the CNG industry develops, new regulations, the availability of alternative fuel technologies, fluctuations in the price or availability of CNG or reductions in tax incentives for the use of CNG vehicles could substantially affect our revenue and costs of operations and reduce the benefits sought by investing in CNG vehicles and fueling stations.

Our operations also require the use of products (such as liners at our landfills) whose costs may vary with the price of petrochemicals. An increase in the price of petrochemicals could increase the cost of those products, which would increase our operating and capital costs. Petrochemical prices, and hence our operating and capital costs, may be further affected by regulatory efforts to reduce greenhouse gases from the industries that produce such petrochemicals. We are also susceptible to increases in fuel recovery fees from our vendors.

Fluctuations in prices for recycled commodities that we sell to customers may adversely affect our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

22

Table of Contents

We purchase or collect and process recyclable materials such as paper, cardboard, plastics, aluminum and other metals for sale to third parties. Our results of operations may be affected by changing prices or market requirements for recyclable materials. The resale and purchase prices of, and market demand for, recyclable materials are volatile due to changes in economic conditions and numerous other factors beyond our control. For instance, in 2017 the Chinese government imposed strict limits on the import of recyclable materials, including by restricting the amount of contaminants allowed in imported recycled paper. These limitations significantly decreased the global demand for recyclable materials and resulted in lower commodity prices. Significant price fluctuations or increased operating costs may affect our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In 2024, approximately 82% of our recycling center volume was fiber-based and included OCC, ONP and other mixed paper.

At current volumes and mix of materials, we believe a $10 per ton change in the price of recycled commodities change both annual revenue and operating income by approximately $11 million. Accordingly, a substantial rise or drop in recycled commodity prices could materially affect our revenue and operating income. Although we have entered into hedging agreements to help offset volatility in recycled commodity prices in the past, we do not have any such hedging agreements currently, and we may not enter into these agreements in the future.

Acute and chronic weather events, including those brought about by climate change, may adversely impact our operations and increase the costs of collection, transfer, disposal and other environmental services we provide.

Our operations could be adversely impacted by extreme weather events, changing weather patterns and rising mean temperature and sea levels, some of which we are already experiencing. For example, we have operations in multiple states that are affected by hurricanes and/or wildfires, and we have seen the impact of storms and associated flooding or other damage in our day-to-day operations and to our infrastructure. Changing weather patterns and rising temperatures are expected to result in more severe heat waves, fires, storms and other extreme weather events. Any of these factors could increase the volume of material collected or processed under our existing contracts (without corresponding compensation), impede our employees' and equipment's ability to operate, result in asset impairment, disrupt our supply chain, delay the development of landfill capacity, or reduce the volume of material generated by our customers. In addition, while we have business continuity plans in place for severe weather, natural disasters and other emergencies, these events may result in the temporary suspension of our operations, which can significantly affect our operating results in the affected regions during those periods.

The environmental services industry is a capital-intensive industry and our capital expenditures may exceed current expectations, which could require us to obtain additional funding for our operations or impair our ability to grow our business.

Our ability to remain competitive and to grow our business largely depends on our cash flow from operations and access to capital. If our capital efficiency programs cannot offset the effect of inflation and business growth, it may be necessary to increase the amount we spend. Additionally, if we make acquisitions or further expand our operations, the amount we spend on capital, capping, closure, post-closure, environmental remediation and other items will increase. Our cash needs also will increase if the expenditures for capping, closure, post-closure and remediation activities increase above our current estimates, which may occur over a long period due to changes in federal, state, provincial, or local government requirements and other factors beyond our control. Increases in expenditures would negatively impact our cash flows.

We may be unable to obtain or maintain required permits or to expand existing permitted capacity of our facilities, which could decrease our revenue and increase our costs.

We cannot assure you that we will be able to obtain or maintain the permits required for our operations because permits to operate new landfills, transfer stations and other facilities, or to expand the permitted capacity of existing landfills, increase acceptable volume at transfer stations or otherwise increase the capabilities of our facilities, have become more difficult and expensive to obtain and maintain. Permits often take years to obtain as a result of numerous hearings and compliance requirements with regard to zoning, environmental and other regulations. These permits are also often subject to resistance from citizen or other groups and other political pressures. Local communities and citizen groups, adjacent landowners, governmental agencies and others may oppose the issuance of a permit or approval we may need, allege violations of the permits under which we currently operate or laws or regulations to which we are subject, or seek to impose liability on us for environmental damage. Such actions could also create risks related to our reputation, which may limit our ability to do business. Responding to these challenges has, at times, increased our costs and extended the time associated with establishing new landfills, transfer stations and other facilities and expanding existing facilities. In addition, failure to receive regulatory and zoning approval may prohibit us from establishing new landfills, transfer stations and other facilities, or expanding existing facilities. Our failure to obtain the required permits to operate our landfills, transfer stations and other facilities could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. In addition, we may have to transport and dispose collected waste at facilities operated by our competitors or haul the waste long distances at a higher cost to one of our other facilities, either of which could significantly increase our waste transportation and disposal costs.

23

Table of Contents

If we do not appropriately estimate landfill capping, closure, post-closure and remediation costs, our consolidated financial condition and results of operations may be adversely affected.

A landfill must be closed and capped, and post-closure maintenance commenced, once the landfill's permitted capacity is reached and additional capacity is not authorized. Further, we undertake remediation activities at some of our solid waste facilities. We have significant financial obligations relating to capping, closure, post-closure and remediation costs at our existing owned or operated landfills, and will have material financial obligations with respect to any future owned or operated landfills. We establish accruals for the estimated costs associated with capping, closure, post-closure and remediation obligations. We could underestimate such costs and our financial obligations for capping, closure, post-closure or remediation costs could exceed the amounts accrued or amounts otherwise receivable pursuant to trust funds established for this purpose. Additionally, if a landfill must be closed earlier than expected or its remaining airspace is reduced for any other reason, the accruals for capping, closure, post-closure and remediation could be required to be accelerated. If our capping, closure, post-closure or remediation costs exceed the amounts accrued, or if such accruals are required to be accelerated, this could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Alternatives to landfill disposal could reduce our disposal volumes and cause our revenues and operating results to decline.

Most of the states in which we operate landfills require counties and municipalities to formulate comprehensive plans to reduce the volume of solid waste deposited in landfills through waste planning, composting, recycling or other programs. Some state and local governments mandate waste reduction at the source and prohibit the disposal of certain types of wastes, such as yard waste, at landfills. Further, many of our customers voluntarily are diverting waste to alternatives to landfill disposal, such as recycling and composting, while also working to reduce the amount of waste they generate. Many of the largest companies in the United States are setting zero-waste goals in which they strive to send no waste to landfills and some jurisdictions have enacted or are considering waste reduction regulations such as extended producer responsibility, organic diversion and minimum recycled content regulations. Although such actions help to protect our environment and reduce the impact of waste on climate change, they have reduced, and will in the future reduce, the volume of waste going to landfills and may affect the prices that we can charge for landfill disposal. Accordingly, we may not be able to operate our landfills at their current volumes or charge current prices for landfill disposal services due to possible decreases in demand for such services. If we cannot expand our service offerings and grow lines of business to service waste streams that do not go to landfills and to provide services for customers that wish to reduce waste entirely, this could have a negative effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Further, even if we can develop such service offerings and lines of business, disposal alternatives nonetheless could have a negative effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

We could incur charges to income, which could be material, if landfill and transfer station site development projects or expansion projects are not completed, or certain other events occur.

In accordance with the accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP), we capitalize certain expenditures relating to the development and expansion of landfills, transfer stations and other projects. If a facility or operation is permanently shut down or determined to be impaired, or a development, expansion or other project is not completed or is determined to be impaired, we will charge against earnings any unamortized capitalized expenditures relating to such facility or project that we are unable to recover through sale, transfer or otherwise. We also carry a significant amount of goodwill on our consolidated balance sheets, which we must assess for impairment annually, and more frequently in the case of certain triggering events. We may incur charges against earnings in accordance with this policy, or other events may cause impairments. Such charges could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations.

The business and assets we operate expose us to safety, operational and other risks, including the risk of personal injury to our employees or third parties.

The provision of environmental services, including the operation of our facilities, a substantial fleet of trucks and other waste-related assets, involves risks. These risks include, among others, the risk of truck accidents, equipment defects, malfunctions and failures, improper use of dangerous equipment, the release of hazardous substances, fire and explosion, any of which could result in environmental liability, personal injury, loss of life, business interruption or property damage or destruction. While we carry insurance to cover many contingencies, and seek to minimize our exposure to these risks through maintenance, training and compliance programs, any substantial losses could have a material adverse effect on our business, results of operations and financial condition.

We may be subject to work stoppages and other workforce effects, which could increase our operating costs and disrupt our operations.

As of December 31, 2024, approximately 22% of our workforce was covered by collective bargaining agreements. If our union-represented employees engage in strikes, work stoppages or other slowdowns, we could experience a significant disruption of

24

Table of Contents

our operations and an increase in our operating costs, which could have an adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We have experienced interrupted service when our union-represented employees have engaged in strikes and work stoppages in the past, and we would expect the same to occur as a result of any future strikes or work stoppages. Additional groups of employees may seek union representation in the future which could result in increased operating costs. If a greater percentage of our workforce becomes union-represented, our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows could be adversely impacted due to the potential for increased operating costs.

We may not be able to achieve reduction of our greenhouse gas emissions and our other sustainability goals.

Climate change and other sustainability matters are embedded in our core value and vision. As part of our strategic long-term plans to address sustainability, among other sustainability goals, we are committed to reducing our absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions 35% by 2030 relative to the 2017 baseline year. The execution of our plans and achievement of our goals are subject to risks and uncertainties, including our ability to develop, obtain, license or scale the innovations, technologies and modeling and measurement tools that may be necessary to achieve our plans and the availability, cost and benefits of materials and infrastructure associated with our sustainability projects, such as our CNG vehicles, fleet electrification, recycling, circularity of key materials, landfill gas-to-energy and other renewable energy projects.

In addition, increasing governmental and societal attention to sustainability matters, including expanding mandatory and voluntary reporting, diligence and disclosure on topics such as climate change, waste production, water usage, talent management and risk oversight, could expand the nature, scope and complexity of matters that we are required to control, assess and report. These and other rapidly changing laws, regulations, policies and related interpretations, as well as increased enforcement actions by various governmental and regulatory agencies, create challenges for us. If we are unable to continue to meet these challenges and comply with all laws, regulations, policies and related interpretations, and meet the sustainability values, standards and metrics that we set for ourselves, it could negatively impact our reputation and our business results.

Risks Related to our Legal and Regulatory Environment

We are subject to costly environmental and flow-control regulations and requirements that may affect our operating margins, restrict our operations and subject us to additional liability.

Complying with laws and regulations governing the collection, treatment, storage, transfer and disposal of material, air quality and emissions of greenhouse gases, water quality and the remediation of contamination associated with the release of hazardous substances is costly. Laws and regulations often require us to, among other things, enhance or replace our equipment and to modify landfill operations or initiate final closure of a landfill. We may not be able to implement price increases sufficient to offset the costs of complying with these laws and regulations. In addition, environmental regulatory changes, including those relating to per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (commonly referred to as PFAS) and other chemicals of emerging concern, could accelerate or increase expenditures for capping, closure, post-closure and environmental and remediation activities at our waste facilities and obligate us to spend sums in addition to those presently accrued for such purposes, which could have a negative effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows. For example, the EPA in 2024 listed two PFAS as hazardous substances under CERCLA, and has indicated it is considering listing additional PFAS as hazardous substances under CERCLA, which could trigger additional obligations or liabilities under CERCLA or other laws and regulations. Further, under certain municipal and other agreements, we are subject to landfill diversion requirements that if not met, subject us to liquidated damages and other costs and expenses, the result of which could adversely affect our business, reputation and operating margins.

Our Group 3 operations and facilities also are subject to Canadian environmental laws and regulations, including federal and provincial regulations governing the management of hazardous waste, as well as various treaties, laws and regulations governing the ownership, operation and maintenance of maritime vessels used in the business.Our Group 3 operations are also subject to federal statutes regulating the treatment, storage and disposal of certain radioactive materials.

Our business is and will continue to be affected by state, county, provincial, or local laws or regulations that restrict the transportation of solid waste across state, county, provincial, or other jurisdictional lines or that direct the flow of waste to a specified facility or facilities. Such laws and regulations could negatively affect our operations, resulting in declines in landfill volumes and increased costs of alternate disposal.

Regulation of greenhouse gas emissions and other governmental regulations could impose costs on our operations, the magnitude of which is difficult to estimate.

Efforts to curtail the emission of greenhouse gases and to ameliorate the effects of climate change continue to progress. Our landfill operations emit anthropogenic methane, identified as a greenhouse gas, and our vehicle fleet emits, among other things,

25

Table of Contents

carbon dioxide, which also is a greenhouse gas. While passage of comprehensive, federal climate change legislation appears unlikely in the near term, we expect any such legislation, if enacted, to impose costs on our operations, which could be material.

Absent comprehensive federal legislation to control greenhouse gas emissions, the EPA has taken certain actions administratively under its existing Clean Air Act authority. The EPA is compelled to issue rules by the United States Supreme Court's April 2007 Massachusetts v. EPA ruling that greenhouse gases are pollutants for purposes of the Clean Air Act and the EPA's December 2009 finding that continued emissions of greenhouse gases endanger human health and welfare. With respect to our light- and heavy-duty vehicle fleet, the EPA has issued regulations limiting greenhouse gas emissions and increasing fuel economy standards. The EPA and the NHTSA periodically issue additional regulations covering additional model years of vehicles, typically increasing the stringency of the relevant vehicle standards, and those rules are frequently challenged in court. For further discussion, see Item 1. Business – Regulation – Federal Regulation – The Clean Air Act, in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These standards and further federal efforts to curtail greenhouse gas emissions and to increase the fuel efficiency of light-duty and heavy-duty vehicles could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

With regard to greenhouse gas emissions from our landfills, on July 14, 2016, the EPA issued amendments to its regulations that require large landfills that commenced construction, reconstruction or modification on or after July 17, 2014 to capture additional landfill gas to reduce emissions of methane and certain non-methane gases, which are recognized as greenhouse gases. In a separate action finalized that same day, the EPA issued updates to its 1996 Emission Guidelines to reduce emissions of landfill gas from existing active landfills. The EPA has taken further steps to implement these regulations. These regulations, or an amended version of them that eventually goes into effect, may require our landfills to deploy more stringent emission controls and monitoring systems, with resulting capital or operating costs. The application of these or other greenhouse gas regulations to our landfills could have a material adverse effect on our landfill operations and on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We cannot predict what other actions or regulations the current administration may undertake that would affect our industry.

In Canada, the federal Greenhouse Gas Pollution Pricing Act imposes a carbon pricing system for industry in provinces and territories that have not implemented carbon pricing systems of their own or, in the opinion of the federal government, have implemented carbon pricing systems that do not align with the federal benchmark requirements. This federal system imposes a carbon levy to the sale of fuel and sets out an output-based pricing system that applies to industrial emitters that meet certain criteria set out in the statute and its regulations, which creates a price incentive for industrial emitters to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by establishing a regulatory trading system for industry. The carbon levy on fuel is administered by the Canada Revenue Agency and is a carbon tax that applies to the sale of 22 different types of fuel as set out in the statute and its regulations. As of 2024, the Fuel Charge is $80 per ton of CO2e and will increase to $95 per ton on April 1, 2025 and to $170 per ton by 2030. Additionally, the Canadian federal government proposed draft regulations in June 2024 intended to reduce methane emissions from solid waste landfills, the consultation period for which closed on August 28, 2024. Both direct and indirect costs associated with compliance with this and other greenhouse gas legislation could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows, including material increases to our capital or operating costs related to matters such as infrastructure upgrades or increased fuel costs.

We may incur losses from liabilities that are not covered by our insurance. Changes in insurance markets also may impact our financial results.

We may incur liabilities or suffer losses arising from our operations or properties that resulted in harm to the environment, property, employees or the general public. We maintain insurance for these liabilities and losses, including high deductibles for our environmental liability insurance coverage. If we were to incur substantial liability or loss in connection with these contingencies, our insurance coverage may be inadequate to cover such liability or loss. This could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Also, due to the variable condition of the insurance market, we have experienced, and may experience in the future, increased insurance retention levels and increased premiums or unavailability of insurance. As we assume more risk for insurance through higher retention levels, we may experience more variability in our insurance reserves and expense.

26

Table of Contents

Despite our efforts, we may incur additional liability under environmental laws in excess of amounts presently known and accrued.

We are a potentially responsible party at many sites under CERCLA, which provides for the remediation of contaminated facilities and imposes strict, joint and several liability for the cost of remediation on current owners and operators of a facility at which there has been a release or a threatened release of a hazardous substance. CERCLA liability also extends to parties who were site owners and operators at the time hazardous substances were disposed and on persons who arrange for the disposal of such substances at the facility (e.g., generators of the waste and transporters who selected the disposal site). Hundreds of substances are defined as hazardous under CERCLA and their presence, even in minute amounts, can result in substantial liability.

Notwithstanding our efforts to comply with applicable environmental laws, we may have additional liability under environmental laws in excess of our current reserves because, among other things, hazardous substances may be present in waste collected by us or disposed of in our landfills (or in waste collected, transported or disposed of in the past by businesses we have acquired), environmental laws or regulations may change, or there may be adverse environmental conditions that develop or were otherwise previously unknown to us. Environmental liabilities in excess of our current reserves could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Currently pending or future litigation or governmental proceedings could result in material adverse consequences, including judgments or settlements.

We are and will continue to be involved in lawsuits, regulatory inquiries and governmental and other legal proceedings. Many of these matters raise complicated factual and legal issues and are subject to uncertainties. The timing of the final resolutions to lawsuits, regulatory inquiries and governmental and other legal proceedings is uncertain. Further, the possible outcomes or resolutions to these matters could include adverse judgments, fines or settlements, any of which could require substantial payments and adversely affect our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

For example, we incur costs to defend against litigation brought by government agencies and private parties who allege we are in violation of our permits and applicable environmental laws and regulations, or who assert claims alleging nuisance, environmental damage, personal injury or property damage. As a result, we may be required to pay fines or judgments or implement corrective measures, or we may have our permits and licenses modified or revoked. A significant judgment against us or settlement, the loss of a significant permit or license, or the imposition of a significant fine could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. We establish accruals for our estimates of the costs associated with lawsuits, regulatory, governmental and other legal proceedings. We could underestimate such accruals. Such shortfalls could result in significant unanticipated charges to income.

Changesto federal renewable fuel policies could affect our financial performance in that sector as a renewable fuel producer and impact our projected future investments.

We are engaged in 79 landfill gas-to-energy and other renewable energy projects. The production of renewable fuel through certain of these projects is incentivized by the federal Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS) program. Oil refiners and importers are required through the RFS program to blend specified volumes of renewable transportation fuels with gasoline or buy RINs from renewable fuel producers. RIN prices generally respond to administrative actions, decisions and/or regulations from the EPA, including the issuance of an annual renewable volumetric obligation, as well as fluctuations in supply and demand. Changes in the RFS market, the structure of the RFS program or RIN prices and demand may impact the financial performance of the projects developed to capture and treat gas and could impact or alter our projected future investments.

Risks Related to Financial Strategy and Indebtedness

We have substantial indebtedness, which may limit our financial flexibility.

As of December 31, 2024, we had approximately $13 billion in principal value of debt and finance leases outstanding. This amount of indebtedness and our debt service requirements may limit our financial flexibility to access additional capital and make capital expenditures and other investments in our business, to withstand economic downturns and interest rate increases, to plan for or react to changes in our business and our industry and to comply with the financial and other covenants of our debt instruments. Further, our ability to comply with these financial and other covenants may be affected by changes in economic or business conditions or other events that are beyond our control. If we do not comply with these covenants, we may be required to take actions such as reducing or delaying capital expenditures, reducing or eliminating dividends or stock repurchases, selling assets, restructuring or refinancing all or part of our existing debt, or seeking additional equity capital.

We may be unable to maintain our credit ratings or execute our financial strategy.

27

Table of Contents

Our ability to execute our financial strategy depends in part on our ability to maintain investment grade ratings on our debt. The credit rating process is contingent upon a number of factors, many of which are beyond our control. We may not be able to maintain our investment grade ratings in the future. If we were unable to do so, our interest expense would increase and our ability to obtain financing on favorable terms may be adversely affected.

Our financial strategy also depends on our ability to generate sufficient cash flow to reinvest in our existing business, fund internal growth, acquire other environmental services businesses, pay dividends, repurchase stock and take other actions to enhance shareholder value. We may not succeed in executing our broad-based pricing initiatives, and we may not generate sufficient cash flow to execute our financial strategy, pay cash dividends at our present rate, or increase them, or be able to continue our share repurchase program.

Weakness in the United States economy may expose us to credit risk for amounts due from governmental entities, large national accounts, industrial customers and others.

Weakness in the United States economy can reduce the amount of taxes collected by various governmental entities. We provide services to a number of these entities, including numerous municipalities. These governmental entities may suffer financial difficulties resulting from a decrease in tax revenue and may ultimately be unable or unwilling to pay amounts owed to us. In addition, weakness in the economy may cause other customers, including our large national accounts, or industrial or other environmental services clients, to suffer financial difficulties and ultimately to be unable or unwilling to pay amounts owed to us. This could negatively impact our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

Our consolidated financial statements are based on estimates and assumptions that may differ from actual results.The liabilities we record based on such estimates and assumptions may not be adequate to cover the costs we ultimately will face.

Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and necessarily include amounts based on management's estimates. Actual results may differ from these amounts. Significant items requiring management to make subjective or complex judgments that are inherently uncertain include the recoverability of long-lived assets, the depletion and amortization of landfill development costs, accruals for final capping, closure and post-closure costs, valuation allowances for accounts receivable and deferred tax assets, liabilities for potential litigation, claims and assessments and liabilities for environmental remediation, multiemployer pension plans, employee benefit plans, deferred taxes, uncertain tax positions, insurance and our estimates of the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in any acquisition. The liabilities recorded for items such as these may not be adequate to cover the costs we ultimately will face.

Our obligation to fund multiemployer pension plans to which we contribute, or our withdrawal from such plans, may have an adverse effect on us.

We participate in multiemployer pension plans that generally provide retirement benefits to participants of contributing employers. We do not administer these plans and generally are not represented on the boards of trustees of these plans. The Pension Protection Act enacted in 2006 (the PPA) requires under-funded pension plans to improve their funding ratios. Based on the information available to us, we believe that some of the multiemployer plans to which we contribute are either critical or endangered as those terms are defined in the PPA. We cannot presently determine the amount of additional funding, if any, we may be required to make to these plans. However, plan assessments could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or cash flows for a given period.

Further, under current law, upon the termination of a multiemployer pension plan, or in the event of a withdrawal by us (which we consider from time to time) or a mass withdrawal of contributing employers (each, a Withdrawal Event), we would be required to make payments to the plan for our proportionate share of the plan's unfunded vested liabilities. We cannot assure you that there will not be a Withdrawal Event with respect to any of the multiemployer pension plans to which we contribute or that, in the event of such a Withdrawal Event, the amounts we would be required to contribute would not have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows.

For additional discussion and detail regarding multiemployer pension plans see Note 12, Employee Benefit Plans, of the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Risks Related to Our Growth Strategy

We may be unable to manage our growth effectively.

Our growth strategy places significant demands on our financial, operational and management resources. To continue our growth, we may need to add administrative, managerial and other personnel, and may need to make additional investments in operations and systems. We may not be able to find and train qualified personnel, or do so on a timely basis, or to expand or otherwise modify our operations and systems to the extent, and in the time, required.

28

Table of Contents

We may be unable to execute our acquisition growth strategy.

Our ability to execute our growth strategy depends in part on our ability to identify and acquire desirable acquisition candidates and on our ability to successfully integrate acquired operations into our business. The integration of our operations with those of acquired companies may present significant challenges to our management. In addition, competition for acquisition candidates may prevent us from acquiring certain acquisition candidates. Thus, we cannot assure you that:

•desirable acquisition candidates exist or will be identified;

•we will be able to acquire any of the candidates identified;

•we will effectively integrate and manage companies we acquire; or

•any acquisitions will be profitable or accretive to our earnings.

If any of these factors force us to alter our growth strategy, our growth prospects could be adversely affected.

Businesses we acquire may have undisclosed liabilities.

Our due diligence investigations of acquisition candidates may fail to discover certain undisclosed liabilities. If we acquire a company with undisclosed liabilities such as environmental, remediation or contractual liabilities, as a successor owner we may be responsible for such undisclosed liabilities. We try to minimize our exposure to such liabilities by conducting due diligence, by obtaining indemnification from each seller of the acquired companies, by deferring payment of a portion of the purchase price as security for the indemnification, by obtaining representations and warranties insurance and by acquiring only specified assets. However, we may not be able to obtain indemnification, insurance coverage or other security, and such indemnification, insurance coverage or other security obtained may not be enforceable, collectible or sufficient in amount, scope or duration to fully offset any undisclosed liabilities arising from our acquisitions.

Risks Related to Technology and Intellectual Property

Our strategy includes an increasing dependence on technology in our operations. If any of our key technology fails, our business could be adversely affected.

Our operations are increasingly dependent on technology. Our information technology systems are critical to our ability to drive profitable growth through differentiation, continue the implementation of standardized processes and deliver a consistent customer experience. One of our three differentiating capabilities is to enable our customers to do business with us through more channels and with better access to information and, accordingly, we have made substantial investment in our e-commerce platform. Problems with the operation of the information or communication technology systems we use could adversely affect, or temporarily disable, all or a portion of our operations. Inabilities and delays in implementing new systems can also affect our ability to realize projected or expected revenue or cost savings. Further, any systems failures could impede our ability to timely collect and report financial results in accordance with applicable laws.

Emerging technologies, including those that are used to recycle and process waste as an alternative to disposal of waste in landfills, represent risks, as well as opportunities, to our current business model. The costs associated with developing or investing in emerging technologies could require substantial capital and adversely affect our results of operations and cash flows. Delays in the development or implementation of such emerging technologies and difficulties in marketing new products or services based on emerging technologies could have similar negative impacts. Our financial results may suffer if we are not able to develop or license emerging technologies, or if a competitor obtains exclusive rights to an emerging technology that disrupts the current methods used in the environmental services industry.

A cybersecurity incident could negatively impact our business and our relationships with customers.

We use information technology and operational technology assets, including computer and information networks, in substantially all aspects of our business operations. We also use mobile devices, social networking and other online activities to connect with our employees and our customers. Such uses give rise to cybersecurity risks, including security breach, espionage, system disruption, theft and inadvertent release of information. Our business involves the storage and transmission of numerous classes of sensitive and/or confidential information and intellectual property, including customers’ personal information, private information about employees and financial and strategic information about us and our business partners. We also rely on a Payment Card Industry compliant third party to protect our customers’ credit card information. In connection with our strategy to grow through acquisitions and to pursue new initiatives that improve our operations and cost structure, we are also expanding and improving our information technologies, resulting in a larger technological presence and corresponding exposure to cybersecurity risk. If we fail to assess and identify cybersecurity threats associated with acquisitions and new initiatives, we may become increasingly vulnerable to such threats. Additionally, while we have implemented measures to prevent security breaches and cyber incidents, our preventive measures and incident response efforts may not be entirely effective. Also, the

29

Table of Contents

regulatory environment surrounding information security and privacy is increasingly demanding, with the frequent imposition of new and constantly changing requirements. This changing regulatory landscape may cause increasingly complex compliance challenges, which may increase our compliance costs. Any failure to comply with these changing security and privacy laws and regulations could result in significant penalties, fines, legal challenges and reputational harm. The theft, destruction, loss, misappropriation, or release of sensitive and/or confidential information or intellectual property, or interference with our information technology systems or the technology systems of third parties on which we rely, could result in business disruption, negative publicity, brand damage, violation of privacy laws, loss of customers, potential liability and competitive disadvantage.

Other Risks Relevant to Our Business

Price increases may not be adequate to offset the effect of increased costs and may cause us to lose volume.

We seek to secure price increases necessary to offset increased costs, improve our operating margins and earn an appropriate return on our substantial investments in assets such as our landfills. From time to time, our competitors reduce their prices in an effort to expand their market share. Contractual, general economic or market-specific conditions also may limit our ability to raise prices. For example, many of our contracts have price adjustment provisions that are tied to an index such as the consumer price index. Particularly in a weak or volatile United States economy, our costs may increase in excess of the increase, if any, in the consumer price index. This may continue to be the case even when the United States economy recovers because a recovery in the environmental services industry historically has lagged behind a recovery in the general economy. As a result, we may be unable to offset increases in costs, improve our operating margins and obtain adequate investment returns through price increases. Price increases also might cause us to lose volume to lower-cost competitors.

The loss of key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and growth prospects.

Our future success depends on the continued contributions of several key employees and officers. The loss of the services of key employees and officers, whether through resignation or other causes, or the inability to attract additional qualified personnel, could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations, cash flows and growth prospects. In some of our markets, we compete with other similar businesses which may drive labor costs or reduce the amount of available qualified personnel.

The introduction of new accounting rules, laws or regulations could adversely impact our reported results of operations.

Complying with new accounting rules, laws or regulations, such as, for example, those related to our asset retirement obligations and environmental liabilities, could adversely impact our results of operations or cause unanticipated fluctuations in our results of operations or financial conditions in future periods.

In September 2024, the U.S. Treasury and the IRS proposed regulations regarding the calculation of the Corporate Alternative Minimum Tax (CAMT). The CAMT was enacted as part of the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022 and generally applies to large corporations with average annual financial statement income exceeding $1 billion. The proposed regulations include a mathematical formula that would be used to allocate an investor’s distributive share of income and loss from partnership investments, including investments in renewable energy projects through tax equity partnerships accounted for using the Hypothetical Liquidation at Book Value method (HLBV). As currently proposed, the application of such mathematical formula to our investments accounted for using HLBV, particularly during the early phases of a renewable energy facility’s operation, could result in us incurring substantial taxes under the CAMT. We believe such a result would be both unintended and inconsistent with the underlying policy of the CAMT. In response, we have both submitted comments and testified at an IRS hearing to address our concerns. If our concerns about this mathematical formula are not addressed in a favorable manner and the regulations are adopted as proposed, they could require the payment of significant additional income taxes that could adversely impact our results of operations or cause unanticipated fluctuations in our results of operations or financial conditions in future periods.

Weakened or volatile economic conditions have and may continue to harm our industry, business and results of operations.

Our business is directly affected by changes in local, national, global and general economic factors and overall economic activity that are outside of our control, including changes in governmental monetary policies, international trade restrictions, consumer confidence, slowing economic growth, inflation, pandemics, supply chain issues and interest rates. In recent years, for example, the COVID-19 pandemic, inflation, the Ukraine-Russia conflict, United States-China relations, the Israel-Gaza conflict, monetary policy changes, and the resulting increases in interest rates negatively impacted the economy, disrupted supply chains and created significant volatility and disruption of financial markets. In particular, disruption of the labor market and supply chains related to vehicles, especially trucks and the mechanical and electrical components necessary to service them, negatively impacts our ability to provide services. A weak or volatile economy may result in decreases in volumes, which adversely affects our revenues. In addition, we have certain fixed costs (e.g., facility expense associated with long-term leases,

30

Table of Contents

depreciation expense and accretion expense), which may be difficult to adjust quickly to match declining volume levels. Consumer uncertainty and the loss of consumer confidence may decrease overall economic activity and thereby limit the amount of services we provide. Additionally, a decline in volumes may result in increased competitive pricing pressure and increased customer turnover, resulting in lower revenue and increased operating costs. Operating in an environment of worsening economic conditions could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial condition, results of operations and cash flows. Further, recovery in the environmental services industry historically has lagged behind recovery in the general economy. Accordingly, we cannot assure you that an improvement in general economic conditions will result in an immediate, or any, improvement in our consolidated financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

ITEM 1B. UNRESOLVED STAFF COMMENTS

None.

ITEM 1C. CYBERSECURITY

Cybersecurity Risk Management and Strategy

Republic’s technology and cybersecurity programs are crucial to maintaining secure operations, which enable us to deliver on our promise to customers and maintain stakeholder trust. Our Cybersecurity organization, led by our Chief Information Security Officer (CISO), is responsible for establishing, implementing and executing our cybersecurity program and strategy.Our CISO has over 20 years of information technology, information technology audit, and cybersecurity experience, and is involved in assessing the latest developments in cybersecurity, including potential threats and innovative risk management techniques.

Our cybersecurity program is a critical component of our enterprise risk management process overseen by our Board of Directors, and we have integrated cybersecurity-related risks into our overall enterprise risk management framework. Additionally, cybersecurity-related risks are included in the risk universe that the risk management function evaluates to assess top risks to the enterprise on an annual basis.

Our Cybersecurity organization proactively identifies, manages, and mitigates cyber risk in a variety of ways, including but not limited to:

a.A formal enterprise-wide cybersecurity policy and related standards;

b.Cybersecurity training and employee phishing simulations;

c.Scheduled and ad hoc internal and external penetration tests;

d.Cyber incident response, IT disaster recovery, and business continuity plans;

e.Cybersecurity assessments and remediation planning as part of our M&A due diligence process;

f.Identity and access management controls;

g.Third-party risk assessment and management for vendors and third-party service providers; and

h.Cyber incident tabletop exercises for our Board of Directors and management.

A primary element of our cybersecurity program is the implementation of controls that are aligned with industry guidelines and applicable regulations to identify threats, deter attacks, and protect our information security assets. We have procedures in place for selecting and managing our relationships with third-party service providers and other business partners, including to monitor compliance with our agreements and regulatory and legal requirements. We also actively engage with industry participants and intelligence and law enforcement communities as part of our continuing efforts to evaluate and enhance the effectiveness of our information security policies and procedures.

Our cybersecurity program is designed based on the concepts of control maturity and control efficacy. For control maturity, our cybersecurity program is aligned to the National Institute of Standards and Technology Cybersecurity Framework (NIST CSF) and is assessed annually by an independent third party against our yearly control maturity targets in the context of current cyber threat and industry trends. The NIST CSF assessment results are used to validate the progress made against the current year maturity targets, inform the program’s strategic priorities and establish maturity targets for the following year. These assessment results are provided to our Audit Committee and our Board of Directors on an annual basis.

For control efficacy, the cybersecurity program leverages a variety of metrics and measurements to demonstrate whether the control objectives are being consistently achieved within the target range. Monthly security operation (SecOps) reviews are utilized to monitor metric trends and root causes to determine potential capability improvements. The monthly SecOps reviews and related actions are aggregated into a subset of key metrics reviewed quarterly by the Audit Committee.

Cybersecurity Governance

31

Table of Contents

Our Audit Committee oversees the management of our cybersecurity risk exposures and the steps management has taken to monitor and control such exposures. At each quarterly meeting, the Audit Committee receives an update from our CISO and other members of management on relevant topics, including cybersecurity program maturity progress, new capabilities implemented, penetration testing results, key cyber risk metrics (e.g., simulated phishing testing and vulnerability management) and notable incidents or events should they occur.On an annual basis, our Board of Directors meets with our CISO and our third-party cybersecurity consultant to review our cybersecurity strategy and the results of our NIST CSF assessment. In accordance with our cybersecurity incident response plan, our Board is promptly informed of potentially material cybersecurity incidents, including with respect to our third-party service providers.

Although we have experienced cybersecurity incidents from time to time that have not had a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, or results of operations, there can be no assurance that a cyber-attack, security breach, or other cybersecurity incident will not have a material adverse effect on us in the future. For a discussion regarding risks from cybersecurity threats that have or are reasonably likely to affect the company, see our risk factors, including the risk factors titled “Our strategy includes an increasing dependence on technology in our operations. If any of our key technology fails, our business could be adversely affected.” and “A cybersecurity incident could negatively impact our business and our relationships with customers.” in Item 1A of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

ITEM 2.PROPERTIES

Our corporate office is located at 18500 North Allied Way, Phoenix, Arizona 85054, where we currently lease approximately 150,000 square feet of office space.

Our principal property and equipment consists of land, landfills, buildings, vehicles and equipment. We own or lease real property in the United States and Canada where we conduct operations. As of December 31, 2024, we operated across the United States and Canada through 367 collection operations, 248 transfer stations, 75 recycling centers, 208 active landfills, 2 treatment, recovery and disposal facilities, 23 TSDFs, 5 salt water disposal wells, 14 deep injection wells and 1 polymer center. In the aggregate, our active solid waste landfills total 118,938 acres, including 41,158 permitted acres. We are engaged in 79 landfill gas-to-energy and other renewable energy projects and had post-closure responsibility for 125 closed landfills. We believe that our property and equipment are adequate for our current needs.

ITEM 3.LEGAL PROCEEDINGS

General Legal Proceedings

We are subject to extensive and evolving laws and regulations and have implemented safeguards to respond to regulatory requirements. In the normal course of our business, we become involved in legal proceedings. Some may result in fines, penalties or judgments against us, or settlements, which may impact earnings and cash flows for a particular period. Although we cannot predict the ultimate outcome of any legal matter with certainty, we do not believe the outcome of any of our pending legal proceedings will have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations or cash flows.

As used in the immediately following paragraph, the term legal proceedings refers to litigation and similar claims against us and our subsidiaries, excluding: (1) ordinary course accidents, general commercial liability and workers' compensation claims, which are covered by insurance programs, subject to customary deductibles, and which, together with self-insured employee health care costs, are discussed in Note 7, Other Liabilities, to our audited consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K; and (2) environmental remediation liabilities, which totaled $447 million at December 31, 2024 and which are discussed in Note 8, Landfill and Environmental Costs, to our audited consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

We accrue for legal proceedings when losses become probable and reasonably estimable. We have recorded an aggregate accrual of approximately $13 million relating to our outstanding legal proceedings as of December 31, 2024. As of the end of each applicable reporting period, we review each of our legal proceedings and, where it is probable that a liability has been incurred, we accrue for all probable and reasonably estimable losses. Where we are able to reasonably estimate a range of losses we may incur with respect to a matter, we record an accrual for the amount within the range that constitutes our best estimate. If we are able to reasonably estimate a range but no amount within the range appears to be a better estimate than any other, we use the amount that is the low end of such range. If we had used the high ends of such ranges, our aggregate potential liability would be approximately $6 million higher than the amount recorded as of December 31, 2024.

32

Table of Contents

Legal Proceedings over Certain Environmental Matters Involving Governmental Authorities with Possible Sanctions of $1,000,000 or More

Item 103 of the SEC's Regulation S-K requires disclosure of certain environmental matters when a governmental authority is a party to the proceedings and the proceedings involve potential monetary sanctions unless we reasonably believe the monetary sanctions will not equal or exceed a threshold which we determine is reasonably designed to result in disclosure of any such proceeding that is material to our business or financial condition. We have determined such disclosure threshold to be $1,000,000. We have no matters to disclose in accordance with that requirement.

ITEM 4.MINE SAFETY DISCLOSURES

None.

33

Table of Contents

PART II

ITEM 5.MARKET FOR REGISTRANT'S COMMON EQUITY, RELATED STOCKHOLDER MATTERS AND ISSUER PURCHASES OF EQUITY SECURITIES

Market Information, Holders and Dividends

The principal market for our common stock is the New York Stock Exchange, and it is traded under the symbol RSG.

There were 460 holders of record of our common stock at February 6, 2025, which does not include beneficial owners for whom Cede & Co. or others act as nominees.

In January 2025, our Board of Directors declared a regular quarterly dividend of $0.580 per share for shareholders of record on January 2, 2025. We expect to continue to pay quarterly cash dividends, and we may consider increasing our dividends if we believe it will enhance shareholder value.

We have the ability under our credit facilities to pay dividends and repurchase our common stock if we are in compliance with the financial covenants in our credit facilities. As of December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with those financial covenants.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

The following table provides information relating to our purchases of shares of our common stock during the three months ended December 31, 2024:

(a)In October 2023, our Board of Directors approved a $3 billion share repurchase authorization effective starting January 1, 2024 and extending through December 31, 2026. Share repurchases under the program may be made through open market purchases or privately negotiated transactions in accordance with applicable federal securities laws. While the Board of Directors has approved the program, the timing of any purchases, the prices and the number of shares of common stock to be purchased will be determined by our management, at its discretion, and will depend upon market conditions and other factors. The share repurchase program may be extended, suspended or discontinued at any time. As of December 31, 2024, there were less than 1 million repurchased shares pending settlement.

(b)The total number of shares purchased as part of the publicly announced program were all purchased pursuant to the October 2023 authorization.

(c)Shares that may be purchased under the program exclude shares of common stock that may be surrendered to satisfy statutory minimum tax withholding obligations in connection with the vesting of restricted stock units and performance stock units issued to employees.

(d)Excludes a 1% excise tax imposed by the Inflation Reduction Act.

Recent Sales of Unregistered Securities

There were no sales of unregistered securities during the three months ended December 31, 2024.

34

Table of Contents

Performance Graph

The following graph compares the performance of our common stock to the Standard & Poor’s 500 Stock Index (S&P 500 Index) and the Dow Jones Waste & Disposal Services Index (DJ W&DS Index). The graph covers the period from December 31, 2019 to December 31, 2024 and assumes that the value of the investment in our common stock and in each index was $100 as of December 31, 2019 and that all dividends were reinvested.

The following performance graph and related information shall not be deemed "soliciting material" or to be "filed" with the SEC, nor shall such information be incorporated by reference into any future filing under the Securities Act of 1933 or the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, each as amended, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate it by reference into such filing.

Indexed Returns for the Years Ended December 31,

Note: Prepared by Zacks Investment Research, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved. Copyright 1980-2024.

Index data: Copyright Standard and Poor's, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

Index data: Copyright Dow Jones, Inc. Used with permission. All rights reserved.

ITEM 6.[RESERVED]

35

Table of Contents

ITEM 7.MANAGEMENT’S DISCUSSION AND ANALYSIS OF FINANCIAL CONDITION AND RESULTS OF OPERATIONS

You should read the following discussion in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and the notes thereto included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. This discussion may contain forward-looking statements that anticipate results that are subject to uncertainty. We discuss in more detail various factors that could cause actual results to differ from expectations in Part I, Item 1A, Risk Factors in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

For further discussion regarding our results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2023 as compared to the year ended December 31, 2022, refer to Part II, Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations, in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2023.

Recent Developments

2025 Financial Guidance

In 2025, we will focus on pricing in excess of cost inflation, driving profitable volume growth, investing in sustainability to improve the environment and drive growth, investing in value-creating acquisitions and advancing technology to improve productivity and increase customer retention. Specific guidance follows:

Revenue

We expect revenue to be in the range of $16.850 billion to $16.950 billion. We expect growth from average yield on total revenue to be approximately 4% and related revenue to be approximately 5%. We expect the impact from volume on total revenue to be in a range of (0.25%) to 0.25%.

Adjusted Diluted Earnings per Share

The following is a summary of anticipated adjusted diluted earnings per share for the year ending December 31, 2025 compared to the actual adjusted diluted earnings per share for the year ended December 31, 2024. Adjusted diluted earnings per share is not a measure determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP:

Restructuring charges 0.03 0.07

Gain on business divestitures and impairments, net — (0.07)

Adjustment to withdrawal liability for multiemployer pension funds — (0.02)

Loss on extinguishment of debt and other related costs — (0.01)

Adjusted diluted earnings per share 6.82 - 6.90 $ 6.46

We believe that the presentation of adjusted diluted earnings per share provides an understanding of operational activities before the financial effect of certain items. We use this measure, and believe investors will find it helpful, in understanding the ongoing performance of our operations separate from items that have a disproportionate effect on our results for a particular period. We have incurred comparable charges and costs in prior periods, and similar types of adjustments can reasonably be expected to be recorded in future periods. Our definition of adjusted diluted earnings per share may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies.

The guidance set forth above constitutes forward-looking information and is not a guarantee of future performance. The

guidance is based upon the current beliefs and expectations of our management and is subject to significant risk and

uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those shown above. See Item 1A. Risk Factors - Disclosure Regarding Forward-Looking Statements.

Overview

Republic is one of the largest providers of environmental services in the United States, as measured by revenue. As of December 31, 2024, we operated across the United States and Canada through 367 collection operations, 248 transfer stations, 75 recycling centers, 208 active landfills, 2 treatment, recovery and disposal facilities, 23 treatment, storage and disposal facilities (TSDF), 5 salt water disposal wells, 14 deep injection wells and 1 polymer center. We are engaged in 79 landfill gas-to-energy and other renewable energy projects and had post-closure responsibility for 125 closed landfills.

Revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased by 7.1% to $16,032 million compared to $14,965 million in 2023. This change in revenue is due to increased average yield of 5.1%, acquisitions, net of divestitures of 2.6%, recycling processing

36

Table of Contents

and commodity sales of 0.5%, change in workdays of 0.3% and environmental solutions revenue of 0.1%, partially offset by decreased volume of 1.1% and fuel recovery fees of 0.4%.

The following table summarizes our revenue, costs and expenses for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in millions of dollars and as a percentage of revenue):

Expenses:

Amortization of other intangible assets 79 0.5 66 0.4

Amortization of other assets 81 0.5 67 0.5

Adjustment to withdrawal liability for multiemployer pension funds — — 5 —

Gain on business divestitures and impairments, net (1) — (4) —

Our pre-tax income was $2,432 million for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $2,191 million in 2023. Our net income attributable to Republic Services, Inc. was $2,043 million, or $6.49 per diluted share, for 2024, compared to $1,731 million, or $5.47 per diluted share, for 2023.

During 2024 and 2023, we recorded a number of charges, other expenses and benefits that impacted our pre-tax income, tax impact, net income attributable to Republic Services, Inc. (net income – Republic) and diluted earnings per share as noted in the following table (in millions, except per share data). Additionally, see our Results of Operations section of this Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations for a discussion of other items that impacted our earnings during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023. For comparative purposes, prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to current year presentation.

Settlements and withdrawals on pension plans (8) (2) (6) (0.02) 5 2 3 0.01

US Ecology, Inc. acquisition integration and deal costs — — — — 34 9 25 0.08

(1) The income tax effect related to our adjustments includes both current and deferred income tax impact and is individually calculated based on the statutory rates applicable to each adjustment.

We believe that presenting adjusted pre-tax income, adjusted tax impact, adjusted net income – Republic, and adjusted diluted earnings per share, which are not measures determined in accordance with U.S. GAAP, provide an understanding of operational activities before the financial impact of certain items. We use these measures, and believe investors will find them helpful, in understanding the ongoing performance of our operations separate from items that have a disproportionate impact on our results for a particular period. We have incurred comparable charges and costs in prior periods, and similar types of adjustments can reasonably be expected to be recorded in future periods. Our definitions of adjusted pre-tax income, adjusted tax impact,

37

Table of Contents

adjusted net income – Republic, and adjusted diluted earnings per share may not be comparable to similarly titled measures presented by other companies. Further information on each of these adjustments is included below.

Restructuring charges. In 2024 and 2023, we incurred restructuring charges of $29 million and $33 million, respectively. The 2024 charges primarily related to the redesign of our asset management, and customer and order management software systems. Of the 2023 charges, $9 million related to the early termination of certain leases and $24 million related to the redesign of our asset management, and customer and order management software systems. We paid $25 million and $39 million during 2024 and 2023, respectively, related to these restructuring efforts.

In 2025, we expect to incur restructuring charges of approximately $15 million, primarily related to the design and implementation of a new accounts receivable system. Substantially all of these restructuring charges will be recorded in our corporate entities and other segment.

Gain on extinguishment of debt and other related costs, net. During 2024, we recognized a loss of $2 million due to the amendment and restatement of the Credit Facility. Additionally, we recorded a net gain of $8 million attributable to the early settlement of certain cash flow hedges related to the Term Loan Facility. The gain was recognized as a reduction of interest expense. During 2023,we incurred a loss on the early extinguishment of debt related to the early repayment of a portion of our Term Loan Facility. We incurred non-cash charges related to the proportional share of unamortized deferred issuance costs of less than $1 million.

Gain on certain divestitures and impairments, net. During 2024, we recorded anet gain on certain divestitures and impairments of $30 million, of which $29 million was due to a gain on the sale of a transfer station facility and $1 million related to a gain on business divestitures and impairments. During 2023, we recorded a net gain of $4 million related to business divestitures and impairments.

Settlements and withdrawals on pension plans. During 2024, we recognized a settlement of our defined benefit pension plan. The settlement included a combination of lump-sum payments to participants who elected to receive them and the transfer of benefit obligations to a third-party insurance company under a group annuity contract. As a result of the settlements, we recognized a non-cash gain of $8 million related to the accelerated recognition of the proportional share of unamortized net actuarial gains in accumulated other comprehensive loss.During 2023, we recorded a charge to earnings of $5 million for a withdrawal event at multiemployer pension funds to which we contribute.

US Ecology, Inc. acquisition integration and deal costs. In 2023, we incurred acquisition integration and deal costs of $34 million in connection with the acquisition of US Ecology, which included certain costs to integrate the business. The acquisition closed on May 2, 2022, and our integration of the business was substantially complete as of December 31, 2023.

Results of Operations

Revenue

We generate revenue by providing environmental services to our customers, including the collection and processing of recyclable materials, the collection, treatment, consolidation, transfer and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste and other environmental solutions. Our residential, small-container and large-container collection operations in some markets are based on long-term contracts with municipalities. Certain of our municipal contracts have annual price escalation clauses that are tied to changes in an underlying base index such as a consumer price index. We generally provide small-container and large-container collection services to customers under contracts with terms up to three years. Our transfer stations and landfills generate revenue from disposal or tipping fees charged to third parties. Our recycling centers generate revenue from tipping fees charged to third parties and the sale of recycled commodities. Our revenue from environmental solutions primarily consists of (1) fees we charge for the collection, treatment, transfer and disposal of hazardous and non-hazardous waste, (2) field and industrial services, (3) equipment rental, (4) emergency response and standby services, (5) in-plant services, such as transportation and logistics, including at our TSDFs and (6) in-plant services such as high-pressure cleaning, tank cleaning, decontamination, remediation, transportation, spill cleanup and emergency response at refineries, chemical, steel and automotive plants and other governmental, commercial and industrial facilities. Other non-core revenue consists primarily of revenue from National Accounts, which represents the portion of revenue generated from nationwide or regional contracts in markets outside our operating areas where the associated material handling is subcontracted to local operators. Consequently, substantially all of this revenue is offset with related subcontract costs, which are recorded in cost of operations.

38

Table of Contents

The following table reflects our revenue by service line for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in millions of dollars and as a percentage of revenue):

Collection:

Less: intercompany (64) (76)

Other:

Recycling processing and commodity sales 409 2.5 312 2.1

The following table reflects changes in components of our revenue, as a percentage of total revenue, for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:

Average yield 5.1 % 6.1 %

Fuel recovery fees (0.4) (0.2)

Change in workdays 0.3 —

Recycling processing and commodity sales 0.5 (0.5)

Environmental solutions 0.1 0.1

Total internal growth 4.5 6.0

Acquisitions / divestitures, net 2.6 4.8

Core price 6.5 % 7.4 %

Average yield is defined as revenue growth from the change in average price per unit of service, expressed as a percentage. Core price is defined as price increases to our customers and fees, excluding fuel recovery, net of price decreases to retain customers. We also measure changes in average yield and core price as a percentage of related-business revenue, defined as total revenue excluding recycled commodities, fuel recovery fees and environmental solutions revenue to determine the effectiveness of our pricing strategies.

39

Table of Contents

The following table reflects average yield, core price and volume as a percentage of related-business revenue for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:

Years Ended December 31,

As a % of Related Business

Average yield 6.2 % 7.3 %

Core price 7.8 % 8.9 %

During 2024, we experienced the following changes in our revenue as compared to 2023:

•Average yield increased revenue by 5.1% due to positive pricing changes in all lines of business.

•The fuel recovery fee program, which mitigates our exposure to increases in fuel prices, decreased revenue by 0.4%, primarily due to a decrease in fuel prices compared to 2023.

•Volume decreased revenue by 1.1% during 2024 as compared to 2023 primarily driven by a decrease in volume in our large container collection line of business, primarily driven by a slowing in construction-related activity. Additionally, we experienced declines in our residential, small-container and transfer lines of business primarily attributable to certain municipal contract losses and broker-related business.

•Revenue increased by 0.3% due to the impact of the number of workdays during 2024 as compared to 2023, which drove an increase in volume across all lines of business.

•Recycling processing and commodity sales increased revenue by 0.5% primarily due to an increase in overall commodity prices as compared to 2023. The average price for recycled commodities, excluding glass and organics, for 2024 was $164 per ton compared to $117 per ton for 2023.

Changing market demand for recycled commodities causes volatility in commodity prices. At current volumes and mix of materials, we believe a $10 per ton change in the price of recycled commodities will change both annual revenue and operating income by approximately $11 million.

•During 2024, environmental solutions revenue increased by 0.1%primarily due to an increase in event-based volumes and price increases relative to the same period in 2023.

•Acquisitions, net of divestitures, increased revenue by 2.6%, reflecting the results of our continued growth strategy of acquiring environmental services companies that complement and expand our existing business platform.

Cost of Operations

Cost of operations includes labor and related benefits, which consists of salaries and wages, health and welfare benefits, incentive compensation and payroll taxes. It also includes transfer and disposal costs representing tipping fees paid to third party disposal facilities and transfer stations; maintenance and repairs relating to our vehicles, equipment and containers, including related labor and benefit costs; transportation and subcontractor costs, which include costs for independent haulers that transport our waste to disposal facilities and costs for local operators that provide waste handling services associated with our National Accounts in markets outside our standard operating areas; fuel, which includes the direct cost of fuel used by our vehicles, net of fuel tax credits; disposal fees and taxes, consisting of landfill taxes, host community fees and royalties; landfill operating costs, which includes financial assurance, leachate disposal, remediation charges and other landfill maintenance costs; risk management costs, which include insurance premiums and claims; and other, which includes expenses such as facility operating costs, equipment rent and gains or losses on the sale of assets used in our operations.

40

Table of Contents

The following table summarizes the major components of our cost of operations for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in millions of dollars and as a percentage of revenue):

Gain on certain divestitures and impairments, net (29) (0.7) — —

These cost categories may change from time to time and may not be comparable to similarly titled categories presented by other companies. As such, you should take care when comparing our cost of operations by component to that of other companies and of ours for prior periods.

Our cost of operations increased in aggregate dollars for the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the same period in 2023 as a result of the following:

•Labor and related benefits increased in aggregate dollars due to higher hourly and salaried wages as a result of annual merit increases. Acquisition-related growth also contributed to the increase in labor and related benefits.

•Transfer and disposal costs increased in aggregate dollars primarily due to acquisition-related growth and higher disposal rates.

During 2024 approximately 67% of the total solid waste volume we collected was disposed at landfill sites that we own or operate (internalization), as compared to 68% in 2023.

•Maintenance and repairs expense increased in aggregate dollars due to higher hourly wages as a result of annual merit increases, parts inflation and an increase in third-party maintenance.Acquisition-related growth also contributed to the increase in maintenance and repairs expense.

•Transportation and subcontract costs increased in aggregate dollars due to an increase in transportation rates. Acquisition-related growth also contributed to the increase in transportation and subcontract costs.

•Our fuel costs decreased due to a decrease in the average diesel fuel cost per gallon. The national average diesel fuel cost per gallon for 2024 was $3.76 compared to $4.21 for 2023.

At current consumption levels, we believe a twenty-cent per gallon change in the price of diesel fuel would change our fuel costs by approximately $27 million per year. Offsetting these changes in fuel expense would be changes in our fuel recovery fee charged to our customers. At current participation rates, we believe a twenty-cent per gallon change in the price of diesel fuel would change our fuel recovery fee by approximately $38 million per year.

•Disposal fees and taxes increased in aggregate dollars in 2024 primarily due to increased royalties and host fees from an increase in volume at certain landfills as compared to 2023.

•Landfill operating costs increased during 2024 primarily due to increased leachate transportation and maintenance on our gas extraction systems due in part to increased rainfall in select geographic regions, as well as an increase in remediation adjustments recorded during 2024.

•Risk management expenses increased in aggregate dollars primarily due to higher premium costs as well as unfavorable claims development in our auto liability program, partially offset by favorable claims development in our general and worker's compensation liability programs.

•Other costs of operations increased in aggregate dollars during 2024 due to increased occupancy and facility related expenses as well as acquisition-related activity. These increases were partially offset by a favorable non-recurring insurance recovery related to a prior year claim.

41

Table of Contents

Depreciation, Amortization and Depletion of Property and Equipment

The following table summarizes depreciation, amortization and depletion of property and equipment for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in millions of dollars and as a percentage of revenue):

Landfill depletion and amortization 514 3.2 471 3.1

Depreciation, amortization and depletion expense $ 1,517 9.5 % $ 1,368 9.1 %

Depreciation and amortization of property and equipment increased primarily due to assets added through acquisitions.

Landfill depletion and amortization expense increased in aggregate dollars due to an increase in our overall average depletion rate.

Amortization of Other Intangible Assets

Amortization of other intangible assets primarily relates to customer relationships and, to a lesser extent, non-compete agreements. Expenses for amortization of other intangible assets were $79 million, or 0.5% of revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $66 million, or 0.4% of revenue, for 2023. Amortization expense increased due to additional assets acquired as a result of our business acquisitions.

Amortization of Other Assets

Our other assets primarily relate to the prepayment of fees and capitalized implementation costs associated with cloud-based hosting arrangements. Expenses for amortization of other assets were $81 million, or 0.5% of revenue, for the year ended December 31, 2024, compared to $67 million, or 0.5% of revenue, for 2023.

Accretion Expense

Accretion expense was $107 million, or 0.7% of revenue, and $98 million, or 0.7% of revenue, for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

Selling, general and administrative expenses include salaries, health and welfare benefits and incentive compensation for corporate and field general management, field support functions, sales force, accounting and finance, legal, management information systems and clerical and administrative departments. Other expenses include rent and office costs, fees for professional services provided by third parties, legal settlements, marketing, investor and community relations services, directors’ and officers’ insurance, general employee relocation, travel, entertainment and bank charges. Restructuring charges are excluded from selling, general and administrative expenses and are discussed separately.

The following table summarizes our selling, general and administrative expenses for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in millions of dollars and as a percentage of revenue):

Provision for doubtful accounts 27 0.2 53 0.4

US Ecology, Inc. acquisition integration and deal costs — — 34 0.2

Total selling, general and administrative expenses $ 1,674 10.4 % $ 1,609 10.7 %

These cost categories may change from time to time and may not be comparable to similarly titled categories used by other companies. As such, you should take care when comparing our selling, general and administrative expenses by cost component to those of other companies and of ours for prior periods.

The most significant items affecting our selling, general and administrative expenses during 2024 as compared to 2023 are summarized below:

•Salaries and related benefits increased in aggregate dollars primarily due to higher wages and benefits resulting from annual merit increases as well as higher management incentive expense as a result of outperforming our annual incentive metrics. Acquisition-related growth also contributed to the growth in salaries and related benefits.

42

Table of Contents

•Provision for doubtful accounts decreasedprimarily due to improvements in our cash collections and days sales outstanding as well as favorable adjustments to reserves established in a prior year. As of December 31, 2024, our days sales outstanding were 40.9, or 30.0 days net of deferred revenue, compared to 42.0, or 30.9 days net of deferred revenue, as of December 31, 2023.

•Other selling, general and administrative expenses increased for the year ended December 31, 2024, largely due to an increase in meeting and travel costs, consulting costs and acquisition-related growth, partially offset by a favorable legal settlement.

•During the year ended December 31, 2023 we incurred $34 million of acquisition integration and deal costs with the acquisition of US Ecology, primarily related to the integration of certain software systems as well as rebranding of the business. Our integration of the business was substantially complete as of December 31, 2023.

Gain on Business Divestitures and Impairments, Net

We strive to have a leading market position in each of the markets we serve, or have a clear path on how we will achieve a leading market position over time. Where we cannot establish a leading market position, or where operations are not generating acceptable returns, we may decide to divest certain assets and reallocate resources to other markets. Business divestitures could result in gains, losses or impairment charges that may be material to our results of operations in a given period.

During the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, we recorded a net gain on business divestitures and impairments of $1 million and $4 million, respectively.

Restructuring Charges

For a discussion or restructuring charges incurred during the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 see Overview of this Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

Interest Expense

The following table provides the components of interest expense, including accretion of debt discounts and accretion of discounts primarily associated with environmental and risk insurance liabilities assumed in acquisitions for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in millions of dollars):

Interest expense on debt $ 479 $ 430

Non-cash interest 71 86

Less: capitalized interest (11) (8)

Total interest expense $ 539 $ 508

Total interest expense for 2024 increased compared to 2023 primarily due to higher interest rates on our fixed rate debt. The increase attributable to our fixed rate debt is primarily due to the issuance of senior notes in 2024 with coupons ranging from 5.000% to 5.200%, the proceeds of which were used to repay outstanding senior notes with a coupon of 2.500%. This increase was partially offset by a gain of $8 million recognized in 2024 attributable to the early settlement of certain cash flow hedges related to the Term Loan Facility. The gain was recognized as a reduction of non-cash interest expense.

Cash paid for interest, excluding net swap settlements for our fixed-to-floating and floating-to-fixed interest rate swaps, was $487 million and $423 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

As of December 31, 2024, we had $2,160 million of floating rate debt including floating rate swap contracts. If interest rates increased or decreased by 100 basis points on our variable rate debt, annualized interest expense and net cash payments for interest would increase or decrease by approximately $22 million.

Loss on Extinguishment of Debt

During the year ended December 31, 2024, we recognized a loss of$2 million due to the amendment and restatement of the Credit Facility.During the year ended December 31, 2023, we incurred a loss on the early extinguishment of debt due to the early repayment of a portion of our Term Loan Facility. We incurred non-cash charges related to the proportional share of unamortized deferred issuance costs of less than $1 million.

Adjustment to Withdrawal Liability for Multiemployer Pension Funds

During 2023, we recorded a $5 million charge related to the withdrawal from a certain multiemployer pension plan. As we obtain updated information regarding multiemployer pension funds, the factors used in deriving our estimated withdrawal liabilities will be subject to change, which may adversely impact our reserves for withdrawal costs.

43

Table of Contents

Income Taxes

Our provision for income taxes was $388 million and $460 million for 2024 and 2023, respectively. Our effective tax rate, exclusive of non-controlling interests, for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was 16% and 21%, respectively. Net cash paid for income taxes was approximately $313 million and$343 million for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

During 2024, we acquired non-controlling interests in limited liability companies established to own renewable energy assets that qualified for investment tax credits under Section 48 of the Internal Revenue Code. We account for these investments using the equity method of accounting and recognize our share of income or loss and other reductions in the value of our investment in loss from unconsolidated equity method investments within our consolidated statements of income. For further discussion regarding our equity method accounting, see Note 3, Business Acquisitions, Investments and Restructuring Charges. Our 2024 tax provision reflects a benefit of $222 million due to the tax credits related to these investments.

We also made qualified investments in renewable natural gas and commercial electric vehicles during 2024 which, due to tax credits, reduced our tax provision by approximately $18 million.

Our 2023 tax provision was reduced by $87 million related to the tax credits from our non-controlling interests in limited liability companies established to own renewable energy assets.

In addition, during 2023 we resolved IRS examinations for our tax years 2014 - 2018 that, in the aggregate, reduced our tax provision by approximately $21 million.

We have deferred tax assets related to state net operating loss carryforwards with an estimated tax effect of $50 million available as of December 31, 2024. These state net operating loss carryforwards expire at various times between 2025 and 2044. We believe that it is more likely than not that the benefit from some of our state net operating loss carryforwards will not be realized due to limitations on these loss carryforwards in certain states. In recognition of this risk, as of December 31, 2024, we have provided a valuation allowance of $45 million.

For additional discussion and detail regarding our income taxes, see Note 11, Income Taxes, of the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Reportable Segments

Our senior management evaluates, oversees and manages the financial performance of our operations through three field groups, referred to as Group 1, Group 2 and Group 3. Group 1 is our recycling and waste business operating primarily in geographic areas located in the western United States. Group 2 is our recycling and waste business operating primarily in geographic areas located in the southeastern and mid-western United States, the eastern seaboard of the United States, and Canada. Group 3 is our environmental solutions business operating primarily in geographic areas located across the United States and Canada. These groups are presented below as our reportable segments, which each provide integrated environmental services, including but not limited to collection, transfer, recycling and disposal.

Corporate entities and other include marketing, operations support, business development, legal, tax, treasury, information technology, risk management, human resources and other administrative functions. National Accounts revenue included in Corporate entities and other represents the portion of revenue generated from nationwide and regional contracts in markets outside our operating areas where the associated material handling is subcontracted to local operators. Consequently, substantially all of this revenue is offset with related subcontract costs, which are recorded in cost of operations. Revenue and overhead costs of Corporate entities and other are either specifically assigned or allocated on a rational and consistent basis among our reportable segments to calculate adjusted EBITDA by reportable segment.

44

Table of Contents

Adjusted EBITDA is the single financial measure our chief operating decision maker (CODM) uses to evaluate operating segment profitability and determine resource allocations. Cost of operations and selling, general and administrative are significant segment expenses used in the evaluation. Summarized financial information regarding our reportable segments for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in millions of dollars) follows. For totals as well as further detail regarding our reportable segments and the adjustments used to calculate adjusted EBITDA for each segment, see Note 15, Segment Reporting, of the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Other Segment Items — 29 29 — — 29

Other Segment Items — — — (34) — (34)

(1) The Recycling & Waste Subtotal represents the combined results of our Group 1 and Group 2 reportable segments.

Significant changes in the revenue and Adjusted EBITDA of our reportable segments for 2024 compared to 2023 are discussed below.

Group 1

Adjusted EBITDA in Group 1 increased from $2,135 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 to $2,353 million for the year ended December 31, 2024.

The most significant items impacting adjusted EBITDA in Group 1 during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 include:

•Net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased 7.9% from 2023 due to an increase in average yield in all lines of business partially offset by volume declines in our large container collection and landfill lines of business.

•Cost of operations increased due to an increase in labor and third party maintenance costs due to inflationary pressures. The unfavorable impact was partially offset by decreases in fuel costs due to a decrease in average fuel cost per gallon.

•Total assets increased primarily due to additions in property and equipment.

Group 2

Adjusted EBITDA in Group 2 increased from $1,964 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 to $2,190 million for the

45

Table of Contents

year ended December 31, 2024.

The most significant items impacting adjusted EBITDA in Group 2 during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 include:

•Net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased 4.9% from 2023 due to an increase in average yield in all lines of business and increased volume in our landfill line of business. These increases were partially offset by decreased volume in our collection and transfer lines of business.

•Cost of operations increased due to an increase in labor and maintenance costs due to inflationary pressures. The unfavorable impact was partially offset by decreases in fuel costs due to a decrease in average fuel cost per gallon.

Group 3

Adjusted EBITDA in Group 3 increased from $348 million for the year ended December 31, 2023 to $436 million for the year ended December 31, 2024.

The most significant items impacting adjusted EBITDA in Group 3 during the year ended December 31, 2024 compared to the year ended December 31, 2023 include:

•Net revenue for the year ended December 31, 2024 increased due to acquisition-related growth, favorable pricing, and an increase in event-based volumes.

•Cost of operations increased primarily due to an increase in labor costs and the impact of acquisitions.

Landfill and Environmental Matters

Our landfill costs include daily operating expenses, costs of capital for cell development, costs for final capping, closure and post-closure and the legal and administrative costs of ongoing environmental compliance. Daily operating expenses include leachate treatment, transportation and disposal costs, methane gas and groundwater monitoring and system maintenance costs, interim cap maintenance costs and costs associated with applying daily cover materials. We expense all indirect landfill development costs as they are incurred. We use life cycle accounting and the units-of-consumption method to recognize certain direct landfill costs related to landfill development. In life cycle accounting, certain direct costs are capitalized and charged to depletion expense based on the consumption of cubic yards of available airspace. These costs include all costs to acquire and construct a site, including excavation, natural and synthetic liners, construction of leachate collection systems, installation of methane gas collection and monitoring systems, installation of groundwater monitoring wells and other costs associated with acquiring and developing the site. Obligations associated with final capping, closure and post-closure are capitalized and amortized on a units-of-consumption basis as airspace is consumed.

Cost and airspace estimates are developed at least annually by engineers. Our operating and accounting personnel use these estimates to adjust the rates we use to expense capitalized costs. Changes in these estimates primarily relate to changes in cost estimates, available airspace, inflation and applicable regulations. Changes in available airspace include changes in engineering estimates, changes in design and changes due to the addition of airspace lying in expansion areas that we believe have a probable likelihood of being permitted. Changes in engineering estimates typically include modifications to the available disposal capacity of a landfill based on a refinement of the capacity calculations resulting from updated information.

46

Table of Contents

Available Airspace

As of December 31, 2024, we owned or operated 208 active landfills with total available disposal capacity estimated to be 5 billion in-place cubic yards. For these landfills, the following table reflects changes in capacity and remaining capacity, as measured in cubic yards of airspace as of December 31, 2024.

Cubic yards (in millions):

Probable expansion airspace 283 4 — (5) — — 282

Number of sites:

Probable expansion airspace 14 1 — (1) 14

The following table reflects changes in capacity and remaining capacity for these landfills, as measured in cubic yards of airspace, as of December 31, 2023.

Cubic yards (in millions):

Number of sites:

Probable expansion airspace 13 3 — (2) 14

Total available disposal capacity represents the sum of estimated permitted airspace plus an estimate of probable expansion airspace. Engineers develop these estimates at least annually using information provided by annual aerial surveys. Before airspace included in an expansion area is determined to be probable expansion airspace and, therefore, included in our calculation of total available disposal capacity, it must meet all of our expansion criteria. See Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, and Note 8, Landfill and Environmental Costs, of the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements in Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K for further information. Also see our Critical Accounting Judgments and Estimates section of this Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

As of December 31, 2024, 14 of our landfills met all of our criteria for including their probable expansion airspace in their total available disposal capacity. At projected annual volumes, these 14 landfills have an estimated remaining average site life of 49 years, including probable expansion airspace. The average estimated remaining life of all of our landfills is 56 years. We have other expansion opportunities that are not included in our total available airspace because they do not meet all of our criteria for treatment as probable expansion airspace.

47

Table of Contents

The following table reflects the estimated operating lives of our active landfill sites based on available and probable disposal capacity using current annual volumes as of December 31, 2024:

Final Capping, Closure and Post-Closure Costs

As of December 31, 2024, accrued final capping, closure and post-closure costs were $2,144 million, of which $96 million were current and $2,048 million were long-term as reflected in our consolidated balance sheets in accrued landfill and environmental costs included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Remediation and Other Charges for Landfill Matters

It is reasonably possible that we will need to adjust our accrued landfill and environmental liabilities to reflect the effects of new or additional information, to the extent that such information impacts the costs, timing or duration of the required actions. Future changes in our estimates of the costs, timing or duration of the required actions could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

For a description of our significant remediation matters, see Note 8, Landfill and Environmental Costs, of the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Investment in Landfills

As of December 31, 2024, we expect to spend an estimated additional $12 billion on existing landfills, primarily related to cell construction and environmental structures, over their remaining lives. Our total expected investment, excluding non-depletable land, estimated to be $17 billion, or $3.36 per cubic yard, is used in determining our depletion and amortization expense based on airspace consumed using the units-of-consumption method.

The following table reflects our future expected investment as of December 31, 2024 (in millions):

Balance as of December 31, 2024 ExpectedFutureInvestment TotalExpectedInvestment

Non-depletable landfill land $ 195 $ — $ 195

Construction-in-progress – landfill 437 — 437

Accumulated depletion and amortization (6,031) — (6,031)

Net investment in landfill land and development costs $ 5,119 $ 11,988 $ 17,107

48

Table of Contents

The following table reflects our net investment in our landfills, excluding non-depletable land, and our depletion, amortization and accretion expense for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023:

Number of landfills owned or operated 208 207

Net investment, excluding non-depletable land (in millions) $ 4,924 $ 4,745

Net investment per cubic yard $ 0.98 $ 0.93

Landfill depletion and amortization expense (in millions) $ 514 $ 471

Accretion expense (in millions) 107 98

Airspace consumed (in millions of cubic yards) 87 86

During 2024 and 2023, our average compaction rate was approximately 2,000 pounds per cubic yard based primarily on a three-year historical moving average.

Property and Equipment

The following tables reflect the activity in our property and equipment accounts for the year ended December 31, 2024 (in millions of dollars):

Gross Property and Equipment

Construction-in-progress - landfill 350 494 — — — — (407) 437

Accumulated Depreciation, Amortization and Depletion

Landfill development costs $ (5,516) $ (501) $ — $ — $ (13) $ (1) $ (6,031)

49

Table of Contents

The following tables reflect the activity in our property and equipment accounts for the year ended December 31, 2023 (in millions of dollars):

Gross Property and Equipment

Accumulated Depreciation, Amortization and Depletion

Buildings and improvements (758) (89) 7 — — 8 (832)

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash and Cash Equivalents

The following is a summary of our cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash and marketable securities balances as of December 31:

Cash and cash equivalents $ 74 $ 140

Restricted cash and marketable securities 208 164

Less: restricted marketable securities (79) (76)

Our restricted cash and marketable securities include amounts pledged to regulatory agencies and governmental entities as financial guarantees of our performance under certain collection, landfill and transfer station contracts and permits, and relating to our final capping, closure and post-closure obligations at our landfills as well as restricted cash and marketable securities related to our insurance obligations.

The following table summarizes our restricted cash and marketable securities as of December 31:

Capping, closure and post-closure obligations $ 59 $ 43

Total restricted cash and marketable securities $ 208 $ 164

Material Cash Requirements and Intended Uses of Cash

We expect existing cash, cash equivalents, restricted cash and marketable securities, cash flows from operations and financing activities to continue to be sufficient to fund our operating activities and cash commitments for investing and financing activities for at least the next 12 months and thereafter for the foreseeable future. Our known current- and long-term uses of cash include, among other possible demands: (1) capital expenditures and leases, (2) acquisitions, (3) dividend payments, (4)

50

Table of Contents

payments to service debt and other long-term obligations, (5) payments for asset retirement obligations and environmental liabilities and (6) share repurchases.

Capital Expenditures and Leases

We make investments in property and equipment primarily to allow for growth of our service offerings. These investments are largely concentrated in vehicles and equipment and costs to construct our landfills. We expect to receive between $1.86 billion to $1.90 billion of property and equipment, net of proceeds from the sale of property and equipment, in 2025.

We lease property and equipment in the ordinary course of business under various lease agreements. The most significant lease obligations are for real property and equipment specific to our industry, including property operated as a landfill or transfer station and operating equipment. As of December 31, 2024, the amount of total future lease payments under operating and finance leases was $269 million and $445 million, respectively. For additional detail regarding our lease obligations, see Note 10, Leases, of the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Acquisitions

Our acquisition growth strategy focuses primarily on acquiring privately held recycling and waste companies and environmental solutions businesses that complement our existing business platform. We continue to invest in value-enhancing acquisitions in existing markets.

We expect to invest approximately $1 billion in acquisitions in 2025.

Dividend Payments

In October 2024 our Board of Directors approved a quarterly dividend of $0.580 per share. Aggregate cash dividends declared were $699 million for the year ended December 31, 2024. As of December 31, 2024, we recorded a quarterly dividend payable of $181 million to shareholders of record at the close of business on January 2, 2025, which was paid on January 15, 2025.

Debt and other long-term obligations

Debt repayments may include purchases of our outstanding indebtedness in the secondary market or otherwise. We believe that our excess cash, cash from operating activities and our availability to draw on our credit facilities provide us with sufficient financial resources to meet our anticipated capital requirements and maturing obligations as they come due.

We may choose to voluntarily retire certain portions of our outstanding debt before their maturity dates using cash from operations or additional borrowings. We may also explore opportunities in the capital markets to fund redemptions should market conditions be favorable. Early extinguishment of debt will result in an impairment charge in the period in which the debt is repaid. The loss on early extinguishment of debt relates to premiums paid to effectuate the repurchase and the relative portion of unamortized note discounts and debt issue costs.

In May 2022, we entered into a commercial paper program for the issuance and sale of unsecured commercial paper in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $500 million outstanding at any one time (the Commercial Paper Cap). In August 2022, the Commercial Paper Cap was increased to $1.0 billion, and in October 2023, was subsequently increased to $1.5 billion. The weighted average interest rate for borrowings outstanding as of December 31, 2024 was 4.646% with a weighted average maturity of approximately 18 days. In the event of a failed re-borrowing, we currently have availability under our Credit Facility (as defined below) to fund the amounts borrowed under the commercial paper program until they are re-borrowed successfully. Accordingly, we have classified these borrowings as long-term in our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024.

As of December 31, 2024, the total principal value of our debt was $12.8 billion, of which $862 million is due in 2025.

We have several agreements that require us to dispose of a minimum number of tons at third-party disposal facilities. Under these put-or-pay agreements, we must pay for agreed-upon minimum volumes regardless of the actual number of tons placed at the facilities.

Our unconditional purchase commitments have varying expiration dates, with some extending through the remaining life of the respective landfill. Future minimum payments under unconditional purchase commitments consist primarily of (1) disposal related agreements, which include fixed or minimum royalty payments, host agreements and take-or-pay and put-or-pay agreements and (2) other obligations including committed capital expenditures and consulting service agreements. As of December 31, 2024, such purchase commitments, which do not qualify for recognition on our Consolidated Balance Sheets, amount to $907 million, of which $202 million was short-term.

For additional detail regarding our debt and known contractual and other obligations, see Note 9, Debt, and Note 19, Commitments and Contingencies, of the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

51

Table of Contents

Asset Retirement Obligations and Environmental Liabilities

We have future obligations for final capping, closure and post-closure costs with respect to the landfills we own or operate as set forth in applicable landfill permits. As of December 31, 2024, our future obligations for final capping, closure and post-closure costs totaled $2.1 billion, of which $96 million was short-term.

Additionally, we are subject to an array of laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment, and we remediate sites in the ordinary course of our business. Our environmental remediation liabilities primarily include costs associated with remediating groundwater, surface water and soil contamination, as well as controlling and containing methane gas migration and the related legal costs. As of December 31, 2024, our environmental liabilities totaled $447 million, of which $63 million was short-term.

For additional detail regarding our asset retirement obligations and environmental liabilities, see Note 8, Landfill and Environmental Costs, of the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Share Repurchases

In October 2020, our Board of Directors approved a $2 billion share repurchase authorization effective starting January 1, 2021 and extending through December 31, 2023. In October 2023, our Board of Directors approved a $3 billion share repurchase authorization effective starting January 1, 2024 and extending through December 31, 2026. Share repurchases under the current program may be made through open market purchases or privately negotiated transactions in accordance with applicable federal securities laws. While the Board of Directors has approved the program, the timing of any purchases, the prices and the number of shares of common stock to be purchased will be determined by our management, at its discretion, and will depend upon market conditions and other factors. The share repurchase program may be extended, suspended or discontinued at any time. As of December 31, 2024, the remaining authorized purchase capacity under our October 2023 repurchase program was $2.5 billion.

Summary of Cash Flow Activity

The major components of changes in cash flows for 2024 and 2023 are discussed in the following paragraphs. The following table summarizes our cash flow from operating activities, investing activities and financing activities for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 (in millions of dollars):

Net cash provided by operating activities $ 3,936 $ 3,618

Net cash used in investing activities $ (2,561) $ (3,667)

Net cash (used in) provided by financing activities $ (1,398) $ 62

Cash Flows Provided by Operating Activities

The most significant items affecting the comparison of our operating cash flows for 2024 and 2023 are summarized below.

Changes in assets and liabilities, net of effects from business acquisitions and divestitures, decreased our cash flow from operations by $378 million in 2024, compared to a decrease of $91 million during the same period in 2023, primarily as a result of the following:

•Our accounts receivable, exclusive of the change in allowance for doubtful accounts and customer credits, increased $76 million during 2024, due to the timing of billings net of collections, compared to a $71 million increase in the same period in 2023. As of December 31, 2024, our days sales outstanding were 40.9, or 30.0 days net of deferred revenue, compared to 42.0, or 30.9 days net of deferred revenue, as of December 31, 2023.

•Our prepaid expenses and other assets increased $171 million in 2024 compared to a $30 million increase in 2023. The increase in prepaid expenses and other assets during 2024 is primarily driven by an increase in capitalized implementation costs for our cloud-based hosting arrangements and higher insurance premium costs.

•Our accounts payable decreased $27 million during 2024 compared to an $83 million increase during 2023, due to the timing of payments.

•Cash paid for capping, closure and post-closure obligations was $56 million during 2024 compared to $61 million for 2023. The decrease in cash paid for capping, closure and post-closure obligations is primarily due to the timing of capping and post-closure payments at certain of our landfill sites.

•Cash paid for remediation obligations was $7 million higher during 2024 compared to 2023.

52

Table of Contents

In addition, cash paid for interest was $487 million and $423 million, excluding net swap settlements for our fixed to floating interest rate swaps, for 2024 and 2023, respectively. Cash paid for income taxes was $313 million and $343 million for 2024 and 2023, respectively.

We use cash flows from operations to fund capital expenditures, acquisitions, dividend payments, debt repayments and share repurchases.

Cash Flows Used in Investing Activities

The most significant items affecting the comparison of our cash flows used in investing activities for 2024 and 2023 are summarized below:

•Capital expenditures during 2024 were $1,855 million as compared to $1,631 million for 2023.

•Proceeds from sales of property and equipment during 2024 were $47 million as compared to $29 million for 2023.

•During 2024 and 2023, we used $753 million and $2,065 million, respectively, for acquisitions and investments, net of cash acquired. During 2024 and 2023, we received $2 million and $6 million from business divestitures, respectively.

We intend to finance capital expenditures and acquisitions through cash on hand, restricted cash held for capital expenditures, cash flows from operations, our revolving credit facilities and tax-exempt bonds and other financings. We expect to primarily use cash and borrowings under our revolving credit facilities to pay for future acquisitions.

Cash Flows (Used in) Provided by Financing Activities

The most significant items affecting the comparison of our cash flows used in financing activities for 2024 and 2023 are summarized below:

•During 2024, we issued $900 million of senior notes for cash proceeds, net of discounts and fees, of $889 million. During 2023, we issued $2,200 million of senior notes for cash proceeds, net of discounts and fees, of $2,172 million. Net payments of notes payable and long-term debt were $1,089 million during 2024, compared to net payments of $1,190 million in 2023. For a more detailed discussion, see the Financial Condition section of this Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations.

•During 2024, we repurchased 2.5 million shares of our stock for $480 million. During 2023, we repurchased 1.8 million shares of our stock for $262 million.

•In July 2024, our Board of Directors approved an increase in our quarterly dividend to $0.580 per share. Dividends paid were $687 million and $638 million in 2024 and 2023, respectively.

•During 2024 and 2023, cash paid for purchase price holdback releases and contingent purchase price related to acquisitions was $15 million and $19 million, respectively.

Financial Condition

Debt Obligations

As of December 31, 2024, we had $862 million of principal debt maturing within the next 12 months, which includes certain finance lease obligations. All of our tax-exempt financings are remarketed either quarterly or semiannually by remarketing agents to effectively maintain a variable yield, with the exception of three tax-exempt financings with initial remarketing periods of 10 years. The holders of the bonds can put them back to the remarketing agents at the end of each interest period. If the remarketing agent is unable to remarket our bonds, the remarketing agent can put the bonds to us. In the event of a failed remarketing, as of December 31, 2024, we had availability under our Credit Facility (defined below) to fund these bonds until they are remarketed successfully. In the event of a failed re-borrowing under our commercial paper program, as of December 31, 2024, we had availability under our Credit Facility to fund the amounts borrowed under the commercial paper program until it is re-borrowed successfully. Accordingly, we have classified these tax-exempt financings and commercial paper program borrowings as long-term in our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024.

For further discussion of the components of our overall debt, see Note 9, Debt, of the notes to our audited consolidated financial statements in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

53

Table of Contents

Credit Facilities

Uncommitted Credit Facility

In January 2022, we entered into a $200 million unsecured uncommitted revolving credit facility (the Uncommitted Credit Facility). The Uncommitted Credit Facility bears interest at an annual percentage rate to be agreed upon by both parties. Borrowings under the Uncommitted Credit Facility can be used for working capital, letters of credit and other general corporate purposes. The agreement governing our Uncommitted Credit Facility requires us to comply with certain covenants. The Uncommitted Credit Facility may be terminated by either party at any time. As of December 31, 2024 and 2023, we had no borrowings outstanding under our Uncommitted Credit Facility.

The Credit Facility

In July 2024, we and our subsidiary, USE Canada Holdings, Inc. (the Canadian Borrower) entered into the Second Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the Credit Facility) which amends and restates the unsecured revolving credit facility we entered into in August 2021. The total outstanding principal amount that we may borrow under the Credit Facility may not exceed the current aggregate lenders' commitments of $3.5 billion, and borrowings under the Credit Facility mature in July 2029. As permitted by the Credit Facility, we have the right to request two one-year extensions of the maturity date, but none of the lenders are committed to participate in such extensions. The Credit Facility also includes a feature that allows us to increase availability, at our option, by an aggregate amount of up to $1 billion through increased commitments from existing lenders or the addition of new lenders.

All loans to the Canadian Borrower and all loans denominated in Canadian dollars cannot exceed $1 billion (the Canadian Sublimit). The Canadian Sublimit is part of, and not in addition to, the aggregate commitments under the Credit Facility.

Borrowings under the Credit Facility in United States dollars bear interest at a Base Rate, a daily floating SOFR or a term SOFR plus a current applicable margin of 0.920% based on our Debt Ratings (all as defined in the Credit Facility agreement). The Canadian dollar-denominated loans bear interest based on the Canadian Prime Rate or the Canadian Dollar Offered Rate plus a current applicable margin of 0.920% based on our Debt Ratings. As of December 31, 2024, $232 million was outstanding against the Canadian Sublimit, with an average interest rate of 5.309%.

The Credit Facility is subject to facility fees based on applicable rates defined in the Credit Facility agreement and the aggregate commitment, regardless of usage. The Credit Facility can be used for working capital, capital expenditures, acquisitions, letters of credit and other general corporate purposes. The Credit Facility agreement requires us to comply with financial and other covenants. We may pay dividends and repurchase common stock if we are in compliance with these covenants.

We had $514 million and $297 million outstanding under our Credit Facility as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We had $317 million and $337 million of letters of credit outstanding under our Credit Facility as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. We also had $477 million and $495 million of principal borrowings outstanding (net of related discount on issuance) under our commercial paper program as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. As a result, availability under our Credit Facility was $2,192 million and $2,371 million as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Financial and Other Covenants

The Credit Facility requires us to comply with financial and other covenants. To the extent we are not in compliance with these covenants, we cannot pay dividends or repurchase common stock. Compliance with covenants also is a condition for any incremental borrowings under the Credit Facility, and failure to meet these covenants would enable the lenders to require repayment of any outstanding loans (which would adversely affect our liquidity). Additionally, if we are not in compliance with these covenants, we could not use the availability under our Credit Facility to fund borrowings we currently make under our commercial paper program, if there is a failed reborrowing under that program. The Credit Facility provides that our total debt to EBITDA ratio may not exceed 3.75 to 1.00 as of the last day of any fiscal quarter. In the case of an "elevated ratio period", which may be elected by us if one or more acquisitions during a fiscal quarter involve aggregate consideration in excess of $200.0 million (the Trigger Quarter), the total debt to EBITDA ratio may not exceed 4.25 to 1.00 during the Trigger Quarter and for the three fiscal quarters thereafter. The Credit Facility also provides that there may not be more than two elevated ratio periods during the term of the Credit Facility agreement. As of December 31, 2024, our total debt to EBITDA ratio was approximately 2.6 compared to the 3.75 maximum allowed. As of December 31, 2024, we were in compliance with all other covenants under our Credit Facility.

EBITDA, which is a non-U.S. GAAP measure, is calculated as defined in our Credit Facility agreement. In this context, EBITDA is used solely to provide information regarding the extent to which we are in compliance with debt covenants and is not comparable to EBITDA used by other companies or used by us for other purposes.

Failure to comply with the financial and other covenants under the Credit Facility, as well as the occurrence of certain material adverse events, would constitute defaults and would allow the lenders under the Credit Facility to accelerate the maturity of all

54

Table of Contents

indebtedness under the Credit Facility. This could have an adverse effect on the availability of financial assurances. In addition, maturity acceleration on the Credit Facility constitutes an event of default under certain of our other debt and derivative instruments. If such acceleration were to occur, we would not have sufficient liquidity available to repay the indebtedness. We would likely have to seek an amendment under the Credit Facility for relief from the financial covenant or repay the debt with proceeds from the issuance of new debt or equity, or asset sales, if necessary. We may be unable to amend the Credit Facility or raise sufficient capital to repay such obligations in the event the maturity is accelerated.

Term Loan Facility

On April 29, 2022, we entered into a $1 billion unsecured Term Loan Facility (Term Loan Facility), which bore interest at a base rate or a forward-looking SOFR, plus an applicable margin based on our debt ratings. We had $500 million of borrowings outstanding under the Term Loan Facility as of December 31, 2023. During the year ended December 31, 2024, we repaid the remaining balance of the Term Loan Facility.

Commercial Paper Program

In May 2022, we entered into a commercial paper program for the issuance and sale of unsecured commercial paper in an aggregate principal amount not to exceed $500 million outstanding at any one time (the Commercial Paper Cap). In August 2022, the Commercial Paper Cap was increased to $1.0 billion, and in October 2023, was increased to $1.5 billion. The weighted average interest rate for borrowings outstanding as of December 31, 2024 was 4.646% with a weighted average maturity of approximately 18 days.

We had $477 million and $496 million principal value of commercial paper issued and outstanding under the program as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively. In the event of a failed re-borrowing, we currently have availability under our Credit Facility (as defined above) to fund amounts currently borrowed under the commercial paper program until they are re-borrowed successfully. Accordingly, we have classified these borrowings as long-term in our consolidated balance sheet as of December 31, 2024 and 2023, respectively.

Senior Notes and Debentures

In March 2023, we issued $400 million of 4.875% senior notes due 2029 (the Existing 2029 Notes) and $800 million of 5.000% senior notes due 2034 (the 2034 Notes, and together with the Existing 2029 Notes, the Notes). The Notes are unsecured and unsubordinated and rank equally with our other unsecured obligations. We used the proceeds from the Notes for general corporate purposes, including the repayment of a portion of amounts outstanding under the Uncommitted Credit Facility, the Commercial Paper Program, the Credit Facility, and the Term Loan Facility. As a result of the Term Loan Facility repayment, we incurred a non-cash loss on the early extinguishment of debt related to the ratable portion of unamortized deferred issuance costs of less than $1 million.

In December 2023, we issued an additional $350 million of 4.875% senior notes due 2029 (the New 2029 Notes, and together with the Existing 2029 Notes, the 2029 Notes). After giving effect to the issuance of the New 2029 Notes, $750 million in aggregate principal amount of the 2029 Notes is outstanding. The New 2029 Notes are fungible with the Existing 2029 Notes, and taken together, the 2029 Notes are treated as a single series.

In December 2023, we also issued $650 million of 5.000% senior notes due 2033 (the 2033 Notes). The proceeds of the 2033 Notes were used for general corporate purposes, including the repayment of a portion of amounts outstanding under the Uncommitted Credit Facility, the Commercial Paper Program, the Credit Facility, and the Term Loan Facility.

In June 2024, we issued $400 million of 5.000% senior notes due 2029 and $500 million of 5.200% senior notes due 2034. We used the proceeds from the June 2024 notes issuance for general corporate purposes, including the repayment of a portion of amounts outstanding under the Commercial Paper Program and the Credit Facility; and repayment of the remaining amount outstanding under the Term Loan Facility and the Uncommitted Credit Facility.

Our senior notes and debentures are general unsecured obligations. Interest is payable semi-annually.

Tax-Exempt Financings

As of December 31, 2024, we had $1,409 million of certain variable rate tax-exempt financings outstanding, with maturities ranging from 2026 to 2053. As of December 31, 2023, we had $1,281 million of certain variable rate tax-exempt financings outstanding, with maturities ranging from 2024 to 2053.

Finance Leases and Other

As of December 31, 2024, we had finance lease liabilities of $315 million with maturities ranging from 2025 to 2063. As of December 31, 2023, we had finance lease liabilities of $251 million with maturities ranging from 2024 to 2063.

55

Table of Contents

As of December 31, 2024, finance leases and other included $53 million related to the construction of an office building located in Phoenix, Arizona, which has been accounted for as a financing obligation. The amount is recorded within long-term debt, net of current maturities.

Credit Ratings

Our continued access to the debt capital markets and to new financing facilities, as well as our borrowing costs, depend on multiple factors, including market conditions, our operating performance and maintaining strong credit ratings. As of December 31, 2024, our credit ratings were BBB+, Baa1 and A- by Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services, Moody’s Investors Service and Fitch Ratings, Inc., respectively. If our credit ratings were downgraded, especially any downgrade to below investment grade, our ability to access the debt markets with the same flexibility that we have experienced historically, our cost of funds and other terms for new debt issuances could be adversely impacted.

Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

We have no off-balance sheet debt or similar obligations, other than short-term operating leases and financial assurances, which are not classified as debt. We have no transactions or obligations with related parties that are not disclosed, consolidated into or reflected in our reported financial position or results of operations. We have not guaranteed any third-party debt.

Seasonality and Severe Weather

Our operations can be adversely affected by periods of inclement or severe weather, which could increase the volume of waste collected under our existing contracts (without corresponding compensation), delay the collection and disposal of waste, reduce the volume of waste delivered to our disposal sites, or delay the construction or expansion of our landfills and other facilities. Our operations also can be favorably affected by severe weather, which could increase the volume of waste in situations where we are able to charge for our additional services.

Contingencies

For a description of our commitments and contingencies, see Note 8, Landfill and Environmental Costs, Note 11, Income Taxes and Note 19, Commitments and Contingencies, to our audited consolidated financial statements included in Part II, Item 8 of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Financial Assurance

We must provide financial assurance to governmental agencies and a variety of other entities under applicable environmental regulations relating to our landfill operations for capping, closure and post-closure costs, and related to our performance under certain collection, landfill and transfer station contracts. We satisfy these financial assurance requirements by providing surety bonds, letters of credit, or insurance policies (Financial Assurance Instruments), or trust deposits, which are included in restricted cash and marketable securities and other assets in our consolidated balance sheets. The amount of the financial assurance requirements for capping, closure and post-closure costs is determined by applicable state environmental regulations. The financial assurance requirements for capping, closure and post-closure costs may be associated with a portion of the landfill or the entire landfill. Generally, states require a third-party engineering specialist to determine the estimated capping, closure and post-closure costs that are used to determine the required amount of financial assurance for a landfill. The amount of financial assurance required can, and generally will, differ from the obligation determined and recorded under U.S. GAAP. The amount of the financial assurance requirements related to contract performance varies by contract. Additionally, we must provide financial assurance for our insurance program and collateral for certain performance obligations. We do not expect a material increase in financial assurance requirements during 2025, although the mix of Financial Assurance Instruments may change.

These Financial Assurance Instruments are issued in the normal course of business and are not classified as indebtedness. Because we currently have no liability for the Financial Assurance Instruments, they are not reflected in our consolidated balance sheets; however, we record capping, closure and post-closure liabilities and insurance liabilities as they are incurred.

Critical Accounting Judgments and Estimates

Our consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP and necessarily include certain estimates and judgments made by management. The following is a list of accounting policies that we believe are the most critical in understanding our consolidated financial position, results of operations and cash flows and that may require management to make subjective or complex judgments about matters that are inherently uncertain. Our critical accounting estimates are those estimates that involve a significant level of uncertainty at the time the estimate was made, and changes in them have had or are reasonably likely to have a material effect on our financial condition or results of operations. Accordingly, actual results could differ materially from our estimates. We base our estimates on past experience and other assumptions that

56

Table of Contents

we believe are reasonable under the circumstances, and we evaluate these estimates on an ongoing basis. Such critical accounting policies, estimates and judgments are applicable to all of our operating segments.

We have noted examples of the estimates that are subject to uncertainty in the accounting for these areas below.

Landfill Development Asset Depletion

Landfill depletion expense for the years ended December 31, 2024 and 2023 was $408 million and $379 million, respectively.

To match the expense related to the landfill asset with the revenue generated by the landfill operations, we amortize the landfill development asset over its operating life on a per-ton basis as waste is accepted at the landfill. The landfill asset is fully depleted at the end of a landfill’s operating life. The per-ton rate is calculated by dividing the sum of the landfill development asset net book value plus estimated future development costs for the landfill, by the landfill’s estimated remaining permitted and probable disposal capacity. The expected future development costs are not inflated or discounted, but rather expressed in nominal dollars. This rate is applied to each ton accepted at the landfill to arrive at depletion expense for the period.

The calculation of depletion expense includes certain estimates and assumptions around future landfill development costs and remaining permitted and probable landfill disposal capacity. Changes in these estimates are subject to uncertainty attributable to the following factors: (i) actual future costs of construction materials and third-party labor could differ from the costs we have estimated because of the level of demand and the availability of the required materials and labor, and (ii) technical designs could be altered due to unexpected operating conditions, regulatory changes or legislative changes.

On at least an annual basis, we update the estimates of future development costs and remaining disposal capacity for each landfill. These costs and disposal capacity estimates are reviewed and approved by senior operations management annually. Changes in cost estimates and disposal capacity are reflected prospectively in the landfill depletion rates that are updated annually.

Landfill Asset Retirement Obligations