Inside WM’s Plan to Automate the Future of Trash
Description
WM CEO Jim Fish joins Leadership Next to unpack how the company formerly known as Waste Management is reinventing itself for a new era—one defined by sustainability, automation, and culture-first leadership. Fish explains how WM is transforming from a landfill-dependent waste hauler into a high-tech environmental leader, investing in profitable recycling centers and piloting autonomous garbage trucks. He shares why recycling is not only good for the planet but a major business driver, and reveals WM’s plan to reduce 5,000 jobs through attrition—not layoffs—by automating hard-to-fill roles. Along the way, Fish reflects on the surprising role trash collection has played in improving public health, and why, in his eyes, managing waste responsibly is a civic duty we all share.