WM Recognized for Environmental Excellence
WM has demonstrated its commitment to environmental stewardship by achieving Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) Conservation Certification for its Pollinator Garden, Pollinator Meadows and other conservation projects at Monarch Hill Landfill in Pompano Beach.
The Monarch Hill program was recently designated as Certified Silver, signifying leadership among the more than 600 WHC Conservation Certification programs.
“As we mark Earth Day this month, WM isextremely pleased to have earned Certification from the Wildlife Habitat Council for its Pollinator projects at Monarch Hill Landfill,” said WM Communications Director Dawn McCormick. “We’ve partnered with local environmentalists Sue and Walter Wallenstein of the Broward County chapter of the North America Butterfly Association, our consultant at Atkins, and our local WM Environmental Team to plant and nuture the garden and other habitat sites at the landfill.”
The Pollinator Garden at WM’s Monarch Hill Landfill was planted in the spring of 2022 and provides resources that increase the world’s population of Monarch butterflies and other species. The Pollinator Meadows are located throughout the landfill site.
The garden and 500-acre Monarch Hill Landfill are home to 39 documented species of butterflies including Cloudless Sulphur, Ceraunus Blue, Gulf Fritillary, Queen and Monarch butterflies. Each quarter, the WM team has been recording sightings of hundreds of individual butterflies during its regular butterfy counts.
“The Monarch Hill project is recognized as meeting the strict requirements of WHC Conservation Certification,” said Margaret O’Gorman, President, WHC. “Companies achieving WHC Conservation Certification, like WM, are environmental leaders, voluntarily managing their lands to support sustainable ecosystems and the communities that surround them.”
The Monarch Hill gardenwas planted with Butterfly Nectar plants including Blanket Flower, Tropical Sage and Blue Porterweed. Caterpillar Host plants in the garden include native Milkweed, Coontie, and Corky-stem Passion vine.
The garden was designed by WM in partnership with neighboring Butterfly World.
“We were pleased to consult with and add our expertise to the planning of the pollinator garden at Monarch Hill,” said Jason DeYoung, General Manager at Butterfly World. “The site has a great variety of butterfly species, and the garden provides habitat for them to flourish.”
The Pollinator Garden and Meadows is one of several projects at Monarch Hill included in the certification from the Wildlife Habit Council. Other on-site projects include the installation of Bat Houses, Small Mammal habitats and the destruction of invasive species.
Monarch Hill Landfill has operated in Broward County since 1965. It currently accepts about 6,000 tons a day of waste for disposal, of which 75% is construction and demolition debris that cannot be incinerated in a Waste-to-Energy facility.Monarch Hill’s Landfill-Gas-to-Energy plant utilizes the methane generated by the landfill to produce electricity to power 9,000 homes daily.
About WHC
Wildlife Habitat Council promotes and certifies habitat conservation and management on corporate lands through partnerships and education. WHC Conservation Certification programs take corporate sustainability goals and objectives and translate them into tangible and measurable on-the-ground actions. Through a focus on building collaboration for conservation with corporate employees, other conservation organizations, government agencies and community members, WHC programs focus on healthy ecosystems and connected communities. WHC-assisted wildlife habitat and conservation education programs are found in 48 states and 24 countries. www.wildlifehc.org
About WM
WM (WM.com) is North America’s largest comprehensive waste management environmental solutions provider. Previously known as Waste Management and based in Houston, Texas, WM is driven by commitments to put people first and achieve success with integrity. The company, through its subsidiaries, provides collection, recycling and disposal services to millions of residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers throughout the U.S. and Canada. With innovative infrastructure and capabilities in recycling, organics and renewable energy, WM provides environmental solutions to and collaborates with its customers in helping them achieve their sustainability goals. WM has the largest disposal network and collection fleet in North America, is the largest recycler of post-consumer materials and is the leader in beneficial reuse of landfill gas, with a growing network of renewable natural gas plants and the most gas-to-electricity plants in North America. WM’s fleet includes nearly 11,000 natural gas trucks – the largest heavy-duty natural gas truck fleet of its kind in North America – where more than half are fueled by renewable natural gas. To learn more about WM and the company’s sustainability progress and solutions, visit Sustainability.WM.com.
