Waste Management, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides environmental solutions to residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers in the United States, Canada, Western Europe, and internationally. The stock trades as (US: WM). The company carries a market capitalisation of roughly $96.1 billion and sits in the Industrials sector. For Muslim investors asking “is Waste Management halal?” or “is WM halal?”, the answer comes from testing the company against established Shariah screening rules. Here are the workings.
What We Screen For
Our screen applies two layers. First, a business activity test: companies whose core operations are impermissible (conventional banking and insurance, alcohol, gambling, tobacco, weapons, adult entertainment) fail outright. Second, four financial ratio tests built on widely adopted AAOIFI-style thresholds:
- Debt screen: interest-bearing debt must stay below 33% of market capitalisation.
- Liquidity screen: cash plus interest-bearing securities must stay below 33% of market capitalisation.
- Receivables screen: accounts receivable must stay below 49% of total assets.
- Revenue screen: non-permissible revenue must stay below 5% of total revenue.
The Numbers
| Screening Test | WM Figure | Limit | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business activity | Core operations reviewed | No prohibited core activity | ✓ Pass |
| Interest-bearing debt to market capitalisation | 49.98% | Below 33% | ✗ Fail |
| Cash and interest-bearing securities | 1.70% | Below 33% | ✓ Pass |
| Accounts receivable to total assets | 7.93% | Below 49% | ✓ Pass |
| Non-permissible revenue share | 0.00% | Below 5% | ✓ Pass |
| Overall verdict | FAIL | Ethical score 10.0/100 | ✗ Fail |
Detailed Assessment
Waste Management clears the business activity test: no prohibited business activity identified.
Interest-bearing debt stands at 49.98% of market capitalisation, above the 33% limit. This is the screen the company fails.
Cash and interest-bearing securities sit at 1.70% against the 33% limit, and accounts receivable at 7.93% against the 49% limit. Together these confirm the asset base is productive rather than a wrapper around cash and paper claims.
Non-permissible revenue is measured at 0.00% of total revenue against the 5% ceiling.
The verdict is FAIL because the company breaches: Interest-bearing debt to market capitalisation.
Key Considerations
Screening verdicts are methodology-dependent. Our screen applies the thresholds shown above; other providers may use total assets rather than market capitalisation as the denominator, which can move borderline names. The underlying figures are shown so you can apply your own scholar’s rules.
Screening data reflects filings available as of 2026-07-19.
Quick Answers
Is Waste Management stock halal?
Under our screen, Waste Management (WM) receives a FAIL verdict as of July 2026. It fails: Debt ratio.
What ratios does WM need to pass?
Interest-bearing debt below 33% of market capitalisation, cash and interest-bearing securities below 33%, receivables below 49% of assets, and non-permissible revenue below 5% of total revenue, after a business activity test.
Further Research
View the full Waste Management profile, including quantitative scores and technical analysis, on our WM ticker page.
Screen the full 13,700-name universe yourself on the Ethical Trading hub, or compare verdicts across the market with our screeners.