The Garbage Man: Bill Gates Has Earned Billions Investing in Climate-Polluting Landfillsby Alex Cuadros November 10, 2026, 5:00 am

The Garbage Man: Bill Gates Has Earned Billions Investing in Climate-Polluting Landfills by Alex Cuadros November 10, 2026, 5:00 am https://www.propublica.org/article/bill-gates-republic-landfill-methane-pollution?utm_source=sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=majorinvestigations&utm_content=feature Gates owns a dominant stake in America’s second-largest landfill operator, but he’s failed to make the company live up to his own climate principles. Inspectors have repeatedly found excess methane escaping from its landfills. Reporting Highlights A Little-Known Investment: Bill Gates has quietly accumulated a $29 billion stake in America’s No. 2 landfill operator, Republic Services. Climate Pollution: EPA inspectors have repeatedly found methane — a highly potent greenhouse gas — escaping from Republic landfills at levels above federal limits. Undermining Climate Policies: Republic has lobbied against regulations that could make the waste industry cleaner, including by keeping organic garbage out of landfills in the first place.