Waste Management Awards $150,000 in Think Green(R) Grants to Keep America Beautiful...

STAMFORD, Conn., Sept. 9 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Fifteen Keep America
Beautiful affiliates will share $150,000 in cash grants from Waste Management.
The Waste Management Think Green(R) Community Improvement Grants are part of a
nationwide effort that encourages local solutions to improving community
environments.

Waste Management (NYSE: WM) is partnering with Keep America Beautiful (KAB)
for the third year of the Think Green grants program. More than 580 local KAB
affiliates were challenged to present proposals for ambitious projects
representing a wide array of stewardship, community outreach and educational
projects. Fifteen recipients were chosen from a nationwide field of 42 entries
and will each receive a $10,000 award to bring their proposals to fruition.

"The ambitious work of KAB's affiliate organizations demonstrates our mission
to engage individuals in taking greater responsibility for improving their
community environments," said Matthew M. McKenna, president and CEO of Keep
America Beautiful. "We look forward to seeing all of these important projects
become a reality thanks to the generosity of Waste Management's grant."

The wide ranges of winning programs are creative and reflect the diverse
interests and needs of the communities involved. These programs encourage
recycling and reuse, provide hands-on environmental education, convey the
importance of stewardship to the public through a variety of means such as
public service announcements, videos and booklets, and enhance neighborhoods
through community beautifications.  Support of these initiatives marks Waste
Management's continuing commitment to local community quality of life and to
also building awareness about sustainable resources for effective management
of waste.

"The Think Green grants provide us with a great avenue to demonstrate how
Waste Management and Keep America Beautiful think green every day," said Barry
Caldwell, senior vice president of public affairs and communications and
chairman of the KAB board. "After all, supporting communities, making them
cleaner, safer and helping improve their quality of life is what our company,
and KAB, is all about. Each of the affiliates has a project that will make its
community cleaner and more beautiful."

Waste Management also partners with KAB on different programs, which include
additional community beautification grants (target/showcase) and as a National
Sponsor for Keep America Beautiful's Great American Cleanup(TM), the nation's
largest community improvement program.

Waste Management 2009 Think Green Grant Recipients:
  --  Keep Athens-Limestone Beautiful, AL
  --  Keep The Shoals Beautiful, AL
  --  I Love A Clean San Diego, CA
  --  Keep California Beautiful, City of Long Beach, CA
  --  Keep Winter Park Beautiful, FL
  --  Keep Hillsborough County Beautiful, FL
  --  Keep Citrus County Beautiful, FL
  --  Keep Martin Beautiful, FL
  --  Keep Miami Gardens Beautiful, FL
  --  Keep Orlando Beautiful, FL
  --  Keep Cobb Beautiful, GA
  --  Brightside, Inc. (Louisville), KY
  --  Keep Dorchester County Beautiful, SC
  --  Keep Pearland Beautiful, TX

  --  Keep Suffolk Beautiful, VA

About Waste Management
Waste Management, based in Houston, Texas, is the leading provider of
comprehensive waste management services in North America. Our subsidiaries
provide collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal
services. We are also a leading developer, operator and owner of
waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States.
Our customers include residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal
customers throughout North America.  To learn more visit www.wm.com or
www.thinkgreen.com.

About Keep America Beautiful, Inc.Keep America Beautiful, Inc., established in
1953, is the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education
organization.  This national nonprofit forms public-private partnerships and
programs that engage individuals to take greater responsibility for improving
their community environments.  For additional information, visit www.kab.org.


  CONTACTS:
  Robert Wallace/Larry Kaufman
  Tel: 203.659.3016 / 203.659.3014
  Email: rwallace@kab.org / lkaufman@kab.org
  Web site: www.kab.org



SOURCE  Keep America Beautiful, Inc.

Robert Wallace, +1-203-659-3016, rwallace@kab.org, or Larry Kaufman,
+1-203-659-3014, lkaufman@kab.org, both of Keep America Beautiful, Inc.