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Waste Connections, Inc.

For the period ended May 16, 2025. Filed Apr 4, 2025.

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About this filing

What shareholders are asked to vote on at a company's meeting. It is where to find what directors and top executives are paid, and who owns the most shares.

May 16, 2025 · Filed Apr 4, 2025

Use the contents to explore the available documents and sections.

WCN$189.07-1.4%Stored close · as of Nov 6, 2026
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Contents

Cover page

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UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D.C. 20549

SCHEDULE 14A

Proxy Statement Pursuant to Section 14(a) of

the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 (Amendment No. )

Filed by the Registrant ☒

Filed by a Party other than the Registrant ☐

Check the appropriate box:

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Preliminary Proxy Statement

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Confidential, for Use of the Commission Only (as permitted by Rule 14a-6(e)(2))

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Definitive Proxy Statement

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Definitive Additional Materials

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Soliciting Material under §240.14a-12

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(Name of Registrant as Specified In Its Charter)

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(Name of Person(s) Filing Proxy Statement, if other than the Registrant)

Payment of Filing Fee (Check the appropriate box):

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No fee required.

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Fee paid previously with preliminary materials.

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Fee computed on table in exhibit required by Item 25(b) per Exchange Act Rules 14a6(i)(1) and 0-11.

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Who We Are

Waste Connections, Inc. is an integrated solid waste services company that provides non-hazardous waste collection, transfer and disposal services, including by rail, along with resource recovery primarily through recycling and renewable fuels generation. We serve approximately nine million residential, commercial and industrial customers in mostly exclusive and secondary markets across 46 states in the U.S. and six provinces in Canada. We also provide non-hazardous oilfield waste treatment, recovery and disposal services in several basins across the U.S. and Canada, as well as intermodal services for the movement of cargo and solid waste containers in the Pacific Northwest. We view our environmental, social and governance (“ESG”) efforts as integral to our business, with initiatives consistent with our objective of long-term value creation and focused on reducing emissions, increasing resource recovery of both recyclable commodities and clean energy fuels, reducing reliance on off-site disposal for landfill leachate, further improving safety and enhancing employee engagement. Visit wasteconnections.com/sustainability for more information and updates on our progress towards targeted achievement.

2024 by the Numbers

Our Values

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​SAFETY​​INTEGRITY​​CUSTOMER SERVICE​​TO BE A GREAT PLACE TO WORK​​TO BE THE PREMIER WASTE SERVICES COMPANY IN THE U.S. AND CANADA​

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(1)

All references to “Net income” in this Proxy Statement refer to the financial statement line item “Net income attributable to Waste Connections”. This Proxy Statement includes certain measures that do not have a standardized meaning and are not defined by GAAP and, therefore, may not be comparable to similar measures used by other companies. We present adjusted EBITDA, a non-GAAP financial measure, supplementally because it is widely used by investors as a performance and valuation measure in the solid waste industry. We also present adjusted free cash flow, a non-GAAP financial measure, because it is widely used by investors as a liquidity measure in the solid waste industry. In addition, we present Leverage Ratio (total debt to EBITDA), a non-GAAP ratio, supplementally because it is used for the purposes of calculating financial covenants under our revolving credit agreement with Bank of America, N.A. Management also uses Leverage Ratio as one of the principal measures to evaluate and monitor the indebtedness of the Company relative to its ability to generate income to service such debt. These measures are not a substitute for, and should be used in conjunction with, GAAP financial measures. This section should be read in conjunction with information presented in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, under the heading “Non-GAAP Financial Measures”, which includes a reconciliation of the non-GAAP financial measures used in this Proxy Statement to GAAP financial measures.

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Ronald J. Mittelstaedt

President, Chief Executive Officer and

Director

​“ Coming into 2024, we emphasized the importance and interconnectivity of Relationships and Results, and we attribute our accomplishments to that renewed emphasis on human capital. We’re proud of these results and the leaders behind them who embody Waste Connections’ enduring operating values and who have driven an industry-leading track record of value creation over 27 years.”​

Dear Fellow Shareholders,

You are invited to attend the Annual Meeting (the “Meeting”) of Shareholders of Waste Connections, Inc. (“Waste Connections” or the “Company”) on Friday, May 16, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. (Central Time). The Meeting will be held at our principal administrative offices located at 3 Waterway Square Place, Suite 110, The Woodlands, Texas 77380.

2024 was an extraordinary year at Waste Connections by any number of measures, including safety performance, employee engagement and retention, acquisition activity, financial results, and, ultimately, value creation. The strength and consistency of operational execution resulting from continuous improvement in employee retention and safety metrics drove outsized financial results and positioned us for the successful completion and integration of record levels of private company acquisition activity.

Our 2024 financial and operating performance, human capital and ESG updates, and the matters to be acted upon at the Meeting, are described in the accompanying Notice of Meeting and Management Information Circular and Proxy Statement. As always, we look forward to connecting with our shareholders and responding to any questions you may have about the Company.

Thank you for your ongoing support and continued interest in Waste Connections.

RONALD J. MITTELSTAEDT

President, Chief Executive Officer and Director

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Notice of 2025 Annual

Meeting of Shareholders

Meeting Logistics

​​​DATE & TIME May 16, 2025, 8:00 a.m.,Central Time​​​​LOCATION Waste Connections, Inc.3 Waterway Square Place, Suite 110The Woodlands, TX 77380​​​​WHO MAY VOTE Shareholders as of our recorddate, March 21, 2025(the “Record Date”)​

Meeting Agenda

​ · ITEMS OF BUSINESS · ​ · ​ · PAGE · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · BOARD RECOMMENDATION · ​
​1​​Election of eight (8) directors​​23​​​​FOR each directornominee​
​2​​Non-binding, advisory vote to approve our named executive officer compensation (“say-on-pay”)​​37​​​​FOR​
​3​​Approval of the appointment of Grant Thornton LLP as our independent registered public accounting firm for 2025 and authorization of the Board of Directors to fix Grant Thornton LLP’s remuneration​​77​​​​FOR​
​4​​Any other business that may properly come before the Meeting (or any adjournment or postponement of the Meeting)​​​​​​​​​​
​How to Vote​
​YOUR VOTE IS VERY IMPORTANT. Whether or not you plan to attend the Meeting, we urge you to vote early and submit your proxy in order to ensure the presence of a quorum at the Meeting. You may vote using any of the following methods:​
​​​INTERNET Vote by visiting the website on your proxy card, www.proxyvote.com​
​​​PHONE Vote by calling the telephone number on your proxy card, toll-free, 1-800-690-6903​
​​​MAIL Vote by signing, dating and returning your proxy card​
​​​AT THE MEETING Attend the Meeting and cast your ballot​

By Order of the Board of Directors

PATRICK J. SHEA​

EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT,

GENERAL COUNSEL AND SECRETARY

APRIL 4, 2025

IMPORTANT NOTICE REGARDING THE

AVAILABILITY OF PROXY MATERIALS

This Notice of Meeting and the accompanying Management Information Circular and Proxy Statement and related solicitation materials in respect of the Meeting and our 2024 Annual Report to Shareholders (which includes our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, which was filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the securities commissions or similar regulatory authorities in Canada on February 13, 2025), are available at investors.wasteconnections.com.

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Management Information Circular and Proxy Statement

for the 2025 Annual Meeting of Shareholders

About this Management Information Circular and Proxy Statement

We sent you this Management Information Circular and Proxy Statement (this “Proxy Statement”) because our management is soliciting your proxy to vote your Common Shares (as defined below) at the Annual Meeting (the “Meeting”) of shareholders of Waste Connections, Inc. (“Waste Connections,” the “Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) to be held at the Company’s principal administrative offices located at 3 Waterway Square Place, Suite 110, The Woodlands, Texas 77380 on May 16, 2025, at 8:00 a.m. (Central Time).

This Proxy Statement includes information that we are required to provide to you under the rules of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) and applicable corporate and securities laws in Canada, and that is designed to assist you in voting your Common Shares in the capital of the Company (“Common Shares”).

We will bear the costs of soliciting proxies from our shareholders. In addition to soliciting proxies by mail, our directors, officers, and employees, without receiving additional compensation, may solicit proxies by telephone, in person or in any other manner permitted by applicable laws. We may also engage the services of a professional proxy solicitation firm to aid in the solicitation of proxies from certain brokers, bank nominees and other institutional owners. Our costs for such services, if retained, will not be material.

Under the SEC rules and applicable Canadian securities laws that allow companies to furnish proxy materials to shareholders over the Internet, we have elected to deliver our proxy materials (defined below) to the majority of our shareholders over the Internet. This delivery process allows us to provide shareholders with the information they need electronically, which is more environmentally friendly and reduces our costs to print and distribute these materials. On or about April 4, 2025, we will mail to our shareholders a Notice of Internet Availability of Proxy Materials (the “proxy notice”) containing instructions on how to access this Proxy Statement for the Meeting and our 2024 Annual Report to Shareholders (which includes our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, which was filed with the SEC and the securities commissions or similar regulatory authorities in Canada on February 13, 2025) (referred to collectively as the “proxy materials”). The proxy notice will also provide instructions on how to vote online or by telephone and will include instructions on how to receive a paper copy of the proxy materials by mail. On or about April 4, 2025, we will also commence mailing this Proxy Statement and a proxy card to certain shareholders.

We are permitted under applicable securities laws to deliver a single proxy notice to one address shared by two or more United States shareholders. This delivery method is referred to as “householding” and helps reduce our printing costs and postage fees. Under this procedure, we deliver a single package containing proxy notices to multiple United States shareholders who share an address. If you do not wish to participate in householding in the future and prefer to receive separate proxy notices, please contact: Broadridge Financial Solutions, Attention: Householding Department, 51 Mercedes Way, Edgewood, NY 11717, telephone 1-800-542-1061. If you are currently receiving multiple proxy notices and wish to receive only one proxy notice for your household, please contact Broadridge Financial Solutions. If you wish to receive a separate copy of this Proxy Statement, our 2024 Annual Report to Shareholders, and our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, please send a written request to our Secretary or Investor Relations at our principal administrative offices located at 3 Waterway Square Place, Suite 110, The Woodlands, Texas 77380.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This Proxy Statement contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 (“PSLRA”), including “forward-looking information” within the meaning of applicable Canadian securities laws. These forward-looking statements are neither historical facts nor assurances of future performance and reflect our current beliefs and expectations regarding future events and operating performance of the Company. These forward-looking statements are often identified by the words “may,” “might,” “believes,” “thinks,” “expects,” “estimates,” “continues,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “will,” or other words or phrases of similar meaning. All of the forward-looking statements included in this Proxy Statement are made pursuant to the safe harbor provisions of the PSLRA and applicable Canadian securities laws. Forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties. Important factors that could cause actual results to differ, possibly materially, from those indicated by the forward-looking statements include, but are not limited to, risk factors detailed from time to time in our filings with the SEC and the securities commissions or similar regulatory authorities in Canada. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this Proxy Statement. We undertake no obligation to update the forward-looking statements set forth in this Proxy Statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise, unless required by applicable securities laws.

Management Information Circular and Proxy Statement for the 2024 Annual Meeting of Shareholders

Currency Exchange Rate Data

Unless otherwise indicated, all dollar amounts in this Proxy Statement are expressed in U.S. dollars. The following table shows the average of the exchange rates for each period indicated. The information is based upon the average daily exchange rates provided by the Bank of Canada.

​ · ​ · ​ · ​ · AVERAGE RATE (BANK OF CANADA) · ​
​YEAR ENDED DECEMBER 31,​​CAD$ PER US$1.00​​US$ PER CAD$1.00​
​2021​​$1.2535​​$0.7978​
​2022​​$1.3013​​$0.7685​
​2023​​$1.3497​​$0.7409​
​2024​​$1.3698​​$0.7300​

Financial Statements

A more detailed description of the Company’s fiscal year 2024 operating and financial performance, including a reconciliation of non-GAAP financial measures and a graphical representation of the five-year Total Shareholder Returns or TSRs for the Company, S&P 500, S&P/TSX 60 (“TSX 60”) and the Dow Jones U.S. Waste & Disposal Services (“DJ Waste”) Indices, can be found on pages 75 to 77 and page 51, respectively, of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2024, filed with the SEC and the securities commissions or similar regulatory authorities in Canada on February 13, 2025, and available on our website at https://investors.wasteconnections.com, on SEDAR+ at www.sedarplus.ca, on EDGAR at www.sec.gov, and in print, free of charge, to any shareholder who requests in writing a copy by contacting our Secretary or Investor Relations at our principal administrative offices located at 3 Waterway Square Place, Suite 110, The Woodlands, Texas 77380.

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The text of this filing, as the company filed it with the SEC, without its images or exhibits. This is not investment advice.