<PAGE>   1
                                                                    EXHIBIT 23.1

                       CONSENT OF INDEPENDENT ACCOUNTANTS

We hereby consent to the incorporation by reference in this Registration
Statement on Form S-8 of our report dated March 16, 1998 relating to the
consolidated financial statements of operations, stockholders' equity and cash
flows of USA Waste Services, Inc. for the year ended December 31, 1997, which
appears in Waste Management Inc.'s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended
December 31, 1999.

                                        PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP


Houston, Texas
August 31, 2000



© 2022 IncJournal is not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission