text: **REPUBLIC SERVICES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES**
  
  **NOTES TO CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS**
  **(All tables in millions, except per share data) Ì (Continued)**
  
  incurred. In addition, costs historically accounted for as capital expenditures during the operating life of a 
  landÑll, such as cell development costs, are capitalized when incurred, and charged to expense using life cycle 
  accounting and the units-of-consumption method based on the consumption of cubic yards of available 
  airspace. 
  
  The Company deÑnes Ñnal capping as activities required to permanently cover a portion of a landÑll that 
  has been completely Ñlled with waste. Final capping occurs in phases throughout the life of a landÑll as 
  speciÑc areas are Ñlled to capacity and the Ñnal elevation for that speciÑc area is reached in accordance with 
  the provisions of the operating permit. The Company considers Ñnal capping events to be discrete activities 
  that are recognized as asset retirement obligations separately from other closure and post-closure obligations. 
  These capping events occur generally during the operating life of a landÑll and can be associated with waste 
  actually placed under an area to be capped. As a result, the Company uses a separate rate per ton for 
  recognizing the principal amount of the liability and related asset associated with each capping event. The 
  Company amortizes the asset recorded pursuant to this approach as waste volume equivalent to the capacity 
  covered by the capping event is placed into the landÑll based upon the consumption of cubic yards of available 
  airspace covered by the capping event. 