Document and Entity Information	9 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information	Sep. 30, 2013	Oct. 18, 2013
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2013
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Trading Symbol	WM
Entity Registrant Name	WASTE MANAGEMENT INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000823768
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		469,186,159

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 157	$ 194
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $40 and $45, respectively	1,751	1,737
Other receivables	109	102
Parts and supplies	178	174
Deferred income taxes	84	76
Other assets	138	140
Total current assets	2,417	2,423
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization of $16,805 and $16,112, respectively	12,621	12,651
Goodwill	6,593	6,291
Other intangible assets, net	569	397
Investments in unconsolidated entities	656	667
Other assets	757	668
Total assets	23,613	23,097
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	763	842
Accrued liabilities	1,059	986
Deferred revenues	472	465
Current portion of long-term debt	568	743
Total current liabilities	2,862	3,036
Long-term debt, less current portion	9,491	9,173
Deferred income taxes	1,994	1,947
Landfill and environmental remediation liabilities	1,507	1,459
Other liabilities	744	807
Total liabilities	16,598	16,422
Commitments and contingencies
Waste Management, Inc. stockholders' equity:
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 1,500,000,000 shares authorized; 630,282,461 shares issued	6	6
Additional paid-in capital	4,582	4,549
Retained earnings	7,066	6,879
Accumulated other comprehensive income	169	193
Treasury stock at cost, 161,100,606 and 166,062,235 shares, respectively	(5,115)	(5,273)
Total Waste Management, Inc. stockholders' equity	6,708	6,354
Noncontrolling interests	307	321
Total equity	7,015	6,675
Total liabilities and equity	$ 23,613	$ 23,097

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) (USD $) In Millions, except Share data, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Statement Of Financial Position [Abstract]
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 40	$ 45
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	$ 16,805	$ 16,112
Common stock, par value	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	1,500,000,000	1,500,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	630,282,461	630,282,461
Treasury stock, shares	161,100,606	166,062,235

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (USD $) In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Income Statement [Abstract]
Operating revenues	$ 3,621	$ 3,461	$ 10,483	$ 10,215
Costs and expenses:
Operating	2,325	2,229	6,845	6,655
Selling, general and administrative	349	335	1,092	1,116
Depreciation and amortization	344	331	1,006	971
Restructuring	3	44	13	51
(Income) expense from divestitures, asset impairments and unusual items	23	22	38	55
Total costs and expenses	3,044	2,961	8,994	8,848
Income from operations	577	500	1,489	1,367
Other income (expense):
Interest expense	(119)	(123)	(363)	(366)
Interest income		2	2	4
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities	(3)	(17)	(19)	(35)
Other, net	(3)	(14)	(12)	(16)
Total other income (expense)	(125)	(152)	(392)	(413)
Income before income taxes	452	348	1,097	954
Provision for income taxes	155	125	368	329
Consolidated net income	297	223	729	625
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	6	9	26	32
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 291	$ 214	$ 703	$ 593
Basic earnings per common share	$ 0.62	$ 0.46	$ 1.50	$ 1.28
Diluted earnings per common share	$ 0.62	$ 0.46	$ 1.50	$ 1.28
Cash dividends declared per common share	$ 0.365	$ 0.355	$ 1.095	$ 1.065

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Consolidated net income	$ 297	$ 223	$ 729	$ 625
Gains and losses on derivative instruments:
Unrealized gains (losses), resulting from changes in fair value, net of tax expense (benefit) of $(4), $(8), $6 and $(16), respectively	(5)	(13)	10	(25)
Reclassification adjustment for (gains) losses included in net income, net of tax (expense) benefit of $4, $6, $1 and $6, respectively	7	10	2	10
Total Unrealized gains (losses) on derivative instruments	2	(3)	12	(15)
Unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities, net of tax expense (benefit) of $0, $0, $0 and $1, respectively	1	1	1	2
Foreign currency translation adjustments	32	39	(37)	41
Change in funded status of post-retirement benefit obligation, net of tax benefit of $0, $0, $0 and $0, respectively
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes	35	37	(24)	28
Comprehensive income	332	260	705	653
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	6	9	26	32
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 326	$ 251	$ 679	$ 621

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Parenthetical) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Statement Of Income And Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Tax effects on unrealized gains (losses) resulting from changes in fair value	$ (4)	$ (8)	$ 6	$ (16)
Tax effects on realized (gains) losses on derivative instruments reclassified into earnings	4	6	1	6
Tax effects on unrealized gains (losses) on available-for-sale securities	0	0	0	1
Tax effects on change in funded status of post-retirement benefit obligations	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$ 729	$ 625
Adjustments to reconcile consolidated net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	1,006	971
Deferred income tax (benefit) provision	33	12
Interest accretion on landfill liabilities	65	62
Interest accretion on and discount rate adjustments to environmental remediation liabilities and recovery assets	(6)	2
Provision for bad debts	27	39
Equity-based compensation expense	45	21
Excess tax benefits associated with equity-based transactions	(8)	(10)
Net gain from disposal of assets	(15)	(11)
Effect of (income) expense from divestitures, asset impairments and unusual items and other	49	69
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities, net of dividends	19	35
Change in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions and divestitures:
Receivables	14	(112)
Other current assets	(9)	(45)
Other assets	(1)	102
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	1	7
Deferred revenues and other liabilities	(91)	(49)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	1,858	1,718
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired	(698)	(178)
Capital expenditures	(824)	(1,132)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets	113	28
Net receipts from (deposits to) restricted trust and escrow accounts	58	15
Investments in unconsolidated entities	(29)	(61)
Other	(52)	(33)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(1,432)	(1,361)
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings	1,218	685
Debt repayments	(1,244)	(473)
Cash dividends	(512)	(493)
Exercise of common stock options	116	39
Excess tax benefits associated with equity-based transactions	8	10
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests	(40)	(31)
Other	(5)	44
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(459)	(219)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(4)	2
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(37)	140
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	194	258
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 157	$ 398

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (USD $) In Millions, except Share data in Thousands	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-in Capital [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]	Treasury Stock [Member]	Noncontrolling Interests [Member]
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2012	$ 6,675	$ 6	$ 4,549	$ 6,879	$ 193	$ (5,273)	$ 321
Beginning balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2012		630,282				(166,062)
Consolidated net income	729			703			26
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes	(24)				(24)
Cash dividends declared	(512)			(512)
Equity-based compensation transactions, including dividend equivalents, net of taxes	186		32	(4)		158
Equity-based compensation transactions, including dividend equivalents, net of taxes, shares						4,956
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests	(40)						(40)
Other	1		1
Other, shares						5
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2013	$ 7,015	$ 6	$ 4,582	$ 7,066	$ 169	$ (5,115)	$ 307
Ending balance, shares at Sep. 30, 2013		630,282				(161,101)

Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation	Sep. 30, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	1. Basis of Presentation The financial statements presented in this report represent the consolidation of Waste Management, Inc., a Delaware corporation; Waste Management’s wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries; and certain variable interest entities for which Waste Management or its subsidiaries are the primary beneficiaries as described in Note 14. Waste Management is a holding company and all operations are conducted by its subsidiaries. When the terms “the Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” are used in this document, those terms refer to Waste Management, Inc., its consolidated subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities. When we use the term “WM,” we are referring only to Waste Management, Inc., the parent holding company. We are North America’s leading provider of comprehensive waste management environmental services. We partner with our residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers and the communities we serve to manage and reduce waste at each stage from collection to disposal, while recovering valuable resources and creating clean, renewable energy. Our “Solid Waste” business is operated and managed locally by our subsidiaries that focus on distinct geographic areas and provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. Through our subsidiaries, we are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. We currently evaluate, oversee and manage the financial performance of our Solid Waste business subsidiaries through our 17 geographic Areas. Our Wheelabrator business provides waste-to-energy services and manages waste-to-energy facilities and independent power production plants. We also provide additional services that are not managed through our Solid Waste or Wheelabrator businesses, which are presented in this report as “Other.” Additional information related to our segments can be found in Note 8. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of September 30, 2013 and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 are unaudited. In the opinion of management, these financial statements include all adjustments, which, unless otherwise disclosed, are of a normal recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows, and changes in equity for the periods presented. The results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. The financial statements presented herein should be read in connection with the financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. In preparing our financial statements, we make numerous estimates and assumptions that affect the accounting for and recognition and disclosure of assets, liabilities, equity, revenues and expenses. We must make these estimates and assumptions because certain information that we use is dependent on future events, cannot be calculated with precision from available data or simply cannot be calculated. In some cases, these estimates are difficult to determine, and we must exercise significant judgment. In preparing our financial statements, the most difficult, subjective and complex estimates and the assumptions that present the greatest amount of uncertainty relate to our accounting for landfills, environmental remediation liabilities, asset impairments, deferred income taxes and reserves associated with our insured and self-insured claims. Actual results could differ materially from the estimates and assumptions that we use in the preparation of our financial statements. *Adoption of New Accounting Pronouncement* Comprehensive Income — In February 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued amended authoritative guidance associated with comprehensive income, which requires companies to provide information about the amounts that are reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by component. Additionally, companies are required to present significant amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by the respective line items of net income. The amendment to authoritative guidance associated with comprehensive income was effective for the Company on January 1, 2013. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. We have presented the information required by this amendment in Note 12. *Reclassifications* When necessary, reclassifications have been made to our prior period consolidated financial information in order to conform to the current year presentation.

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Text Block [Abstract]

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities

2. Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities

Liabilities for landfill and environmental remediation costs are presented in the table below (in millions):


	September 30, 2013						December 31, 2012
	Landfill		Environmental Remediation		Total		Landfill		Environmental Remediation		Total
Current (in accrued liabilities)	$	99	$	28	$	127	$	104	$	28	$	132
Long-term		1,299		208		1,507		1,234		225		1,459

	$	1,398	$	236	$	1,634	$	1,338	$	253	$	1,591

The changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2012 and the nine months ended September 30, 2013 are reflected in the table below (in millions):


	Landfill			Environmental Remediation
December 31, 2011	$	1,292		$	273
Obligations incurred and capitalized		58			—
Obligations settled		(87	)		(30	)
Interest accretion		84			4
Revisions in cost estimates and interest rate assumptions		(8	)		5
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments		(1	)		1

December 31, 2012		1,338			253
Obligations incurred and capitalized		45			—
Obligations settled		(53	)		(15	)
Interest accretion		65			3
Revisions in cost estimates and interest rate assumptions		—			(4	)
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments		3			(1	)

September 30, 2013	$	1,398		$	236

At several of our landfills, we provide financial assurance by depositing cash into restricted trust funds or escrow accounts for purposes of settling final capping, closure, post-closure and environmental remediation obligations. Generally, these trust funds are established to comply with statutory requirements and operating agreements. See Note 14 for additional information related to these trusts.

Debt

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Debt

3. Debt

The following table summarizes the major components of debt (in millions) at each balance sheet date and provides the maturities and interest rate ranges of each major category as of September 30, 2013:


	September 30, 2013		December 31, 2012
$2.25 billion revolving credit facility, maturing July 2018 (weighted average interest rate of 1.5% at September 30, 2013 and 1.4% at December 31, 2012)	$	140	$	400
Letter of credit facilities, maturing through June 2015		—		—
Canadian credit facility and term loan, maturing November 2017 (weighted average effective interest rate of 2.7% at September 30, 2013 and 2.9% at December 31, 2012)		456		75
Senior notes maturing through 2039, interest rates ranging from 2.60% to 7.75% (weighted average interest rate of 5.7% at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012)		6,292		6,305
Tax-exempt bonds, maturing through 2045, fixed and variable interest rates ranging from 0.1% to 5.7% (weighted average interest rate of 2.4% at September 30, 2013 and 2.8% at December 31, 2012)		2,719		2,727
Capital leases and other, maturing through 2055, interest rates up to 12%		452		409

		10,059		9,916
Current portion of long-term debt		568		743

	$	9,491	$	9,173

Debt Classification

As of September 30, 2013, we had (i) $510 million of debt maturing within the next 12 months, including $350 million of 5.0% senior notes that mature in March 2014 and $92 million of tax-exempt bonds; (ii) short-term borrowings and advances outstanding under credit facilities with long-term maturities, including $140 million of borrowings outstanding under the revolving credit facility and U.S.$456 million of advances under our Canadian credit facility term loan; and (iii) $857 million of tax-exempt borrowings subject to repricing within the next 12 months. Based on our intent and ability to refinance a portion of this debt on a long-term basis as of September 30, 2013, we have classified $1.4 billion of this debt as long-term and the remaining $568 million as current obligations.

Revolving Credit and Letter of Credit Facilities

As of September 30, 2013, we had an aggregate committed capacity of $2.65 billion for letters of credit under various credit facilities. Our revolving credit facility is our primary source of letter of credit capacity. In July 2013, we amended and restated our revolving credit facility, increasing our total credit capacity to $2.25 billion and extending the term through July 2018. As of September 30, 2013, we had an aggregate of $1.3 billion of letters of credit outstanding under various credit facilities. Approximately $942 million of these letters of credit have been issued under our revolving credit facility. We had $140 million of outstanding borrowings under our revolving credit facility as of September 30, 2013, leaving $1.2 billion of unused and available capacity.

Significant Changes in Debt Balances

Revolving credit facility — During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, we have had net repayments under our revolving credit facility of $260 million.

Canadian credit facility — We repaid U.S.$75 million of net advances under our Canadian credit facility during the nine months ended September 30, 2013. Additionally, we borrowed C$500 million, or U.S.$470 million, under a term loan to fund our acquisition of RCI Environnement, Inc., which is discussed further in Note 9. Under the terms and conditions of our Canadian credit facility, interest on the term loan is based on a 1.4% spread from the applicable Canadian Dealer Offered Rate (CDOR). Our outstanding CDOR-based advances, which have terms of one month and three months, may be renewed under the terms of the facility through its maturity. We repaid U.S.$29 million of advances under our term loan during the nine months ended September 30, 2013. Accounting for changes in the Canadian currency translation rate and the recognition of interest expense increased the carrying value of our Canadian borrowings by U.S.$11 million and U.S.$4 million, respectively, during the nine months ended September 30, 2013.

Tax-exempt bonds — During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, we repaid $107 million of our tax-exempt bonds with cash. We issued $100 million of tax-exempt bonds in August 2013. The proceeds from the issuance of the bonds were deposited directly into a trust fund and may only be used for the specific purpose for which the money was raised, which is generally to finance expenditures for landfill and recycling facility construction and development. Accordingly, the restricted funds provided by these financing activities have not been included in “New Borrowings” in our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows.

Other — We had increases in our other obligations during the nine months ended September 30, 2013, primarily related to the deferred purchase price of (i) land needed to support a landfill expansion and (ii) Greenstar, LLC, which is discussed further in Note 9.

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

4. Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

The following table summarizes the fair values of derivative instruments recorded in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet (in millions):


Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments	Balance Sheet Location	September 30, 2013		December 31, 2012
Electricity commodity derivatives	Current other assets	$	—	$	1

Total derivative assets		$	—	$	1

Interest rate derivatives	Current accrued liabilities	$	31	$	—
Electricity commodity derivatives	Current accrued liabilities		3		5
Foreign currency derivatives	Current accrued liabilities		—		11
Interest rate derivatives	Long-term other liabilities		—		42

Total derivative liabilities		$	34	$	58

We have not offset fair value amounts recognized for our derivative instruments. For information related to the inputs used to measure our derivative assets and liabilities at fair value, refer to Note 13.

Fair Value Hedges

Interest Rate Swaps

In prior years, we used interest rate swaps to maintain a portion of our debt obligations at variable market interest rates. As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, we did not have any of these swaps outstanding. In April 2012, we elected to terminate our interest rate swaps related to the interest payments on $1 billion of our senior notes and, upon termination, we received $76 million in cash for their fair value plus accrued interest receivable. The terminated interest rate swaps were associated with senior notes with maturities between November 2012 and March 2018. The associated fair value adjustments to long-term debt are being amortized as a reduction to interest expense over the remaining terms of the underlying debt using the effective interest method.

We designated our interest rate swaps as fair value hedges of our fixed-rate senior notes. Fair value hedge accounting for interest rate swap contracts increased the carrying value of our debt instruments by $64 million as of September 30, 2013 and $79 million as of December 31, 2012, representing the unamortized portion of our terminated swaps.

We recognize the impacts of (i) net periodic settlements of current interest on our active interest rate swaps, if any, and (ii) the amortization of previously terminated interest rate swap agreements as adjustments to interest expense. The following table summarizes the impact of periodic settlements of active swap agreements and the impact of terminated swap agreements on our results of operations (in millions):


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
Decrease to Interest Expense Due to Hedge Accounting for Interest Rate Swaps	2013		2012		2013		2012
Periodic settlements of active swap agreements(a)	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	7
Terminated swap agreements		5		7		15		16

	$	5	$	7	$	15	$	23

(a)

These amounts represent the net of our periodic variable-rate interest obligations and the swap counterparties’ fixed-rate interest obligations. Our variable-rate obligations were based on a spread from the three-month LIBOR. These settlements have decreased due to our election to terminate our interest rate swap portfolio with a notional amount of $1 billion in April 2012.

Cash Flow Hedges

Forward-Starting Interest Rate Swaps

In prior years, we entered into forward-starting interest rate swaps with a total notional value of $525 million to hedge the risk of changes in semi-annual interest payments due to fluctuations in the forward ten-year LIBOR swap rate for anticipated fixed-rate debt issuances in 2011, 2012 and 2014. We designated these forward-starting interest rate swaps as cash flow hedges.

During the third quarter of 2012, $200 million of these forward-starting interest rate swaps were terminated contemporaneously with the actual issuance of senior notes in September 2012, and we paid cash of $59 million to settle the liabilities related to these swap agreements. The ineffectiveness recognized upon termination of these hedges was immaterial. As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, our “Accumulated other comprehensive income” included $35 million and $39 million, respectively, of after-tax deferred losses related to all previously terminated swaps, which are being amortized as an increase to interest expense over the ten-year life of the related senior note issuances using the effective interest method. As of September 30, 2013, $7 million (on a pre-tax basis) is scheduled to be reclassified as an increase to interest expense over the next 12 months.

The active forward-starting interest rate swaps outstanding as of September 30, 2013 relate to an anticipated debt issuance to repay the $350 million of 5.0% senior notes that mature in March 2014. As of September 30, 2013, the fair value of these active interest rate derivatives was comprised of $31 million of current liabilities compared with $42 million of long-term liabilities as of December 31, 2012.

Treasury Rate Locks

As of both September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, our “Accumulated other comprehensive income” included $7 million of after-tax deferred losses associated with Treasury rate locks that had been executed in previous years in anticipation of senior note issuances. These deferred losses are reclassified as an increase to interest expense over the life of the related senior note issuances, which extend through 2032. As of September 30, 2013, $1 million (on a pre-tax basis) is scheduled to be reclassified as an increase to interest expense over the next 12 months.

Foreign Currency Derivatives

We use foreign currency exchange rate derivatives to hedge our exposure to fluctuations in exchange rates for anticipated intercompany cash transactions between WM Holdings and one of its Canadian subsidiaries. As of September 30, 2013, we had foreign currency forward contracts outstanding for all of the anticipated cash flows associated with a debt arrangement between these wholly-owned subsidiaries. The hedged cash flows as of September 30, 2013 include C$370 million of principal and C$10 million of interest which are scheduled to be repaid on October 31, 2013. We designated these forward contracts as cash flow hedges. Gains or losses on the underlying hedged items attributable to foreign currency exchange risk are recognized in current earnings.

Electricity Commodity Derivatives

We use “receive fixed, pay variable” electricity commodity swaps to reduce the variability in our revenues and cash flows caused by fluctuations in the market prices for electricity. We hedged 628,800 megawatt hours, or approximately 20%, of Wheelabrator’s full year 2012 merchant electricity sales, and the swaps executed through September 30, 2013 are expected to hedge about 1.75 million megawatt hours, or approximately 56%, of Wheelabrator’s full year 2013 merchant electricity sales. For the three-month periods ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, we hedged 57% and 16%, respectively, of our merchant electricity sales. For the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2013 and 2012, we hedged 55% and 21%, respectively, of our merchant electricity sales.

There was no significant ineffectiveness associated with our cash flow hedges during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 or 2012. Refer to Note 12 for information regarding the impacts of our cash flow derivatives on our comprehensive income and results of operations.

Credit-Risk-Related Contingent Features

Our interest rate derivative instruments have in the past, and may in the future, contain provisions related to the Company’s credit rating. These provisions generally provide that if the Company’s credit rating were to fall to specified levels below investment grade, the counterparties have the ability to terminate the derivative agreements, resulting in settlement of all affected transactions. As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, we did not have any interest rate derivatives outstanding that contained these credit-risk-related features.

Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
Income Taxes	Sep. 30, 2013
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	5. Income Taxes Our effective income tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 was 34.3% and 33.6%, respectively, compared with 36.1% and 34.5%, respectively, for the comparable prior year periods. We evaluate our effective income tax rate at each interim period and adjust it as facts and circumstances warrant. The differences between federal income taxes computed at the federal statutory rate and reported income taxes for the reported periods were primarily due to the favorable impact of federal and state tax credits and tax audit settlements offset, in part, by the unfavorable impact of state and local income taxes and adjustments to our accruals and related deferred taxes due to the filing of our income tax returns. Investment in Refined Coal Facility — In January 2011, we acquired a noncontrolling interest in a limited liability company established to invest in and manage a refined coal facility in North Dakota. The facility’s refinement processes qualify for federal tax credits that are expected to be realized through 2019 in accordance with Section 45 of the Internal Revenue Code. We account for our investment in this entity using the equity method of accounting, recognizing our share of the entity’s results and other reductions in “Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities,” within our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, we recognized $1 million and $4 million of net losses resulting from our share of the entity’s operating losses, respectively, and less than $1 million and $2 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, respectively. Our tax provision was reduced by $5 million and $14 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, respectively, and $6 million and $14 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, respectively, primarily as a result of tax credits realized from this investment. See Note 14 for additional information related to this investment. Investment in Low-Income Housing Properties — In April 2010, we acquired a noncontrolling interest in a limited liability company established to invest in and manage low-income housing properties. The entity’s low-income housing investments qualify for federal tax credits that are expected to be realized through 2020 in accordance with Section 42 of the Internal Revenue Code. We account for our investment in this entity using the equity method of accounting. We recognize our share of the entity’s results and reductions in the value of our investment in “Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities,” within our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. The value of our investment decreases as the tax credits are generated and utilized. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, we recognized $6 million and $18 million of losses relating to our equity investment in this entity, $2 million and $5 million of interest expense, and a reduction in our tax provision of $11 million (including $8 million of tax credits) and $28 million (including $19 million of tax credits), respectively. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, we recognized $6 million and $18 million of losses relating to our equity investment in this entity, $2 million and $5 million of interest expense, and a reduction in our tax provision of $11 million (including $8 million of tax credits) and $27 million (including $18 million of tax credits), respectively. See Note 14 for additional information related to this investment. Recent Legislation — The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 was signed into law on January 2, 2013 and includes an extension for one year of the bonus depreciation allowance. As a result, 50% of qualifying capital expenditures on property placed in service before January 1, 2014 can be depreciated immediately. The acceleration of deductions on 2013 qualifying capital expenditures resulting from the bonus depreciation provisions has no impact on our effective income tax rate for 2013 although it will reduce our cash taxes.

Earnings Per Share

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Earnings Per Share

6. Earnings Per Share

Basic and diluted earnings per share were computed using the following common share data (shares in millions):


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2013		2012		2013			2012
Number of common shares outstanding at end of period		469.2		463.9		469.2			463.9
Effect of using weighted average common shares outstanding		0.1		0.2		(1.5	)		(0.6	)

Weighted average basic common shares outstanding		469.3		464.1		467.7			463.3
Dilutive effect of equity-based compensation awards and other contingently issuable shares		1.9		0.8		1.5			0.9

Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding		471.2		464.9		469.2			464.2

Potentially issuable shares		12.9		16.5		12.9			16.5
Number of anti-dilutive potentially issuable shares excluded from diluted common shares outstanding		0.5		9.3		0.5			9.7

Commitments and Contingencies	9 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies	Sep. 30, 2013
Commitments And Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	7. Commitments and Contingencies Financial Instruments — We have obtained letters of credit, surety bonds and insurance policies and have established trust funds and issued financial guarantees to support tax-exempt bonds, contracts, performance of landfill final capping, closure and post-closure requirements, environmental remediation, and other obligations. Letters of credit generally are supported by our revolving credit facility and other credit facilities established for that purpose. Surety bonds and insurance policies are supported by (i) a diverse group of third-party surety and insurance companies; (ii) an entity in which we have a noncontrolling financial interest or (iii) wholly-owned insurance companies, the sole business of which is to issue surety bonds and/or insurance policies on our behalf. Management does not expect that any claims against or draws on these instruments would have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements. We have not experienced any unmanageable difficulty in obtaining the required financial assurance instruments for our current operations. In an ongoing effort to mitigate risks of future cost increases and reductions in available capacity, we continue to evaluate various options to access cost-effective sources of financial assurance. Insurance — We carry insurance coverage for protection of our assets and operations from certain risks including automobile liability, general liability, real and personal property, workers’ compensation, directors’ and officers’ liability, pollution legal liability and other coverages we believe are customary to the industry. Our exposure to loss for insurance claims is generally limited to the per incident deductible under the related insurance policy. Our exposure, however, could increase if our insurers are unable to meet their commitments on a timely basis. We have retained a significant portion of the risks related to our automobile, general liability and workers’ compensation claims programs. “General liability” refers to the self-insured portion of specific third party claims made against us that may be covered under our commercial General Liability Insurance Policy. For our self-insured retentions, the exposure for unpaid claims and associated expenses, including incurred but not reported losses, is based on an actuarial valuation and internal estimates. The accruals for these liabilities could be revised if future occurrences or loss development significantly differ from our assumptions. We do not expect the impact of any known casualty, property, environmental or other contingency to have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Guarantees — In the ordinary course of our business, WM and WM Holdings enter into guarantee agreements associated with their subsidiaries’ operations. Additionally, WM and WM Holdings have each guaranteed all of the senior debt of the other entity. No additional liabilities have been recorded for these intercompany guarantees because all of the underlying obligations are reflected in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. We also have guaranteed the obligations and certain performance requirements of, and provided indemnification to, third parties in connection with both consolidated and unconsolidated entities. Guarantee agreements outstanding as of September 30, 2013 include (i) guarantees of unconsolidated entities’ financial obligations maturing through 2020 for maximum future payments of $10 million and (ii) agreements guaranteeing certain market value losses for approximately 850 homeowners’ properties adjacent to or near 21 of our landfills. Our indemnification obligations generally arise from divestitures and provide that we will be responsible for liabilities associated with our operations for events that occurred prior to the sale of the operations. Additionally, under certain of our acquisition agreements, we have provided for additional consideration to be paid to the sellers if established financial targets or other market conditions are achieved post-closing, and we have recognized liabilities for these contingent obligations based on an estimate of the fair value of these contingencies at the time of acquisition. We do not currently believe that contingent obligations to provide indemnification or pay additional post-closing consideration in connection with our divestitures or acquisitions will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Environmental Matters — A significant portion of our operating costs and capital expenditures could be characterized as costs of environmental protection as we are subject to an array of laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment. Under current laws and regulations, we may have liabilities for environmental damage caused by our operations, or for damage caused by conditions that existed before we acquired a site. In addition to remediation activity required by state or local authorities, such liabilities include potentially responsible party, or PRP, investigations. The costs associated with these liabilities can include settlements, certain legal and consultant fees, as well as incremental internal and external costs directly associated with site investigation and clean-up. Estimating our degree of responsibility for remediation is inherently difficult. We recognize and accrue for an estimated remediation liability when we determine that such liability is both probable and reasonably estimable. Determining the method and ultimate cost of remediation requires that a number of assumptions be made. There can sometimes be a range of reasonable estimates of the costs associated with the likely site remediation alternatives identified in the investigation of the extent of environmental impact. In these cases, we use the amount within the range that constitutes our best estimate. If no amount within a range appears to be a better estimate than any other, we use the amount that is the low end of such range. If we used the high ends of such ranges, our aggregate potential liability would be approximately $190 million higher than the $236 million recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of September 30, 2013. Our ultimate responsibility may differ materially from current estimates. It is possible that technological, regulatory or enforcement developments, the results of environmental studies, the inability to identify other PRPs, the inability of other PRPs to contribute to the settlements of such liabilities, or other factors could require us to record additional liabilities. Our ongoing review of our remediation liabilities, in light of relevant internal and external facts and circumstances, could result in revisions to our accruals that could cause upward or downward adjustments to income from operations. These adjustments could be material in any given period. As of September 30, 2013, we had been notified by the government that we are a PRP in connection with 78 locations listed on the EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List, or NPL. Of the 78 sites at which claims have been made against us, 15 are sites we own. Each of the NPL sites we own was initially developed by others as a landfill disposal facility. At each of these facilities, we are working in conjunction with the government to evaluate or remediate identified site problems, and we have either agreed with other legally liable parties on an arrangement for sharing the costs of remediation or are working toward a cost-sharing agreement. We generally expect to receive any amounts due from other participating parties at or near the time that we make the remedial expenditures. The other 63 NPL sites, which we do not own, are at various procedural stages under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, known as CERCLA or Superfund. The majority of these proceedings involving NPL sites that we do not own are based on allegations that certain of our subsidiaries (or their predecessors) transported hazardous substances to the sites, often prior to our acquisition of these subsidiaries. CERCLA generally provides for liability for those parties owning, operating, transporting to or disposing at the sites. Proceedings arising under Superfund typically involve numerous waste generators and other waste transportation and disposal companies and seek to allocate or recover costs associated with site investigation and remediation, which costs could be substantial and could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements. At some of the sites at which we have been identified as a PRP, our liability is well defined as a consequence of a governmental decision and an agreement among liable parties as to the share each will pay for implementing that remedy. At other sites, where no remedy has been selected or the liable parties have been unable to agree on an appropriate allocation, our future costs are uncertain. Item 103 of the SEC’s Regulation S-K requires disclosure of certain environmental matters when a governmental authority is a party to the proceedings, or such proceedings are known to be contemplated, unless we reasonably believe that the matter will result in no monetary sanctions, or in monetary sanctions, exclusive of interest and costs, of less than $100,000. The following matter is disclosed in accordance with that requirement. We do not currently believe that the eventual outcome of such matter could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. On December 22, 2011, the Harris County Attorney in Houston, Texas filed suit against McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corporation (“MIMC”), WM and Waste Management of Texas, Inc., et. al, seeking civil penalties and attorneys’ fees for alleged violations of the Texas Water Code and the Texas Health and Safety Code. The County’s Original Petition pending in the District Court of Harris County, Texas alleges the mismanagement of certain waste pits that were operated from 1965 to 1966 by MIMC. In 1998, a predecessor of WM acquired the stock of the parent entity of MIMC. Additionally, the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Hawaii has been conducting an investigation prompted by allegations of violations of the federal Clean Water Act involving discharge of stormwater at the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill, located on Oahu, in connection with three major storm events in December 2010 and January 2011. No formal enforcement action has been brought against the Company. While we could potentially be subject to sanctions, including requirements to pay monetary penalties, in connection with a future proceeding that may arise from the investigation, a range of loss cannot currently be estimated because no proceeding has yet commenced and significant factual and legal issues remain. We are cooperating with the U.S. Attorney’s Office. Litigation — In October 2011 and January 2012, we were named as a defendant in a purported class action in the Circuit Court of Sarasota County, Florida and the Circuit Court of Lawrence County Alabama, respectively. These cases primarily pertain to our fuel and environmental charges included on our invoices, generally alleging that such charges were not properly disclosed, were unfair and were contrary to the customer service contracts. The law firm that filed these lawsuits had filed a purported class action in 2008 against subsidiaries of WM in Bullock County, Alabama, making similar allegations. The prior Alabama suit was removed to federal court, where the federal court ultimately dismissed the plaintiffs’ national class action claims. The plaintiffs then elected to dismiss the case without prejudice. We will vigorously defend against these pending lawsuits. Given the inherent uncertainties of litigation, including the early stage of these cases, the unknown size of any potential class, and legal and factual issues in dispute, the outcome of these cases cannot be predicted and a range of loss cannot currently be estimated. From time to time, we are also named as a defendant in personal injury and property damage lawsuits, including purported class actions, on the basis of having owned, operated or transported waste to a disposal facility that is alleged to have contaminated the environment or, in certain cases, on the basis of having conducted environmental remediation activities at sites. Some of the lawsuits may seek to have us pay the costs of monitoring of allegedly affected sites and health care examinations of allegedly affected persons for a substantial period of time, even where no actual damage is proven. While we believe we have meritorious defenses to these lawsuits, the ultimate resolution is often substantially uncertain due to the difficulty of determining the cause, extent and impact of alleged contamination (which may have occurred over a long period of time), the potential for successive groups of complainants to emerge, the diversity of the individual plaintiffs’ circumstances, and the potential contribution or indemnification obligations of co-defendants or other third parties, among other factors. Additionally, we often enter into agreements with landowners imposing obligations on us to meet certain regulatory or contractual conditions upon site closure or upon termination of the agreements. Compliance with these agreements is inherently subject to subjective determinations and may result in disputes, including litigation. As a large company with operations across the United States and Canada, we are subject to various proceedings, lawsuits, disputes and claims arising in the ordinary course of our business. Many of these actions raise complex factual and legal issues and are subject to uncertainties. Actions filed against us include commercial, customer, and employment-related claims, including purported class action lawsuits related to our sales and marketing practices and our customer service agreements and purported class actions involving federal and state wage and hour and other laws. The plaintiffs in some actions seek unspecified damages or injunctive relief, or both. These actions are in various procedural stages, and some are covered in part by insurance. We currently do not believe that the eventual outcome of any such actions could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations, or cash flows. WM’s charter and bylaws provide that WM shall indemnify against all liabilities and expenses, and upon request shall advance expenses to, any person who is subject to a pending or threatened proceeding because such person is a director or officer of the Company. Such indemnification is required to the maximum extent permitted under Delaware law. Accordingly, the director or officer must execute an undertaking to reimburse the Company for any fees advanced if it is later determined that the director or officer was not entitled to have such fees advanced under Delaware law. Additionally, WM has entered into separate indemnification agreements with each of the members of its Board of Directors, its Chief Executive Officer and each of its executive vice presidents. The employment agreements between WM and its Chief Executive Officer and other executive and senior vice presidents also contain a direct contractual obligation of the Company to provide indemnification to the executive. The Company may incur substantial expenses in connection with the fulfillment of its advancement of costs and indemnification obligations in connection with actions or proceedings that may be brought against its former or current officers, directors and employees. Multiemployer Defined Benefit Pension Plans — About 20% of our workforce is covered by collective bargaining agreements with various union locals across the United States and Canada. As a result of some of these agreements, certain of our subsidiaries are participating employers in a number of trustee-managed multiemployer defined benefit pension plans for the affected employees. In connection with our ongoing renegotiation of various collective bargaining agreements, we may discuss and negotiate for the complete or partial withdrawal from one or more of these pension plans. A complete or partial withdrawal from a multiemployer pension plan may also occur if employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement vote to decertify a union from continuing to represent them. One of the most significant multiemployer pension plans in which we have participated is the Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Plan (“Central States Pension Plan”). The Central States Pension Plan is in “critical status,” as defined by the Pension Protection Act of 2006. Since 2008, certain of our affiliates have bargained to remove covered employees from the Central States Pension Plan, resulting in a series of withdrawals, and we have recognized charges to “Operating” expense associated with the withdrawal of certain bargaining units from the Central States Pension Plan and other underfunded multiemployer pension plans. In October 2011, employees at the last of our affiliates with active participants in the Central States Pension Plan voted to decertify the union that represented them, withdrawing themselves from the Central States Pension Plan. We are still negotiating and litigating final resolutions of our withdrawal liability for certain previous withdrawals. Except in the case of our withdrawals from the Central States Pension Plan, we do not believe any additional liability above the charges we have already recognized for such previous withdrawals could be material to the Company’s business, financial condition, liquidity, results of operations or cash flows. In addition to charges recognized in prior years, we currently estimate that we could incur up to approximately $40 million in future charges based on demands from representatives of the Central States Pension Plan. As a result, we do not anticipate that the final resolution of the Central States Pension Plan matter could be material to the Company’s business, financial condition or liquidity; however, such loss could have a material adverse effect on our cash flows and, to a lesser extent, our results of operations, for a particular reporting period. Similarly, we also do not believe that any future withdrawals, individually or in the aggregate, from the multiemployer pension plans to which we contribute, could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or liquidity. However, such withdrawals could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or cash flows for a particular reporting period, depending on the number of employees withdrawn in any future period and the financial condition of the multiemployer pension plan(s) at the time of such withdrawal(s). Tax Matters — We are currently in the examination phase of IRS audits for the tax years 2012 and 2013 and expect these audits to be completed within the next six and 18 months, respectively. We participate in the IRS’s Compliance Assurance Process, which means we work with the IRS throughout the year in order to resolve any material issues prior to the filing of our annual tax return. We are also currently undergoing audits by various state and local jurisdictions for years that date back to 2000. We are not currently under audit in Canada and, due to the expiration of statutes of limitations, all tax years prior to 2009 are closed. In July 2011, we acquired Oakleaf Global Holdings (“Oakleaf”). Oakleaf is subject to potential IRS examinations for the years 2010 and 2011. Pursuant to the terms of our acquisition of Oakleaf, we are entitled to indemnification for Oakleaf’s pre-acquisition period tax liabilities. We maintain a liability for uncertain tax positions, the balance of which management believes is adequate. Results of audit assessments by taxing authorities are not currently expected to have a material adverse impact on our results of operations or cash flows.

Segment and Related Information

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment and Related Information

8. Segment and Related Information

Our senior management evaluates, oversees and manages the financial performance of our Solid Waste subsidiaries through our 17 geographic Areas. The 17 Areas constitute our operating segments and none of the Areas individually meet the quantitative criteria to be a separate reportable segment. We considered the similarities between our Areas, including the fact that our Solid Waste business is homogenous across geography with the same services offered across the Areas, and we concluded that aggregation of our Areas is appropriate for purposes of presenting our reportable segments. Accordingly, we have aggregated our 17 Areas into three tiers that we believe have similar economic characteristics and future prospects based in large part on a review of the Areas’ income from operations margins. The economic variations experienced by our Areas is attributable to a variety of factors, including regulatory environment of the Area; economic environment of the Area, including level of commercial and industrial activity; population density; service offering mix and disposal logistics, with no one factor being singularly determinative of an Area’s current or future economic performance. As a result of our consideration of economic and other similarities, we have established the following three reportable segments for our Solid Waste business: Tier 1, which is comprised almost exclusively of Areas in the Southern United States; Tier 2, which is comprised predominately of Areas located in the Midwest and Northeast United States; and Tier 3, which encompasses all remaining Areas, including the Northwest and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States and Eastern Canada. Our Wheelabrator business, which manages waste-to-energy facilities and independent power production plants, continues to be a separate reportable segment as it meets one of the quantitative disclosure thresholds. The operating segments not evaluated and overseen through the 17 Areas or Wheelabrator are presented herein as “Other” as these operating segments do not meet the criteria to be aggregated with other operating segments and do not meet the quantitative criteria to be separately reported.

Summarized financial information concerning our reportable segments for the three and nine months ended September 30 is shown in the following table (in millions):


	Gross Operating Revenues		Intercompany Operating Revenues			Net Operating Revenues		Income from Operations
Three Months Ended:
September 30, 2013
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	898	$	(140	)	$	758	$	224
Tier 2		1,670		(311	)		1,359		347
Tier 3		940		(157	)		783		148
Wheelabrator		214		(29	)		185		39
Other		561		(25	)		536		(31	)

		4,283		(662	)		3,621		727
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(150	)

Total	$	4,283	$	(662	)	$	3,621	$	577

September 30, 2012
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	854	$	(138	)	$	716	$	213
Tier 2		1,596		(290	)		1,306		328
Tier 3		862		(137	)		725		126
Wheelabrator		218		(30	)		188		46
Other		553		(27	)		526		(68	)

		4,083		(622	)		3,461		645
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(145	)

Total	$	4,083	$	(622	)	$	3,461	$	500

Nine Months Ended:
September 30, 2013
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	2,632	$	(417	)	$	2,215	$	652
Tier 2		4,827		(899	)		3,928		970
Tier 3		2,637		(424	)		2,213		388
Wheelabrator		634		(83	)		551		52
Other		1,649		(73	)		1,576		(99	)

		12,379		(1,896	)		10,483		1,963
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(474	)

Total	$	12,379	$	(1,896	)	$	10,483	$	1,489

September 30, 2012
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	2,531	$	(386	)	$	2,145	$	641
Tier 2		4,698		(805	)		3,893		946
Tier 3		2,523		(381	)		2,142		370
Wheelabrator		631		(92	)		539		68
Other		1,565		(69	)		1,496		(167	)

		11,948		(1,733	)		10,215		1,858
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(491	)

Total	$	11,948	$	(1,733	)	$	10,215	$	1,367

Fluctuations in our operating results may be caused by many factors, including period-to-period changes in the relative contribution of revenue by each line of business, changes in commodity prices and by general economic conditions. In addition, our revenues and income from operations typically reflect seasonal patterns. Our operating revenues tend to be somewhat higher in the summer months, primarily due to the higher volume of construction and demolition waste. The volumes of industrial and residential waste in certain regions where we operate also tend to increase during the summer months. Our second and third quarter revenues and results of operations typically reflect these seasonal trends.

Additionally, certain destructive weather conditions that tend to occur during the second half of the year, such as the hurricanes that most often impact our operations in the Southern and Eastern U.S., can actually increase our revenues in the areas affected. While weather-related and other “one-time” occurrences can boost revenues through additional work for a limited time span, as a result of significant start-up costs and other factors, such revenue sometimes generates earnings at comparatively lower margins. Certain weather conditions, including severe winter storms, may result in the temporary suspension of our operations, which can significantly affect the operating results of the affected regions. The operating results of our first quarter also often reflect higher repair and maintenance expenses because we rely on the slower winter months, when waste flows are generally lower, to perform scheduled maintenance at our waste-to-energy facilities.

Acquisitions

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Acquisitions

9. Acquisitions

Greenstar, LLC — On January 31, 2013, we paid $170 million inclusive of certain adjustments, to acquire Greenstar, LLC (“Greenstar”). Pursuant to the sale and purchase agreement, up to an additional $40 million is payable to the sellers during the period from 2014 to 2018; a portion of this consideration is contingent based on changes in certain recyclable commodity indexes. This additional consideration had a preliminary estimated fair value at closing of $36 million. Greenstar was an operator of recycling and resource recovery facilities. This acquisition will provide the Company’s customers with greater access to recycling solutions by supplementing the Company’s extensive nationwide recycling network with the operations of one of the nation’s largest private recyclers. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, the Greenstar business recognized revenues of $39 million and $104 million, respectively, and net losses of $2 million and $9 million, respectively, which are included in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations.

Goodwill of $122 million was calculated as the excess of the consideration paid over the net assets recognized and represents the future economic benefits expected to arise from other assets acquired that could not be individually identified and separately recognized. Goodwill has been assigned predominantly to our Areas and, to a lesser extent, our recycling brokerage services, as they are expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination. Goodwill related to this acquisition is deductible for income tax purposes. Adjustments to the preliminary allocation of the purchase price of Greenstar were immaterial for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013.

RCI Environnement, Inc. — On July 5, 2013, we paid C$509 million, or $481 million, to acquire substantially all of the assets of RCI Environnement, Inc. (“RCI”), the largest waste management company in Quebec, and certain related entities. Total consideration, inclusive of amounts for estimated working capital, was C$515 million, or $487 million. RCI provided collection, transfer, recycling and disposal operations throughout the Greater Montreal area. We acquired RCI to complement and expand the Company’s existing assets and operations in Quebec. Since the acquisition date, the RCI business has recognized revenues of $45 million and net income of $7 million, which are included in our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations.

Goodwill of $177 million was calculated as the excess of the consideration paid over the net assets recognized and represents the future economic benefits expected to arise from other assets acquired that could not be individually identified and separately recognized. Goodwill has been assigned to our Eastern Canada Area as it is expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination. A portion of goodwill related to this acquisition is deductible for income tax purposes in accordance with Canadian tax law.

The allocations of the purchase price for each acquisition are preliminary and subject to change based on the finalization of our detailed valuations. The preliminary purchase price allocations, as of the date acquired, were as follows (in millions):


	Greenstar			RCI
Accounts and other receivables	$	30		$	32
Part and supplies		4			—
Other current assets		2			—
Property and equipment		57			118
Goodwill		122			177
Other intangible assets		32			169
Accounts payable		(17	)		—
Accrued liabilities		(12	)		—
Deferred revenues		—			(4	)
Landfill and environmental remediation liabilities		(2	)		(1	)
Deferred income taxes, net		—			—
Current portion of long-term debt		(4	)		—
Long-term debt, less current portion		(1	)		(4	)
Other liabilities		(5	)		—

Total purchase price	$	206		$	487

The following table presents the preliminary allocations of the purchase price to other intangible assets (amounts in millions, except for amortization periods):


	Greenstar				RCI
	Amount		Weighted Average Amortization Periods (in Years)		Amount		Weighted Average Amortization Periods (in Years)
Customer relationships	$	—		—	$	162		15.0
Supplier relationships		31		10.0		—		—
Lease agreements		1		8.4		—		—
Trade name		—		—		7		5.0

Total other intangible assets subject to amortization	$	32		10.0	$	169		14.6

The following pro forma consolidated results of operations have been prepared as if the acquisitions of Greenstar and RCI occurred at January 1, 2012 (in millions, except per share amounts):


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2013		2012		2013		2012
Operating revenues	$	3,623	$	3,548	$	10,585	$	10,493
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.		291		208		704		584
Basic earnings per common share		0.62		0.45		1.51		1.26
Diluted earnings per common share		0.62		0.45		1.50		1.26

Other — During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, we also paid approximately $47 million primarily to acquire ten businesses related to our collection and energy services operations. During the nine months ended September 30, 2012, we paid $94 million for interests in oil and gas producing properties through two transactions. The purchase price was allocated primarily to “Property and equipment.” Additionally, during the nine months ended September 30, 2012, we acquired 21 other businesses related to our collection and recycling operations.

Restructuring	9 Months Ended
Restructuring	Sep. 30, 2013
Restructuring And Related Activities [Abstract]
Restructuring	10. Restructuring During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, we recognized a total of $13 million of pre-tax restructuring charges, of which $6 million was related to employee severance and benefit costs, including costs associated with our acquisition of Greenstar and our July 2012 restructuring. The remaining charges were primarily related to operating lease obligations for property that will no longer be utilized. During the nine months ended September 30, 2012, we recognized a total of $51 million of pre-tax restructuring charges, of which $46 million was related to employee severance and benefit restructuring charges, primarily attributable to our July 2012 restructuring and including other charges associated with the reorganization of Oakleaf and certain other actions taken by the Company in 2012. Through September 30, 2013, we had recognized charges of $62 million related to employee severance and benefits associated with our restructuring efforts beginning in 2012 and we have paid approximately $53 million of these costs. At September 30, 2013, we had approximately $6 million of accrued employee severance related to our restructuring efforts, which will be paid through the end of 2014.

Asset Impairments and Unusual Items	9 Months Ended
Asset Impairments and Unusual Items	Sep. 30, 2013
Extraordinary And Unusual Items [Abstract]
Asset Impairments and Unusual Items	11. Asset Impairments and Unusual Items *(Income) expense from divestitures, asset impairments and unusual items* During the third quarter of 2013, we recognized charges of $23 million, primarily related to (i) a $12 million impairment charge to write down goodwill and indefinite-lived intangibles related to an investment in a waste diversion technology company, partially offset by a $6 million benefit to noncontrolling interest and (ii) losses on divestitures primarily related to investments in oil and gas producing properties. During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, we also recognized additional charges of $15 million, primarily related to (i) a $14 million impairment charge in the second quarter of 2013 at a waste-to-energy facility as a result of projected operating losses, which caused us to write down the carrying value of the facility’s property, plant and equipment to its estimated fair value; (ii) losses on divestitures in the first quarter of 2013 primarily related to investments in oil and gas producing properties and (iii) other charges to impair goodwill and write down the carrying value of assets to their estimated fair values related to certain of our operations, all of which are individually immaterial. Partially offsetting these charges during 2013 were gains on divestitures including the sale of a transfer station in our Greater Mid-Atlantic Area during the first quarter of 2013. During the third quarter of 2012, we recognized impairment charges aggregating $22 million, relating in large part to (i) the impairment of a note receivable from an entity that we invested in that went into liquidation (see “Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities” below), (ii) the impairment of certain related assets due to our decision not to use or develop those assets and (iii) the impairment of an oil and gas well as a result of projected operating losses that caused us to write-down the carrying value of the oil and gas well to its estimated fair value. During the nine months ended September 30, 2012, we also recognized additional impairment charges of $33 million in the second quarter of 2012, largely attributable to two facilities in our medical waste services business as a result of projected operating losses at each of these facilities, which caused us to write down the carrying values of the facilities’ operating permits and property, plant and equipment to their estimated fair values. These charges are included in our “Other” operations in Note 8. *Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities* During the nine months ended September 30, 2012, we recognized a charge of $10 million related to a payment we made under a guarantee on behalf of an unconsolidated entity that went into liquidation. This investment was accounted for under the equity method. *Other income (expense)* During the nine months ended September 30, 2013, we recognized impairment charges of $11 million relating to other-than-temporary declines in the value of two investments in waste diversion technology companies accounted for under the cost method. Partially offsetting these charges was a $4 million gain on the sale of a similar investment recognized in the second quarter of 2013. These net charges are recorded in “Other, net” in our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations. During the nine months ended September 30, 2012, we recognized an impairment charge of $14 million relating to an other-than-temporary decline in the value of another investment in a waste diversion technology company accounted for under the cost method. We wrote down the carrying value of our investment to its fair value based on other third-party investors’ recent transactions in these securities, which are considered to be the best evidence of fair value currently available. This charge is recorded in “Other, net” in our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Equity [Abstract]

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

12. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

The changes in the balances of each component of accumulated other comprehensive income, net of tax, which is included as a component of Waste Management, Inc. stockholders’ equity, are as follows (in millions, with amounts in parentheses representing debits to accumulated other comprehensive income):


	Nine Months Ended September 30, 2013(a)
	Gains and Losses on Derivative Instruments			Unrealized Gains and Losses on Available- for-Sale Securities		Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments			Post- Retirement Benefit Plans			Total
Balance, December 31, 2012	$	(74	)	$	4	$	276		$	(13	)	$	193
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications		10			1		(37	)		—			(26	)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income		2			—		—			—			2

Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)		12			1		(37	)		—			(24	)

Balance, September 30, 2013	$	(62	)	$	5	$	239		$	(13	)	$	169

The amounts of other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications associated with our cash flow derivative instruments are as follows (in millions):


	Amount of Derivative Gain (Loss) Recognized in OCI (Effective Portion)
	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
Derivatives Designated as Cash Flow Hedges	2013			2012			2013			2012
Forward-starting interest rate swaps	$	(1	)	$	(3	)	$	11		$	(28	)
Foreign currency derivatives		(8	)		(15	)		11			(14	)
Electricity commodity derivatives		—			(3	)		(6	)		1

Total before tax	$	(9	)	$	(21	)	$	16		$	(41	)
Tax (expense) benefit		4			8			(6	)		16

Net of tax	$	(5	)	$	(13	)	$	10		$	(25	)

The significant amounts reclassified out of each component of accumulated other comprehensive income are as follows (in millions):


	Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income(a)
Details about Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Components	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,						Statement of Operations Classification
	2013			2012			2013			2012
Gains and losses on cash flow hedges:
Forward-starting interest rate swaps	$	(2	)	$	(2	)	$	(6	)	$	(2	)	Interest expense
Treasury rate locks		—			(2	)		(1	)		(6	)	Interest expense
Foreign currency derivatives		(9	)		(14	)		10			(17	)	Other, net
Electricity commodity derivatives		—			2			(6	)		9		Operating revenues

	$	(11	)	$	(16	)	$	(3	)	$	(16	)	Total before tax
		4			6			1			6		Tax (expense) benefit

Total reclassifications for the period	$	(7	)	$	(10	)	$	(2	)	$	(10	)	Net of tax

(a)

Amounts in parentheses represent debits to the statement of operations classification.

Fair Value Measurements

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value Measurements

13. Fair Value Measurements

Assets and Liabilities Accounted for at Fair Value

Our assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis include the following (in millions):


			Fair Value Measurements at September 30, 2013 Using
	Total		Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)(a)
Assets:
Money market funds	$	120	$	120	$	—	$	—
Fixed-income securities		37		—		37		—
Redeemable preferred stock		25		—		—		25

Total assets	$	182	$	120	$	37	$	25

Liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives	$	31	$	—	$	31	$	—
Electricity commodity derivatives		3		—		3		—
Foreign currency derivatives		—		—		—		—

Total liabilities	$	34	$	—	$	34	$	—


			Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2012 Using
	Total		Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)(a)
Assets:
Money market funds	$	127	$	127	$	—	$	—
Fixed-income securities		37		—		37		—
Redeemable preferred stock		25		—		—		25
Electricity commodity derivatives		1		—		1		—

Total assets	$	190	$	127	$	38	$	25

Liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives	$	42	$	—	$	42	$	—
Foreign currency derivatives		11		—		11		—
Electricity commodity derivatives		5		—		5		—

Total liabilities	$	58	$	—	$	58	$	—

(a)

Level 3 investments have been measured based on third-party investors’ recent or pending transactions in these securities, which are considered the best evidence of fair value currently available. When this evidence is not available, we use other valuation techniques as appropriate and available. These valuation methodologies may include transactions in similar instruments, discounted cash flow analyses, third-party appraisals or industry multiples and public comparables. There have not been any significant changes in the fair value of the redeemable preferred stock since our initial investment.

Fair Value of Debt

At September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, the carrying value of our debt was approximately $10.1 billion and $9.9 billion, respectively. The carrying value of our debt includes adjustments associated with fair value hedge accounting related to our interest rate swaps as discussed in Note 4.

The estimated fair value of our debt was approximately $10.7 billion at September 30, 2013 and approximately $11.3 billion at December 31, 2012. The estimated fair value of our senior notes is based on quoted market prices. The carrying value of remarketable debt and borrowings under our revolving credit facilities approximates fair value due to the short-term nature of the interest rates. The fair value of our other debt is estimated using discounted cash flow analysis, based on current market rates for similar types of instruments. The decrease in the fair value of our debt when comparing September 30, 2013 with December 31, 2012 is primarily related to recent increases in long-term interest rates, which have caused a decline in market prices for fixed-rate corporate debt securities.

Although we have determined the estimated fair value amounts using available market information and commonly accepted valuation methodologies, considerable judgment is required in interpreting market data to develop the estimates of fair value. Accordingly, our estimates are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that we, or holders of the instruments, could realize in a current market exchange. The use of different assumptions and/or estimation methodologies could have a material effect on the estimated fair values. The fair value estimates are based on Level 2 inputs of the fair value hierarchy available as of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012. These amounts have not been revalued since those dates, and current estimates of fair value could differ significantly from the amounts presented.

Variable Interest Entities	9 Months Ended
Variable Interest Entities	Sep. 30, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entities	14. Variable Interest Entities Following is a description of our financial interests in variable interest entities that we consider significant, including (i) those for which we have determined that we are the primary beneficiary of the entity and, therefore, have consolidated the entities into our financial statements; and (ii) those that represent a significant interest in an unconsolidated entity. *Consolidated Variable Interest Entities* Waste-to-Energy LLCs — In June 2000, two limited liability companies were established to purchase interests in existing leveraged lease financings at three waste-to-energy facilities that we lease, operate and maintain. We own a 0.5% interest in one of the LLCs (“LLC I”) and a 0.25% interest in the second LLC (“LLC II”). John Hancock Life Insurance Company (“Hancock”) owns 99.5% of LLC I and 99.75% of LLC II is owned by LLC I and the CIT Group (“CIT”). In 2000, Hancock and CIT made an initial investment of $167 million in the LLCs, which was used to purchase the three waste-to-energy facilities and assume the seller’s indebtedness. Under the LLC agreements, the LLCs shall be dissolved upon the occurrence of any of the following events: (i) a written decision of all members of the LLCs; (ii) December 31, 2063; (iii) a court’s dissolution of the LLCs; or (iv) the LLCs ceasing to own any interest in the waste-to-energy facilities. Income, losses and cash flows of the LLCs are allocated to the members based on their initial equity ownership percentages until Hancock and CIT achieve targeted returns on their initial capital investments in each respective LLC. All allocations made through September 30, 2013 have been based on initial equity ownership percentages as the target returns have not yet been achieved for either LLC. We currently expect Hancock and CIT to achieve their targeted return on LLC II in late 2014 and Hancock to achieve its targeted return on LLC I in early 2015. After the investors have achieved their targeted returns, the LLC agreements provide that we will receive 80% of the earnings of each of the LLCs and Hancock and CIT will be allocated the remaining 20%. Our obligations associated with our interests in the LLCs are primarily related to the lease of the facilities. In addition to our minimum lease payment obligations, we are required to make cash payments to the LLCs for differences between fair market rents and our minimum lease payments. These payments are subject to adjustment based on factors that include the fair market value of rents for the facilities and lease payments made through the re-measurement dates. In addition, we may also be required under certain circumstances to make capital contributions to the LLCs based on differences between the fair market value of the facilities and defined termination values as provided for in the underlying lease agreements, although we believe the likelihood of the occurrence of these circumstances is remote. We have determined that we are the primary beneficiary of the LLCs and consolidate these entities in our Consolidated Financial Statements because (i) all of the equity owners of the LLCs are considered related parties for purposes of applying this accounting guidance; (ii) the equity owners share power over the significant activities of the LLCs; and (iii) we are the entity within the related party group whose activities are most closely associated with the LLCs. As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets included $287 million and $296 million, respectively, of net property and equipment associated with the LLCs’ waste-to-energy facilities and $247 million and $245 million, respectively, in noncontrolling interests associated with Hancock’s and CIT’s interests in the LLCs. We recognized reductions in consolidated earnings of $10 million and $32 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013, respectively, and $9 million and $34 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2012, respectively, for Hancock’s and CIT’s noncontrolling interests in the LLCs’ earnings, which are included in our consolidated net income. The LLCs’ earnings relate to the rental income generated from leasing the facilities to our subsidiaries, reduced by depreciation expense. The LLCs’ rental income is eliminated in WM’s consolidation. *Significant Unconsolidated Variable Interest Entities* Investment in U.K. Waste-to-Energy and Recycling Entity — In the first quarter of 2012, we formed a U.K. joint venture (the “JV”), together with a commercial waste management company (“Partner”), to develop, construct, operate and maintain a waste-to-energy and recycling facility in England. We own a 50% interest in the JV. The total cost of constructing this facility is expected to be £200 million, or $324 million based on the exchange rate as of September 30, 2013. The JV will be funded primarily through loans from the joint venture partners and loans under the JV’s credit facility agreements with third-party financial institutions. The funds loaned under the credit facility agreements will be used for the development and construction of the facility. We are committed to provide up to £57 million, or $92 million based on the exchange rate as of September 30, 2013, of funding to the JV. Our actual commitment may be more or less depending on the actual cost of the facility. Through September 30, 2013, we had funded approximately £10 million, or $17 million, through loans and less than $1 million through equity contributions. These amounts are included in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as long-term “Other assets” and “Investments in unconsolidated entities,” respectively. In addition to the funding commitments described above, the JV has entered into certain foreign currency and interest rate derivatives at the direction of the governmental authority that awarded the project to the JV. The impacts of gains or losses incurred on these derivatives will ultimately be remitted to or recoverable from the governmental authority under the terms of the project, and accordingly, are not reflected in our “Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities”. We also have guaranteed the performance of certain management services for the project for which our maximum exposure is not material. In addition, a wholly-owned subsidiary of WM will be responsible for constructing the waste-to-energy facility for the JV under a fixed-price construction contract. Once the facility is constructed, a majority-owned subsidiary of WM will be responsible for operating and maintaining the facility for the JV under a substantially fixed-price operating and maintenance contract. Under the operating and maintenance contract, we have guaranteed our ability to operate this facility at certain performance levels that we believe are achievable. We also will be jointly responsible, along with our Partner, for the performance of sales and marketing services for the JV through a 50%-owned unconsolidated entity. The fixed-price components of the above mentioned contracts were established based on estimates of expected construction, operation and maintenance costs. However, we may not achieve the financial results anticipated and could incur losses if the actual costs differ from the costs established in the contracts. A range of our exposure to potential loss under these contracts cannot presently be estimated. We determined that we are not the primary beneficiary of the JV, as all major decisions of the JV require either majority vote or unanimous consent of the directors (who are appointed in equal numbers by us and our Partner) or unanimous consent of the two shareholders of the JV. As such, our Partner shares equally in the power to direct the activities of the JV that most significantly impact its economic performance, including approval of the facility construction and operations and maintenance contract terms. Accordingly, we account for this investment under the equity method of accounting and do not consolidate this entity. Investment in Refined Coal Facility — In January 2011, we acquired a noncontrolling interest in a limited liability company established to invest in and manage a refined coal facility. Along with another equity investor, we support the operations of the entity in exchange for a pro-rata share of the tax credits it generates. Our initial consideration for this investment consisted of a cash payment of $48 million. As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, our investment balance was $27 million and $19 million, respectively, representing our current maximum pre-tax exposure to loss. Under the terms and conditions of the transaction, we do not believe that we have any material exposure to loss. Required capital contributions commenced in the first quarter of 2013 and will continue through the expiration of the tax credits under Section 45 of the Internal Revenue Code, which occurs at the end of 2019. We are only obligated to make future contributions to the extent tax credits are generated. We determined that we are not the primary beneficiary of this entity as we do not have the power to individually direct the entity’s activities. Accordingly, we account for this investment under the equity method of accounting and do not consolidate the entity. Additional information related to this investment is discussed in Note 5. Investment in Low-Income Housing Properties — In April 2010, we acquired a noncontrolling interest in a limited liability company established to invest in and manage low-income housing properties. We support the operations of the entity in exchange for a pro-rata share of the tax credits it generates. Our target return on the investment is guaranteed, and therefore, we do not believe that we have any material exposure to loss. Our consideration for this investment totaled $221 million, which was comprised of a $215 million note payable and an initial cash payment of $6 million. As of September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012, our investment balance was $135 million and $153 million, respectively, and our debt balance was $134 million and $152 million, respectively. We determined that we are not the primary beneficiary of this entity as we do not have the power to individually direct the entity’s activities. Accordingly, we account for this investment under the equity method of accounting and do not consolidate the entity. Additional information related to this investment is discussed in Note 5. Trusts for Final Capping, Closure, Post-Closure or Environmental Remediation Obligations — We have significant financial interests in trust funds that were created to settle certain of our final capping, closure, post-closure or environmental remediation obligations. Generally, we are the sole beneficiary of these restricted balances; however, certain of the funds have been established for the benefit of both the Company and the host community in which we operate. We have determined that these trust funds are variable interest entities; however, we are not the primary beneficiary of these entities because either (i) we do not have the power to direct the significant activities of the trusts or (ii) power over the trusts’ significant activities is shared. We account for the trusts for which we are the sole beneficiary as long-term “Other assets” in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. We reflect our interests in the unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities held by these trusts as a component of “Accumulated other comprehensive income.” These trusts had a fair value of $126 million at September 30, 2013 and $125 million at December 31, 2012. Our interests in the trusts that have been established for the benefit of both the Company and the host community in which we operate are accounted for as investments in unconsolidated entities and receivables. These amounts are recorded in “Other receivables,” “Investments in unconsolidated entities” and long-term “Other assets” in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet, as appropriate. Our investments and receivables related to these trusts had an aggregate carrying value of $110 million as of both September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012. As the party with primary responsibility to fund the related final capping, closure, post-closure or environmental remediation activities, we are exposed to risk of loss as a result of potential changes in the fair value of the assets of the trust. The fair value of trust assets can fluctuate due to (i) changes in the market value of the investments held by the trusts and (ii) credit risk associated with trust receivables. Although we are exposed to changes in the fair value of the trust assets, we currently expect the trust funds to continue to meet the statutory requirements for which they were established.

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements

15. Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements

WM Holdings has fully and unconditionally guaranteed all of WM’s senior indebtedness. WM has fully and unconditionally guaranteed all of WM Holdings’ senior indebtedness. None of WM’s other subsidiaries have guaranteed any of WM’s or WM Holdings’ debt. As a result of these guarantee arrangements, we are required to present the following condensed consolidating financial information (in millions):

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS

September 30, 2013

(Unaudited)


	WM		WM Holdings		Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries		Eliminations			Consolidated
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	—	$	—	$	157	$	—		$	157
Other current assets		—		6		2,254		—			2,260

		—		6		2,411		—			2,417
Property and equipment, net		—		—		12,621		—			12,621
Investments in and advances to affiliates		12,802		16,790		4,174		(33,766	)		—
Other assets		44		12		8,519		—			8,575

Total assets	$	12,846	$	16,808	$	27,725	$	(33,766	)	$	23,613


LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	$	275	$	—	$	293	$	—		$	568
Accounts payable and other current liabilities		94		5		2,195		—			2,294

		369		5		2,488		—			2,862
Long-term debt, less current portion		5,769		449		3,273		—			9,491
Other liabilities		—		—		4,245		—			4,245

Total liabilities		6,138		454		10,006		—			16,598
Equity:
Stockholders’ equity		6,708		16,354		17,412		(33,766	)		6,708
Noncontrolling interests		—		—		307		—			307

		6,708		16,354		17,719		(33,766	)		7,015

Total liabilities and equity	$	12,846	$	16,808	$	27,725	$	(33,766	)	$	23,613

December 31, 2012


	WM		WM Holdings		Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries		Eliminations			Consolidated
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	60	$	—	$	134	$	—		$	194
Other current assets		—		7		2,222		—			2,229

		60		7		2,356		—			2,423
Property and equipment, net		—		—		12,651		—			12,651
Investments in and advances to affiliates		12,686		16,697		3,437		(32,820	)		—
Other assets		45		12		7,966		—			8,023

Total assets	$	12,791	$	16,716	$	26,410	$	(32,820	)	$	23,097


LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	$	400	$	—	$	343	$	—		$	743
Accounts payable and other current liabilities		77		13		2,203		—			2,293

		477		13		2,546		—			3,036
Long-term debt, less current portion		5,918		449		2,806		—			9,173
Other liabilities		42		—		4,171		—			4,213

Total liabilities		6,437		462		9,523		—			16,422
Equity:
Stockholders’ equity		6,354		16,254		16,566		(32,820	)		6,354
Noncontrolling interests		—		—		321		—			321

		6,354		16,254		16,887		(32,820	)		6,675

Total liabilities and equity	$	12,791	$	16,716	$	26,410	$	(32,820	)	$	23,097

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

Three Months Ended September 30, 2013

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	3,621		$	—		$	3,621
Costs and expenses		—			—			3,044			—			3,044

Income from operations		—			—			577			—			577

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(88	)		(8	)		(23	)		—			(119	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		344			349			—			(693	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(6	)		—			(6	)

		256			341			(29	)		(693	)		(125	)

Income before income taxes		256			341			548			(693	)		452
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(35	)		(3	)		193			—			155

Consolidated net income		291			344			355			(693	)		297
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			6			—			6

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	291		$	344		$	349		$	(693	)	$	291

Three Months Ended September 30, 2012

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	3,461		$	—		$	3,461
Costs and expenses		—			—			2,961			—			2,961

Income from operations		—			—			500			—			500

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(91	)		(8	)		(22	)		—			(121	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		269			274			—			(543	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(31	)		—			(31	)

		178			266			(53	)		(543	)		(152	)

Income before income taxes		178			266			447			(543	)		348
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(36	)		(3	)		164			—			125

Consolidated net income		214			269			283			(543	)		223
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			9			—			9

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	214		$	269		$	274		$	(543	)	$	214

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2013

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	10,483		$	—		$	10,483
Costs and expenses		—			1			8,993			—			8,994

Income from operations		—			(1	)		1,490			—			1,489

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(268	)		(24	)		(69	)		—			(361	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		865			881			—			(1,746	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(31	)		—			(31	)

		597			857			(100	)		(1,746	)		(392	)

Income before income taxes		597			856			1,390			(1,746	)		1,097
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(106	)		(9	)		483			—			368

Consolidated net income		703			865			907			(1,746	)		729
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			26			—			26

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	703		$	865		$	881		$	(1,746	)	$	703

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2012

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	10,215		$	—		$	10,215
Costs and expenses		—			—			8,848			—			8,848

Income from operations		—			—			1,367			—			1,367

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(267	)		(24	)		(71	)		—			(362	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		755			770			—			(1,525	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(51	)		—			(51	)

		488			746			(122	)		(1,525	)		(413	)

Income before income taxes		488			746			1,245			(1,525	)		954
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(105	)		(9	)		443			—			329

Consolidated net income		593			755			802			(1,525	)		625
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			32			—			32

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	593		$	755		$	770		$	(1,525	)	$	593

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Unaudited)


	WM		WM Holdings		Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries		Eliminations			Consolidated
Three Months Ended September 30, 2013
Comprehensive income	$	292	$	344	$	389	$	(693	)	$	332
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		6		—			6

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	292	$	344	$	383	$	(693	)	$	326

Three Months Ended September 30, 2012
Comprehensive income	$	215	$	269	$	319	$	(543	)	$	260
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		9		—			9

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	215	$	269	$	310	$	(543	)	$	251


	WM		WM Holdings		Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries		Eliminations			Consolidated
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2013
Comprehensive income	$	714	$	865	$	872	$	(1,746	)	$	705
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		26		—			26

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	714	$	865	$	846	$	(1,746	)	$	679

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2012
Comprehensive income	$	581	$	755	$	842	$	(1,525	)	$	653
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		32		—			32

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	581	$	755	$	810	$	(1,525	)	$	621

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2013

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$	703		$	865		$	907		$	(1,746	)	$	729
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		(865	)		(881	)		—			1,746			—
Other adjustments		(19	)		(8	)		1,156			—			1,129

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities		(181	)		(24	)		2,063			—			1,858

Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired		—			—			(698	)		—			(698	)
Capital expenditures		—			—			(824	)		—			(824	)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets		—			—			113			—			113
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net		—			—			(23	)		—			(23	)

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities		—			—			(1,432	)		—			(1,432	)

Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings		200			—			1,018			—			1,218
Debt repayments		(460	)		—			(784	)		—			(1,244	)
Cash dividends		(512	)		—			—			—			(512	)
Exercise of common stock options		116			—			—			—			116
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other		12			—			(49	)		—			(37	)
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net		765			24			(789	)		—			—

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		121			24			(604	)		—			(459	)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		—			—			(4	)		—			(4	)

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		(60	)		—			23			—			(37	)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		60			—			134			—			194

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	—		$	—		$	157		$	—		$	157

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2012

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$	593		$	755		$	802		$	(1,525	)	$	625
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		(755	)		(770	)		—			1,525			—
Other adjustments		75			(8	)		1,026			—			1,093

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities		(87	)		(23	)		1,828			—			1,718

Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired		—			—			(178	)		—			(178	)
Capital expenditures		—			—			(1,132	)		—			(1,132	)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets		—			—			28			—			28
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net		—			—			(79	)		—			(79	)

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities		—			—			(1,361	)		—			(1,361	)

Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings		645			—			40			—			685
Debt repayments		(335	)		—			(138	)		—			(473	)
Cash dividends		(493	)		—			—			—			(493	)
Exercise of common stock options		39			—			—			—			39
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other		14			—			9			—			23
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net		368			23			(391	)		—			—

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		238			23			(480	)		—			(219	)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		—			—			2			—			2

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		151			—			(11	)		—			140
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		119			—			139			—			258

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	270		$	—		$	128		$	—		$	398

Basis of Presentation (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation (Policies)	Sep. 30, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	The financial statements presented in this report represent the consolidation of Waste Management, Inc., a Delaware corporation; Waste Management’s wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries; and certain variable interest entities for which Waste Management or its subsidiaries are the primary beneficiaries as described in Note 14. Waste Management is a holding company and all operations are conducted by its subsidiaries. When the terms “the Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” are used in this document, those terms refer to Waste Management, Inc., its consolidated subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities. When we use the term “WM,” we are referring only to Waste Management, Inc., the parent holding company. We are North America’s leading provider of comprehensive waste management environmental services. We partner with our residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers and the communities we serve to manage and reduce waste at each stage from collection to disposal, while recovering valuable resources and creating clean, renewable energy. Our “Solid Waste” business is operated and managed locally by our subsidiaries that focus on distinct geographic areas and provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. Through our subsidiaries, we are also a leading developer, operator and owner of waste-to-energy and landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. We currently evaluate, oversee and manage the financial performance of our Solid Waste business subsidiaries through our 17 geographic Areas. Our Wheelabrator business provides waste-to-energy services and manages waste-to-energy facilities and independent power production plants. We also provide additional services that are not managed through our Solid Waste or Wheelabrator businesses, which are presented in this report as “Other.” Additional information related to our segments can be found in Note 8. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of September 30, 2013 and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2013 and 2012 are unaudited. In the opinion of management, these financial statements include all adjustments, which, unless otherwise disclosed, are of a normal recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows, and changes in equity for the periods presented. The results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. The financial statements presented herein should be read in connection with the financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. In preparing our financial statements, we make numerous estimates and assumptions that affect the accounting for and recognition and disclosure of assets, liabilities, equity, revenues and expenses. We must make these estimates and assumptions because certain information that we use is dependent on future events, cannot be calculated with precision from available data or simply cannot be calculated. In some cases, these estimates are difficult to determine, and we must exercise significant judgment. In preparing our financial statements, the most difficult, subjective and complex estimates and the assumptions that present the greatest amount of uncertainty relate to our accounting for landfills, environmental remediation liabilities, asset impairments, deferred income taxes and reserves associated with our insured and self-insured claims. Actual results could differ materially from the estimates and assumptions that we use in the preparation of our financial statements.
Comprehensive Income	Comprehensive Income — In February 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued amended authoritative guidance associated with comprehensive income, which requires companies to provide information about the amounts that are reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by component. Additionally, companies are required to present significant amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income by the respective line items of net income. The amendment to authoritative guidance associated with comprehensive income was effective for the Company on January 1, 2013. The adoption of this guidance did not have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. We have presented the information required by this amendment in Note 12.
Reclassifications	*Reclassifications* When necessary, reclassifications have been made to our prior period consolidated financial information in order to conform to the current year presentation.

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Text Block [Abstract]

Liabilities for Landfill and Environmental Remediation Costs

Liabilities for landfill and environmental remediation costs are presented in the table below (in millions):


	September 30, 2013						December 31, 2012
	Landfill		Environmental Remediation		Total		Landfill		Environmental Remediation		Total
Current (in accrued liabilities)	$	99	$	28	$	127	$	104	$	28	$	132
Long-term		1,299		208		1,507		1,234		225		1,459

	$	1,398	$	236	$	1,634	$	1,338	$	253	$	1,591

Changes to Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities

The changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2012 and the nine months ended September 30, 2013 are reflected in the table below (in millions):


	Landfill			Environmental Remediation
December 31, 2011	$	1,292		$	273
Obligations incurred and capitalized		58			—
Obligations settled		(87	)		(30	)
Interest accretion		84			4
Revisions in cost estimates and interest rate assumptions		(8	)		5
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments		(1	)		1

December 31, 2012		1,338			253
Obligations incurred and capitalized		45			—
Obligations settled		(53	)		(15	)
Interest accretion		65			3
Revisions in cost estimates and interest rate assumptions		—			(4	)
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments		3			(1	)

September 30, 2013	$	1,398		$	236

Debt (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Components of Debt


	September 30, 2013		December 31, 2012
$2.25 billion revolving credit facility, maturing July 2018 (weighted average interest rate of 1.5% at September 30, 2013 and 1.4% at December 31, 2012)	$	140	$	400
Letter of credit facilities, maturing through June 2015		—		—
Canadian credit facility and term loan, maturing November 2017 (weighted average effective interest rate of 2.7% at September 30, 2013 and 2.9% at December 31, 2012)		456		75
Senior notes maturing through 2039, interest rates ranging from 2.60% to 7.75% (weighted average interest rate of 5.7% at September 30, 2013 and December 31, 2012)		6,292		6,305
Tax-exempt bonds, maturing through 2045, fixed and variable interest rates ranging from 0.1% to 5.7% (weighted average interest rate of 2.4% at September 30, 2013 and 2.8% at December 31, 2012)		2,719		2,727
Capital leases and other, maturing through 2055, interest rates up to 12%		452		409

		10,059		9,916
Current portion of long-term debt		568		743

	$	9,491	$	9,173

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Fair Values of Derivative Instruments Recorded in Balance Sheet

The following table summarizes the fair values of derivative instruments recorded in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet (in millions):


Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments	Balance Sheet Location	September 30, 2013		December 31, 2012
Electricity commodity derivatives	Current other assets	$	—	$	1

Total derivative assets		$	—	$	1

Interest rate derivatives	Current accrued liabilities	$	31	$	—
Electricity commodity derivatives	Current accrued liabilities		3		5
Foreign currency derivatives	Current accrued liabilities		—		11
Interest rate derivatives	Long-term other liabilities		—		42

Total derivative liabilities		$	34	$	58

Impact of Periodic Settlements of Active Swap Agreements and Impact of Terminated Swap Agreements on Results of Operations

The following table summarizes the impact of periodic settlements of active swap agreements and the impact of terminated swap agreements on our results of operations (in millions):


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
Decrease to Interest Expense Due to Hedge Accounting for Interest Rate Swaps	2013		2012		2013		2012
Periodic settlements of active swap agreements(a)	$	—	$	—	$	—	$	7
Terminated swap agreements		5		7		15		16

	$	5	$	7	$	15	$	23

(a)

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Common Share Data Used for Computing Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share

Basic and diluted earnings per share were computed using the following common share data (shares in millions):


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2013		2012		2013			2012
Number of common shares outstanding at end of period		469.2		463.9		469.2			463.9
Effect of using weighted average common shares outstanding		0.1		0.2		(1.5	)		(0.6	)

Weighted average basic common shares outstanding		469.3		464.1		467.7			463.3
Dilutive effect of equity-based compensation awards and other contingently issuable shares		1.9		0.8		1.5			0.9

Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding		471.2		464.9		469.2			464.2

Potentially issuable shares		12.9		16.5		12.9			16.5
Number of anti-dilutive potentially issuable shares excluded from diluted common shares outstanding		0.5		9.3		0.5			9.7

Segment and Related Information (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Reportable Segments

Summarized financial information concerning our reportable segments for the three and nine months ended September 30 is shown in the following table (in millions):


	Gross Operating Revenues		Intercompany Operating Revenues			Net Operating Revenues		Income from Operations
Three Months Ended:
September 30, 2013
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	898	$	(140	)	$	758	$	224
Tier 2		1,670		(311	)		1,359		347
Tier 3		940		(157	)		783		148
Wheelabrator		214		(29	)		185		39
Other		561		(25	)		536		(31	)

		4,283		(662	)		3,621		727
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(150	)

Total	$	4,283	$	(662	)	$	3,621	$	577

September 30, 2012
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	854	$	(138	)	$	716	$	213
Tier 2		1,596		(290	)		1,306		328
Tier 3		862		(137	)		725		126
Wheelabrator		218		(30	)		188		46
Other		553		(27	)		526		(68	)

		4,083		(622	)		3,461		645
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(145	)

Total	$	4,083	$	(622	)	$	3,461	$	500

Nine Months Ended:
September 30, 2013
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	2,632	$	(417	)	$	2,215	$	652
Tier 2		4,827		(899	)		3,928		970
Tier 3		2,637		(424	)		2,213		388
Wheelabrator		634		(83	)		551		52
Other		1,649		(73	)		1,576		(99	)

		12,379		(1,896	)		10,483		1,963
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(474	)

Total	$	12,379	$	(1,896	)	$	10,483	$	1,489

September 30, 2012
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	2,531	$	(386	)	$	2,145	$	641
Tier 2		4,698		(805	)		3,893		946
Tier 3		2,523		(381	)		2,142		370
Wheelabrator		631		(92	)		539		68
Other		1,565		(69	)		1,496		(167	)

		11,948		(1,733	)		10,215		1,858
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(491	)

Total	$	11,948	$	(1,733	)	$	10,215	$	1,367

Acquisitions (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation

The preliminary purchase price allocations, as of the date acquired, were as follows (in millions):


	Greenstar			RCI
Accounts and other receivables	$	30		$	32
Part and supplies		4			—
Other current assets		2			—
Property and equipment		57			118
Goodwill		122			177
Other intangible assets		32			169
Accounts payable		(17	)		—
Accrued liabilities		(12	)		—
Deferred revenues		—			(4	)
Landfill and environmental remediation liabilities		(2	)		(1	)
Deferred income taxes, net		—			—
Current portion of long-term debt		(4	)		—
Long-term debt, less current portion		(1	)		(4	)
Other liabilities		(5	)		—

Total purchase price	$	206		$	487

Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation of Other Intangible Assets

The following table presents the preliminary allocations of the purchase price to other intangible assets (amounts in millions, except for amortization periods):


	Greenstar				RCI
	Amount		Weighted Average Amortization Periods (in Years)		Amount		Weighted Average Amortization Periods (in Years)
Customer relationships	$	—		—	$	162		15.0
Supplier relationships		31		10.0		—		—
Lease agreements		1		8.4		—		—
Trade name		—		—		7		5.0

Total other intangible assets subject to amortization	$	32		10.0	$	169		14.6

Pro Forma Consolidated Results of Operations

The following pro forma consolidated results of operations have been prepared as if the acquisitions of Greenstar and RCI occurred at January 1, 2012 (in millions, except per share amounts):


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2013		2012		2013		2012
Operating revenues	$	3,623	$	3,548	$	10,585	$	10,493
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.		291		208		704		584
Basic earnings per common share		0.62		0.45		1.51		1.26
Diluted earnings per common share		0.62		0.45		1.50		1.26

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Equity [Abstract]

Component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income


	Nine Months Ended September 30, 2013(a)
	Gains and Losses on Derivative Instruments			Unrealized Gains and Losses on Available- for-Sale Securities		Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments			Post- Retirement Benefit Plans			Total
Balance, December 31, 2012	$	(74	)	$	4	$	276		$	(13	)	$	193
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications		10			1		(37	)		—			(26	)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive income		2			—		—			—			2

Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)		12			1		(37	)		—			(24	)

Balance, September 30, 2013	$	(62	)	$	5	$	239		$	(13	)	$	169

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Before Reclassifications Associated With Cash Flow Derivative Instruments

The amounts of other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications associated with our cash flow derivative instruments are as follows (in millions):


	Amount of Derivative Gain (Loss) Recognized in OCI (Effective Portion)
	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,
Derivatives Designated as Cash Flow Hedges	2013			2012			2013			2012
Forward-starting interest rate swaps	$	(1	)	$	(3	)	$	11		$	(28	)
Foreign currency derivatives		(8	)		(15	)		11			(14	)
Electricity commodity derivatives		—			(3	)		(6	)		1

Total before tax	$	(9	)	$	(21	)	$	16		$	(41	)
Tax (expense) benefit		4			8			(6	)		16

Net of tax	$	(5	)	$	(13	)	$	10		$	(25	)

Reclassification of Component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income

The significant amounts reclassified out of each component of accumulated other comprehensive income are as follows (in millions):


	Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income(a)
Details about Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income Components	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,						Statement of Operations Classification
	2013			2012			2013			2012
Gains and losses on cash flow hedges:
Forward-starting interest rate swaps	$	(2	)	$	(2	)	$	(6	)	$	(2	)	Interest expense
Treasury rate locks		—			(2	)		(1	)		(6	)	Interest expense
Foreign currency derivatives		(9	)		(14	)		10			(17	)	Other, net
Electricity commodity derivatives		—			2			(6	)		9		Operating revenues

	$	(11	)	$	(16	)	$	(3	)	$	(16	)	Total before tax
		4			6			1			6		Tax (expense) benefit

Total reclassifications for the period	$	(7	)	$	(10	)	$	(2	)	$	(10	)	Net of tax

(a)

Amounts in parentheses represent debits to the statement of operations classification.

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis

Our assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis include the following (in millions):


			Fair Value Measurements at September 30, 2013 Using
	Total		Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)(a)
Assets:
Money market funds	$	120	$	120	$	—	$	—
Fixed-income securities		37		—		37		—
Redeemable preferred stock		25		—		—		25

Total assets	$	182	$	120	$	37	$	25

Liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives	$	31	$	—	$	31	$	—
Electricity commodity derivatives		3		—		3		—
Foreign currency derivatives		—		—		—		—

Total liabilities	$	34	$	—	$	34	$	—


			Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2012 Using
	Total		Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)(a)
Assets:
Money market funds	$	127	$	127	$	—	$	—
Fixed-income securities		37		—		37		—
Redeemable preferred stock		25		—		—		25
Electricity commodity derivatives		1		—		1		—

Total assets	$	190	$	127	$	38	$	25

Liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives	$	42	$	—	$	42	$	—
Foreign currency derivatives		11		—		11		—
Electricity commodity derivatives		5		—		5		—

Total liabilities	$	58	$	—	$	58	$	—

(a)

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2013

Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS

September 30, 2013

(Unaudited)


	WM		WM Holdings		Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries		Eliminations			Consolidated
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	—	$	—	$	157	$	—		$	157
Other current assets		—		6		2,254		—			2,260

		—		6		2,411		—			2,417
Property and equipment, net		—		—		12,621		—			12,621
Investments in and advances to affiliates		12,802		16,790		4,174		(33,766	)		—
Other assets		44		12		8,519		—			8,575

Total assets	$	12,846	$	16,808	$	27,725	$	(33,766	)	$	23,613


LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	$	275	$	—	$	293	$	—		$	568
Accounts payable and other current liabilities		94		5		2,195		—			2,294

		369		5		2,488		—			2,862
Long-term debt, less current portion		5,769		449		3,273		—			9,491
Other liabilities		—		—		4,245		—			4,245

Total liabilities		6,138		454		10,006		—			16,598
Equity:
Stockholders’ equity		6,708		16,354		17,412		(33,766	)		6,708
Noncontrolling interests		—		—		307		—			307

		6,708		16,354		17,719		(33,766	)		7,015

Total liabilities and equity	$	12,846	$	16,808	$	27,725	$	(33,766	)	$	23,613

December 31, 2012


	WM		WM Holdings		Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries		Eliminations			Consolidated
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	60	$	—	$	134	$	—		$	194
Other current assets		—		7		2,222		—			2,229

		60		7		2,356		—			2,423
Property and equipment, net		—		—		12,651		—			12,651
Investments in and advances to affiliates		12,686		16,697		3,437		(32,820	)		—
Other assets		45		12		7,966		—			8,023

Total assets	$	12,791	$	16,716	$	26,410	$	(32,820	)	$	23,097


LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	$	400	$	—	$	343	$	—		$	743
Accounts payable and other current liabilities		77		13		2,203		—			2,293

		477		13		2,546		—			3,036
Long-term debt, less current portion		5,918		449		2,806		—			9,173
Other liabilities		42		—		4,171		—			4,213

Total liabilities		6,437		462		9,523		—			16,422
Equity:
Stockholders’ equity		6,354		16,254		16,566		(32,820	)		6,354
Noncontrolling interests		—		—		321		—			321

		6,354		16,254		16,887		(32,820	)		6,675

Total liabilities and equity	$	12,791	$	16,716	$	26,410	$	(32,820	)	$	23,097

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

Three Months Ended September 30, 2013

(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	3,621		$	—		$	3,621
Costs and expenses		—			—			3,044			—			3,044

Income from operations		—			—			577			—			577

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(88	)		(8	)		(23	)		—			(119	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		344			349			—			(693	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(6	)		—			(6	)

		256			341			(29	)		(693	)		(125	)

Income before income taxes		256			341			548			(693	)		452
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(35	)		(3	)		193			—			155

Consolidated net income		291			344			355			(693	)		297
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			6			—			6

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	291		$	344		$	349		$	(693	)	$	291

Three Months Ended September 30, 2012

(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	3,461		$	—		$	3,461
Costs and expenses		—			—			2,961			—			2,961

Income from operations		—			—			500			—			500

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(91	)		(8	)		(22	)		—			(121	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		269			274			—			(543	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(31	)		—			(31	)

		178			266			(53	)		(543	)		(152	)

Income before income taxes		178			266			447			(543	)		348
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(36	)		(3	)		164			—			125

Consolidated net income		214			269			283			(543	)		223
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			9			—			9

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	214		$	269		$	274		$	(543	)	$	214

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2013

(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	10,483		$	—		$	10,483
Costs and expenses		—			1			8,993			—			8,994

Income from operations		—			(1	)		1,490			—			1,489

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(268	)		(24	)		(69	)		—			(361	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		865			881			—			(1,746	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(31	)		—			(31	)

		597			857			(100	)		(1,746	)		(392	)

Income before income taxes		597			856			1,390			(1,746	)		1,097
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(106	)		(9	)		483			—			368

Consolidated net income		703			865			907			(1,746	)		729
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			26			—			26

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	703		$	865		$	881		$	(1,746	)	$	703

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2012

(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	10,215		$	—		$	10,215
Costs and expenses		—			—			8,848			—			8,848

Income from operations		—			—			1,367			—			1,367

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(267	)		(24	)		(71	)		—			(362	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		755			770			—			(1,525	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(51	)		—			(51	)

		488			746			(122	)		(1,525	)		(413	)

Income before income taxes		488			746			1,245			(1,525	)		954
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(105	)		(9	)		443			—			329

Consolidated net income		593			755			802			(1,525	)		625
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			32			—			32

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	593		$	755		$	770		$	(1,525	)	$	593

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Comprehensive Income

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Unaudited)


			WM		Non-Guarantor
	WM		Holdings		Subsidiaries		Eliminations			Consolidated
Three Months Ended September 30, 2013
Comprehensive income	$	292	$	344	$	389	$	(693	)	$	332
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		6		—			6

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	292	$	344	$	383	$	(693	)	$	326

Three Months Ended September 30, 2012
Comprehensive income	$	215	$	269	$	319	$	(543	)	$	260
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		9		—			9

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	215	$	269	$	310	$	(543	)	$	251


			WM		Non-Guarantor
	WM		Holdings		Subsidiaries		Eliminations			Consolidated
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2013
Comprehensive income	$	714	$	865	$	872	$	(1,746	)	$	705
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		26		—			26

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	714	$	865	$	846	$	(1,746	)	$	679

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2012
Comprehensive income	$	581	$	755	$	842	$	(1,525	)	$	653
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		32		—			32

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	581	$	755	$	810	$	(1,525	)	$	621

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2013

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$	703		$	865		$	907		$	(1,746	)	$	729
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		(865	)		(881	)		—			1,746			—
Other adjustments		(19	)		(8	)		1,156			—			1,129

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities		(181	)		(24	)		2,063			—			1,858

Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired		—			—			(698	)		—			(698	)
Capital expenditures		—			—			(824	)		—			(824	)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets		—			—			113			—			113
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net		—			—			(23	)		—			(23	)

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities		—			—			(1,432	)		—			(1,432	)

Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings		200			—			1,018			—			1,218
Debt repayments		(460	)		—			(784	)		—			(1,244	)
Cash dividends		(512	)		—			—			—			(512	)
Exercise of common stock options		116			—			—			—			116
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other		12			—			(49	)		—			(37	)
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net		765			24			(789	)		—			—

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		121			24			(604	)		—			(459	)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		—			—			(4	)		—			(4	)

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		(60	)		—			23			—			(37	)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		60			—			134			—			194

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	—		$	—		$	157		$	—		$	157

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2012

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$	593		$	755		$	802		$	(1,525	)	$	625
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		(755	)		(770	)		—			1,525			—
Other adjustments		75			(8	)		1,026			—			1,093

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities		(87	)		(23	)		1,828			—			1,718

Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired		—			—			(178	)		—			(178	)
Capital expenditures		—			—			(1,132	)		—			(1,132	)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets		—			—			28			—			28
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net		—			—			(79	)		—			(79	)

Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities		—			—			(1,361	)		—			(1,361	)

Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings		645			—			40			—			685
Debt repayments		(335	)		—			(138	)		—			(473	)
Cash dividends		(493	)		—			—			—			(493	)
Exercise of common stock options		39			—			—			—			39
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other		14			—			9			—			23
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net		368			23			(391	)		—			—

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		238			23			(480	)		—			(219	)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		—			—			2			—			2

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		151			—			(11	)		—			140
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		119			—			139			—			258

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	270		$	—		$	128		$	—		$	398

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities - Liabilities for Landfill and Environmental Remediation Costs (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Total, Environmental Remediation	$ 236
Current (in accrued liabilities)	127	132
Long-term	1,507	1,459
Total	1,634	1,591
Landfill Liabilities [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Current (in accrued liabilities)	99	104
Long-term	1,299	1,234
Total, Landfill Liabilities	1,398	1,338	1,292
Environmental Remediation Liabilities [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Current (in accrued liabilities), Environmental Remediation	28	28
Long-term, Environmental Remediation	208	225
Total, Environmental Remediation	$ 236	$ 253	$ 273

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities - Changes to Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended			12 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013 Environmental Remediation Liabilities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Environmental Remediation Liabilities [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Landfill Liabilities [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Landfill Liabilities [Member]
Environmental Exit Cost [Line Items]
Beginning balance, landfill					$ 1,338	$ 1,292
Beginning balance, environmental remediation			253	273
Obligations incurred and capitalized					45	58
Obligations settled					(53)	(87)
Obligations settled			(15)	(30)
Interest accretion	65	62			65	84
Interest accretion			3	4
Revisions in cost estimates and interest rate assumptions						(8)
Revisions in cost estimates and interest rate assumptions			(4)	5
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments					3	(1)
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments			(1)	1
Ending balance, landfill					1,398	1,338
Ending balance, environmental remediation	$ 236		$ 236	$ 253

Debt - Components of Debt (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior notes	$ 6,292	$ 6,305
Total long-term debt	10,059	9,916
Current portion of long-term debt	568	743
Long-term debt, less current portion	9,491	9,173
Capital leases and other [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Capital leases and other	452	409
Nontaxable Municipal Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Capital leases and other	2,719	2,727
Revolving credit facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding borrowings under revolving credit facility	140	400
Letter of Credit Facilities [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Letter of credit facilities
Canadian credit facility and term loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding borrowings under revolving credit facility	$ 456	$ 75

Debt - Components of Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail) (USD $) In Billions, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Jul. 31, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Capital leases and other [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate upper range	12.00%
End period of maturity for debt instrument	Dec. 31, 2055
Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate	5.70%		5.70%
Interest rate lower range	2.60%
Interest rate upper range	7.75%
End period of maturity for debt instrument	Nov. 30, 2039
Nontaxable Municipal Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate	2.40%		2.80%
Interest rate lower range	0.10%
Interest rate upper range	5.70%
End period of maturity for debt instrument	Nov. 01, 2045
Revolving credit facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Revolving credit facility, aggregate capacity	$ 2.25	$ 2.25
Weighted average interest rate	1.50%		1.40%
Maturity date of credit facility	Jul. 26, 2018
Standby Letters of Credit [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
End period of maturity for debt instruments	Jun. 30, 2015
Canadian credit facility and term loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate	2.70%		2.90%
Maturity date of credit facility	Nov. 07, 2017

Debt - Additional Information (Detail)	9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended			9 Months Ended				9 Months Ended
Debt - Additional Information (Detail)	Sep. 30, 2013 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Letter of Credit Facilities [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 5.0% Senior Notes Due March 2014 [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Revolving credit facility [Member] USD ($)	Jul. 31, 2013 Revolving credit facility [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Revolving credit facility [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Canadian credit facility and term loan [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Canadian credit facility and term loan [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Canadian credit facility and term loan [Member] RCI Environnement Inc [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Canadian credit facility and term loan [Member] RCI Environnement Inc [Member] CAD	Sep. 30, 2013 Canadian credit facility and term loan [Member] Currency Translation [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Canadian credit facility and term loan [Member] Interest Expense [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Canadian credit facility and term loan [Member] Term Loan [Member] USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturing within twelve months	$ 510,000,000
Senior notes	6,292,000,000	6,305,000,000		350,000,000
Interest rate of senior notes				5.00%
Tax-exempt bonds, current	92,000,000
Tax-exempt bonds subject to re-pricing within next 12 months	857,000,000
Debt maturing within twelve months classified as long-term	1,400,000,000
Current debt obligations	568,000,000	743,000,000
Letters of credit, aggregate capacity			2,650,000,000		2,250,000,000	2,250,000,000
Maturity date of credit facility					Jul. 26, 2018			Nov. 07, 2017
Total letters of credit outstanding under revolving and letter of credit facilities	1,300,000,000
Letters of credit outstanding under revolving credit facility					942,000,000
Outstanding borrowings under the revolving credit facility					140,000,000		400,000,000	456,000,000	75,000,000
Unused and available credit capacity, revolving credit facility					1,200,000,000
Net borrowings (repayments) under credit facility					(260,000,000)			(75,000,000)						29,000,000
Cash proceeds from a term loan to fund acquisition										470,000,000	500,000,000
Interest rate spread on term loan borrowings								1.40%
Change in carrying value of long term debt												11,000,000	4,000,000
Repayment of tax exempt bonds	107,000,000
Issuance of tax exempt bonds	$ 100,000,000

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Fair Values of Derivative Instruments Recorded in Balance Sheet (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Electricity commodity derivatives		$ 1
Derivative assets designated as hedging instruments		1
Interest rate derivatives	31	42
Electricity commodity derivatives	3	5
Foreign currency derivatives		11
Derivative liabilities designated as hedging instruments	34	58
Current other assets [Member] \| Electricity commodity derivatives [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Electricity commodity derivatives		1
Current accrued liabilities [Member] \| Electricity commodity derivatives [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Electricity commodity derivatives	3	5
Current accrued liabilities [Member] \| Interest Rate Swaps [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Interest rate derivatives	31
Current accrued liabilities [Member] \| Foreign currency derivatives[Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Foreign currency derivatives		11
Long-term accrued liabilities [Member] \| Interest Rate Swaps [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivatives, Fair Value [Line Items]
Interest rate derivatives		$ 42

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Additional Information (Detail) In Millions, unless otherwise specified				3 Months Ended	1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended					9 Months Ended					3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 5.0% Senior Notes Due March 2014 [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 Cash Flow Hedging [Member]	Apr. 30, 2012 Interest Rate Swaps [Member] Fair Value Hedges [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Interest Rate Swaps [Member] Fair Value Hedges [Member] USD ($) Derivative	Dec. 31, 2012 Interest Rate Swaps [Member] Fair Value Hedges [Member] USD ($) Derivative	Sep. 30, 2012 Forward Starting Interest Rate Swap [Member] Cash Flow Hedging [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Forward Starting Interest Rate Swap [Member] Cash Flow Hedging [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Forward Starting Interest Rate Swap [Member] Cash Flow Hedging [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2009 Forward Starting Interest Rate Swap [Member] Cash Flow Hedging [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Forward Starting Interest Rate Swap [Member] Cash Flow Hedging [Member] Long-term other liabilities [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Forward Starting Interest Rate Swap [Member] Current accrued liabilities [Member] Cash Flow Hedging [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Treasury rate locks [Member] Cash Flow Hedging [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Treasury rate locks [Member] Cash Flow Hedging [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 Treasury rate locks [Member] Cash Flow Hedging [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Principal [Member] Cash Flow Hedging [Member] October 31, 2013 [Member] CAD	Sep. 30, 2013 Interest [Member] Cash Flow Hedging [Member] October 31, 2013 [Member] CAD	Sep. 30, 2013 Electricity commodity derivatives [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Electricity commodity derivatives [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Electricity commodity derivatives [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Electricity commodity derivatives [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Electricity commodity derivatives [Member] MW	Dec. 31, 2013 Electricity commodity derivatives [Member] Forecast [Member] MW
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Number of hedges outstanding						0	0
Notional amount of derivatives					$ 1,000			$ 200			$ 525						370	10
Cash received (paid) for termination of interest rate swaps					76			59
Increase in carrying value of debt instruments from fair value hedge accounting for interest rate swaps						64	79
Maximum term of cash flow hedges									10 years					19 years
Deferred losses, net of taxes, related to cash flow hedges included in accumulated other comprehensive income									35	39					7	7
Deferred losses scheduled to be reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive into interest expense over next 12 months, pre-tax									7					1
Ineffectiveness recognized upon termination of forward starting swaps				The ineffectiveness recognized upon termination of these hedges was immaterial.
Senior notes	6,292	6,305	350
Interest rate of senior notes			5.00%
Fair value of forward-starting swaps (interest rate derivatives)	$ 31	$ 42										$ 42	$ 31
Merchant electricity sales hedged or expected to be hedged																							628,800	1,750,000
Percentage of merchant electricity sales hedged																			57.00%	16.00%	55.00%	21.00%	20.00%
Expected percentage of merchant electricity sales hedged																								56.00%

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Impact of Periodic Settlements of Active Swap Agreements and Impact of Terminated Swap Agreements on Results of Operations (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Periodic settlements of active swap agreements				$ 7
Terminated swap agreements	5	7	15	16
Total	$ 5	$ 7	$ 15	$ 23

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Impact of Periodic Settlements of Active Swap Agreements and Impact of Terminated Swap Agreements on Results of Operations (Parenthetical) (Detail) (USD $) In Billions, unless otherwise specified	Apr. 30, 2012
Derivative Instruments And Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Notional amount of interest rate swaps	$ 1

Income Taxes - Additional information (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2013 Forecast [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Investment in Refined Coal Facility [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Investment in Refined Coal Facility [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Investment in Refined Coal Facility [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Investment in Refined Coal Facility [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Low-Income Housing Properties [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Low-Income Housing Properties [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Low-Income Housing Properties [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Low-Income Housing Properties [Member]
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Effective tax rate	34.30%	36.10%	33.60%	34.50%
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities	$ (3)	$ (17)	$ (19)	$ (35)		$ (1)	$ (1)	$ (4)	$ (2)	$ (6)	$ (6)	$ (18)	$ (18)
Provision for income taxes						(5)	(6)	(14)	(14)	(11)	(11)	(28)	(27)
Interest expense	119	123	363	366						2	2	5	5
Tax credits from equity method investment										$ 8	$ 8	$ 19	$ 18
Percentage of qualifying capital expenditures on property depreciated immediately					50.00%

Earnings Per Share - Common Share Data Used for Computing Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Detail) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Number of common shares outstanding at end of period	469.2	463.9	469.2	463.9
Effect of using weighted average common shares outstanding	0.1	0.2	(1.5)	(0.6)
Weighted average basic common shares outstanding	469.3	464.1	467.7	463.3
Dilutive effect of equity-based compensation awards and other contingently issuable shares	1.9	0.8	1.5	0.9
Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding	471.2	464.9	469.2	464.2
Potentially issuable shares	12.9	16.5	12.9	16.5
Number of anti-dilutive potentially issuable shares excluded from diluted common shares outstanding	0.5	9.3	0.5	9.7

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional information (Detail) (USD $)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013 site Landfill Homeowners
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Term of Guarantees of financial obligations	Guarantees of unconsolidated entities' financial obligations maturing through 2020
Maximum potential future payments regarding guarantees of unconsolidated entities financial obligations	$ 10,000,000
Approximate number of homeowners' properties adjacent to or near certain of our landfills with agreements guaranteeing market value	850
Number of landfills adjacent to or near homeowners' properties with agreements guaranteeing market value	21
High end estimate of reasonably possible additional losses associated with environmental remediation liabilities	190,000,000
Environmental remediation liability	236,000,000
Number of sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP	78
Number of owned sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP	15
Number of non-owned sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP	63
Dollar threshold for environmental matters requiring disclosure under item 103 of the SEC's Regulation S-K	100,000
Approximate percentage of workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements	20.00%
Estimate of possible loss	$ 40,000,000
2012 Audit [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of months expected for IRS audit(s) to be completed	6 months
2013 Audit [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of months expected for IRS audit(s) to be completed	18 months

Segment and Related Information - Reportable Segments (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	$ 3,621	$ 3,461	$ 10,483	$ 10,215
Income from operations	577	500	1,489	1,367
Solid Waste: Tier 1 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	758	716	2,215	2,145
Income from operations	224	213	652	641
Solid Waste: Tier 2 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	1,359	1,306	3,928	3,893
Income from operations	347	328	970	946
Solid Waste: Tier 3 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	783	725	2,213	2,142
Income from operations	148	126	388	370
Wheelabrator [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	185	188	551	539
Income from operations	39	46	52	68
Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	536	526	1,576	1,496
Income from operations	(31)	(68)	(99)	(167)
Operating Group Total [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	3,621	3,461	10,483	10,215
Income from operations	727	645	1,963	1,858
Corporate and Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Income from operations	(150)	(145)	(474)	(491)
Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	4,283	4,083	12,379	11,948
Operating Segments [Member] \| Solid Waste: Tier 1 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	898	854	2,632	2,531
Operating Segments [Member] \| Solid Waste: Tier 2 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	1,670	1,596	4,827	4,698
Operating Segments [Member] \| Solid Waste: Tier 3 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	940	862	2,637	2,523
Operating Segments [Member] \| Wheelabrator [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	214	218	634	631
Operating Segments [Member] \| Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	561	553	1,649	1,565
Operating Segments [Member] \| Operating Group Total [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	4,283	4,083	12,379	11,948
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(662)	(622)	(1,896)	(1,733)
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member] \| Solid Waste: Tier 1 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(140)	(138)	(417)	(386)
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member] \| Solid Waste: Tier 2 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(311)	(290)	(899)	(805)
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member] \| Solid Waste: Tier 3 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(157)	(137)	(424)	(381)
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member] \| Wheelabrator [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(29)	(30)	(83)	(92)
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member] \| Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(25)	(27)	(73)	(69)
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member] \| Operating Group Total [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	$ (662)	$ (622)	$ (1,896)	$ (1,733)

Acquisitions - Additional Information (Detail) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended			1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended	1 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013 USD ($) Operations	Sep. 30, 2012 USD ($) Operations	Sep. 30, 2012 Oil and Gas Properties [Member] USD ($)	Jan. 31, 2013 Greenstar LLC [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Greenstar LLC [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Greenstar LLC [Member] USD ($)	Jul. 05, 2013 RCI Environnement Inc [Member] USD ($)	Jul. 05, 2013 RCI Environnement Inc [Member] CAD	Sep. 30, 2013 RCI Environnement Inc [Member] USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Acquisition cost of acquired entity	$ 698	$ 178		$ 170			$ 481	509
Additional consideration payable				40
Estimated fair value of liability for additional cash payments related to acquisitions				36
Revenue recognized since the acquisition date					39	104			45
Income (Loss) recognized since the acquisition date					(2)	(9)			7
Allocation of purchase price to Goodwill				122					177
Total consideration paid, inclusive of certain adjustment							487	515
Number of collection and energy services operations acquired	10
Acquisitions of interests in oil and gas properties			94
Number of collection and recycling operations acquired		21
Payments to acquire collection and energy services operations	$ 47

Acquisitions - Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Jan. 31, 2013 Greenstar LLC [Member]	Jul. 05, 2013 RCI Environnement Inc [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Accounts and other receivables	$ 30	$ 32
Part and supplies	4
Other current assets	2
Property and equipment	57	118
Goodwill	122	177
Other intangible assets	32	169
Accounts payable	(17)
Accrued liabilities	(12)
Deferred revenues		(4)
Landfill and environmental remediation liabilities	(2)	(1)
Deferred income taxes, net
Current portion of long-term debt	(4)
Long-term debt, less current portion	(1)	(4)
Other liabilities	(5)
Total purchase price	$ 206	$ 487

Acquisitions - Pro Forma Consolidated Results of Operations (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, except Per Share data, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Operating revenues	$ 3,623	$ 3,548	$ 10,585	$ 10,493
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 291	$ 208	$ 704	$ 584
Basic earnings per common share	$ 0.62	$ 0.45	$ 1.51	$ 1.26
Diluted earnings per common share	$ 0.62	$ 0.45	$ 1.50	$ 1.26

Restructuring - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended				21 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013 Employee Severance [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Employee Severance [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Employee Severance [Member]
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Pre-tax restructuring charges	$ 3	$ 44	$ 13	$ 51
Pre-tax restructuring charges associated with this reorganization related to employee severance and benefit costs					6	46
Employee severance and benefit costs from restructurings beginning in 2012							62
Employee severance and benefit cost payments through the balance sheet date							53
Remaining employee severance payable through our restructuring efforts					$ 6		$ 6
Completion date of restructuring activities							Dec. 31, 2014

Asset Impairments and Unusual Items - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended			3 Months Ended				9 Months Ended	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013 Noncontrolling Interests [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Investment in waste diversion technologies [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Investment in waste diversion technologies [Member] Noncontrolling Interests [Member]	Jun. 30, 2013 Wheelabrator [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Other [Member]	Sep. 30, 2012 Other [Member]	Jun. 30, 2013 Cost-method Investments [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Cost-method Investments [Member] Investment	Sep. 30, 2012 Cost-method Investments [Member] Investment
Income Expense From Divestitures Asset Impairments And Unusual Items [Line Items]
Impairment charges	$ 23		$ 15			$ 12		$ 14	$ 22	$ 33
Consolidated net income	297	223	729	625	26		6
Number of medical waste services facilities impaired										2
Impairment charge from equity method investment				10
Impairment charge relating to decline in value of investment accounted under cost method												11	14
Number of investments impaired that are accounted for under the cost method												2	1
Cost-method Investments, Realized Gain (Loss)											$ 4

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income - Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Before Reclassifications Associated With Cash Flow Derivative Instruments (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income gain (loss) on derivatives before tax	$ (9)	$ (21)	$ 16	$ (41)
Tax (expense) benefit	4	8	(6)	16
Net of tax	(5)	(13)	10	(25)
Interest Rate Swaps [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income gain (loss) on derivatives before tax	(1)	(3)	11	(28)
Foreign currency derivatives[Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income gain (loss) on derivatives before tax	(8)	(15)	11	(14)
Electricity commodity derivatives [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosures [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income gain (loss) on derivatives before tax		$ (3)	$ (6)	$ 1

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income - Reclassification of Component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Interest expense	$ (119)	$ (123)	$ (363)	$ (366)
Other, net	3	14	12	16
Operating revenues	3,621	3,461	10,483	10,215
Total reclassifications for the period, Tax (expense) benefit	155	125	368	329
Total reclassifications for the period, Net of tax			(2)
Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Total reclassifications for the period, before tax	(11)	(16)	(3)	(16)
Total reclassifications for the period, Tax (expense) benefit	4	6	1	6
Total reclassifications for the period, Net of tax	(7)	(10)	(2)	(10)
Interest Rate Swaps [Member] \| Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Interest expense	(2)	(2)	(6)	(2)
Treasury rate locks [Member] \| Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Interest expense		(2)	(1)	(6)
Foreign currency derivatives[Member] \| Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Other, net	(9)	(14)	10	(17)
Electricity commodity derivatives [Member] \| Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Operating revenues		$ 2	$ (6)	$ 9

Fair Value Measurements - Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Assets:
Money market funds	$ 120	$ 127
Fixed-income securities	37	37
Redeemable preferred stock	25	25
Electricity commodity derivatives		1
Total assets	182	190
Liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives	31	42
Foreign currency derivatives		11
Electricity commodity derivatives	3	5
Total liabilities	34	58
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member]
Assets:
Money market funds	120	127
Fixed-income securities
Redeemable preferred stock
Electricity commodity derivatives
Total assets	120	127
Liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives
Foreign currency derivatives
Electricity commodity derivatives
Total liabilities
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member]
Assets:
Money market funds
Fixed-income securities	37	37
Redeemable preferred stock
Electricity commodity derivatives		1
Total assets	37	38
Liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives	31	42
Foreign currency derivatives		11
Electricity commodity derivatives	3	5
Total liabilities	34	58
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]
Assets:
Money market funds
Fixed-income securities
Redeemable preferred stock	25	25
Electricity commodity derivatives
Total assets	25	25
Liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives
Foreign currency derivatives
Electricity commodity derivatives
Total liabilities

Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $)	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Carrying value of debt	$ 10,059,000,000	$ 9,916,000,000
Estimated fair value of debt	$ 10,700,000,000	$ 11,300,000,000

Variable Interest Entities - Additional Information (Detail) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended			1 Months Ended					1 Months Ended			1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Jun. 30, 2000	Sep. 30, 2013 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2012 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Jun. 30, 2000 Limited Liability Company II [Member]	Jun. 30, 2000 Limited Liability Company [Member]	Jun. 30, 2000 Limited Liability Company [Member] Limited Liability Company II [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Limited Liability Company [Member] Limited Liability Company II [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Limited Liability Company [Member] Limited Liability Company II [Member] USD ($)	Apr. 30, 2010 Low-Income Housing Properties [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Low-Income Housing Properties [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Low-Income Housing Properties [Member] USD ($)	Jan. 01, 2011 Investment in Refined Coal Facility [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Investment in Refined Coal Facility [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2012 Investment in Refined Coal Facility [Member] USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2012 Investment in Recycling and Waste-to-Energy [Member]	Sep. 30, 2013 Investment in Recycling and Waste-to-Energy [Member] USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2013 Investment in Recycling and Waste-to-Energy [Member] GBP (£)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Percentage of ownership in LLC's							0.25%	0.50%										50.00%
Percentage of variable interest entities owned by other companies							99.75%	99.50%
Total initial investment by other companies									$ 167
Under the LLC agreements, the LLC shall be dissolved upon the occurrence of any of the following events	(i) a written decision of all members of the LLCs; (ii) December 31, 2063; (iii) a court's dissolution of the LLCs; or (iv) the LLCs ceasing to own any interest in the waste-to-energy facilities.
Reporting entity percentage of interest in earnings of variable interest entity after achieving targeted returns									80.00%
Other companies percentage of interest in earnings of variable interest entity after achieving targeted returns									20.00%
Net property and equipment										287	296
Noncontrolling Interest		307		307		321				247	245
Expense recognized for other companies' noncontrolling interests in LLCs earnings		10	9	32	34
Expected cost to construct Waste-to-Energy LLC facility																			324	200
Total commitment																			92	57
Note receivables balance from the LLC																			17	10
Investment balance													135	153		27	19		1
Cash payments to acquire equity method investment												6			48
Consideration for investment												221
Value of notes payable included in consideration for investment												215
Equity method investments debt balance													134	152
Variable interest entities primary beneficiary trust fair value assets		126		126		125
Carrying value of restricted trust funds and escrow accounts for which company is not the sole beneficiary specifically for future settlement of landfill and environmental remediation liabilities		$ 110		$ 110		$ 110

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	Sep. 30, 2013	Dec. 31, 2012	Sep. 30, 2012	Dec. 31, 2011
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 157	$ 194	$ 398	$ 258
Other current assets	2,260	2,229
Total current assets	2,417	2,423
Property and equipment, net	12,621	12,651
Investments in and advances to affiliates
Other assets	8,575	8,023
Total assets	23,613	23,097
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	568	743
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	2,294	2,293
Total current liabilities	2,862	3,036
Long-term debt, less current portion	9,491	9,173
Other liabilities	4,245	4,213
Total liabilities	16,598	16,422
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	6,708	6,354
Noncontrolling interests	307	321
Total equity	7,015	6,675
Total liabilities and equity	23,613	23,097
WM [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents		60	270	119
Other current assets
Total current assets		60
Property and equipment, net
Investments in and advances to affiliates	12,802	12,686
Other assets	44	45
Total assets	12,846	12,791
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	275	400
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	94	77
Total current liabilities	369	477
Long-term debt, less current portion	5,769	5,918
Other liabilities		42
Total liabilities	6,138	6,437
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	6,708	6,354
Noncontrolling interests
Total equity	6,708	6,354
Total liabilities and equity	12,846	12,791
WM Holdings [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
Other current assets	6	7
Total current assets	6	7
Property and equipment, net
Investments in and advances to affiliates	16,790	16,697
Other assets	12	12
Total assets	16,808	16,716
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	5	13
Total current liabilities	5	13
Long-term debt, less current portion	449	449
Other liabilities
Total liabilities	454	462
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	16,354	16,254
Noncontrolling interests
Total equity	16,354	16,254
Total liabilities and equity	16,808	16,716
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	157	134	128	139
Other current assets	2,254	2,222
Total current assets	2,411	2,356
Property and equipment, net	12,621	12,651
Investments in and advances to affiliates	4,174	3,437
Other assets	8,519	7,966
Total assets	27,725	26,410
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	293	343
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	2,195	2,203
Total current liabilities	2,488	2,546
Long-term debt, less current portion	3,273	2,806
Other liabilities	4,245	4,171
Total liabilities	10,006	9,523
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	17,412	16,566
Noncontrolling interests	307	321
Total equity	17,719	16,887
Total liabilities and equity	27,725	26,410
Eliminations [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
Other current assets
Total current assets
Property and equipment, net
Investments in and advances to affiliates	(33,766)	(32,820)
Other assets
Total assets	(33,766)	(32,820)
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt
Accounts payable and other current liabilities
Total current liabilities
Long-term debt, less current portion
Other liabilities
Total liabilities
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	(33,766)	(32,820)
Noncontrolling interests
Total equity	(33,766)	(32,820)
Total liabilities and equity	$ (33,766)	$ (32,820)

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Operating revenues	$ 3,621	$ 3,461	$ 10,483	$ 10,215
Costs and expenses	3,044	2,961	8,994	8,848
Income from operations	577	500	1,489	1,367
Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)	(119)	(121)	(361)	(362)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes
Other, net	(6)	(31)	(31)	(51)
Total other income (expense)	(125)	(152)	(392)	(413)
Income before income taxes	452	348	1,097	954
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	155	125	368	329
Consolidated net income	297	223	729	625
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	6	9	26	32
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc	291	214	703	593
WM [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Operating revenues
Costs and expenses
Income from operations
Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)	(88)	(91)	(268)	(267)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	344	269	865	755
Other, net
Total other income (expense)	256	178	597	488
Income before income taxes	256	178	597	488
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	(35)	(36)	(106)	(105)
Consolidated net income	291	214	703	593
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc	291	214	703	593
WM Holdings [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Operating revenues
Costs and expenses			1
Income from operations			(1)
Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)	(8)	(8)	(24)	(24)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	349	274	881	770
Other, net
Total other income (expense)	341	266	857	746
Income before income taxes	341	266	856	746
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	(3)	(3)	(9)	(9)
Consolidated net income	344	269	865	755
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc	344	269	865	755
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Operating revenues	3,621	3,461	10,483	10,215
Costs and expenses	3,044	2,961	8,993	8,848
Income from operations	577	500	1,490	1,367
Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)	(23)	(22)	(69)	(71)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes
Other, net	(6)	(31)	(31)	(51)
Total other income (expense)	(29)	(53)	(100)	(122)
Income before income taxes	548	447	1,390	1,245
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	193	164	483	443
Consolidated net income	355	283	907	802
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	6	9	26	32
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc	349	274	881	770
Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Operating revenues
Costs and expenses
Income from operations
Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	(693)	(543)	(1,746)	(1,525)
Other, net
Total other income (expense)	(693)	(543)	(1,746)	(1,525)
Income before income taxes	(693)	(543)	(1,746)	(1,525)
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes
Consolidated net income	(693)	(543)	(1,746)	(1,525)
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc	$ (693)	$ (543)	$ (1,746)	$ (1,525)

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Statements of Comprehensive Income (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	$ 332	$ 260	$ 705	$ 653
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	6	9	26	32
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	326	251	679	621
WM [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	292	215	714	581
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	292	215	714	581
WM Holdings [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	344	269	865	755
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	344	269	865	755
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	389	319	872	842
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	6	9	26	32
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	383	310	846	810
Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	(693)	(543)	(1,746)	(1,525)
Less: Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ (693)	$ (543)	$ (1,746)	$ (1,525)

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2012
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$ 729	$ 625
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes
Other adjustments	1,129	1,093
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	1,858	1,718
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired	(698)	(178)
Capital expenditures	(824)	(1,132)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets	113	28
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net	(23)	(79)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(1,432)	(1,361)
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings	1,218	685
Debt repayments	(1,244)	(473)
Cash dividends	(512)	(493)
Exercise of common stock options	116	39
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other	(37)	23
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(459)	(219)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(4)	2
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(37)	140
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	194	258
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	157	398
WM [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	703	593
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	(865)	(755)
Other adjustments	(19)	75
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	(181)	(87)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired
Capital expenditures
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings	200	645
Debt repayments	(460)	(335)
Cash dividends	(512)	(493)
Exercise of common stock options	116	39
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other	12	14
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net	765	368
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	121	238
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(60)	151
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	60	119
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period		270
WM Holdings [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	865	755
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	(881)	(770)
Other adjustments	(8)	(8)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	(24)	(23)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired
Capital expenditures
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings
Debt repayments
Cash dividends
Exercise of common stock options
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net	24	23
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	24	23
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	907	802
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes
Other adjustments	1,156	1,026
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities	2,063	1,828
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired	(698)	(178)
Capital expenditures	(824)	(1,132)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets	113	28
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net	(23)	(79)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities	(1,432)	(1,361)
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings	1,018	40
Debt repayments	(784)	(138)
Cash dividends
Exercise of common stock options
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other	(49)	9
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net	(789)	(391)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(604)	(480)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	(4)	2
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	23	(11)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	134	139
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	157	128
Eliminations [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	(1,746)	(1,525)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	1,746	1,525
Other adjustments
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired
Capital expenditures
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings
Debt repayments
Cash dividends
Exercise of common stock options
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

Basis of Presentation - Additional Information (Detail)	9 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation - Additional Information (Detail)	Sep. 30, 2013 Areas
Organization Consolidation And Presentation Of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Number of Geographical areas	17

Acquisitions - Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation of Other Intangible Assets (Detail) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2013
Greenstar LLC [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization	$ 32
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted average amortization period	10 years
Greenstar LLC [Member] \| Customer Relationships [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted average amortization period
Greenstar LLC [Member] \| Supplier Relationships [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization	31
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted average amortization period	10 years
Greenstar LLC [Member] \| Lease Agreements [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization	1
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted average amortization period	8 years 4 months 24 days
Greenstar LLC [Member] \| Trade Names [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted average amortization period
RCI Environnement Inc [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization	169
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted average amortization period	14 years 7 months 6 days
RCI Environnement Inc [Member] \| Customer Relationships [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization	162
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted average amortization period	15 years
RCI Environnement Inc [Member] \| Supplier Relationships [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted average amortization period
RCI Environnement Inc [Member] \| Lease Agreements [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted average amortization period
RCI Environnement Inc [Member] \| Trade Names [Member]
Acquired Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization	$ 7
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted average amortization period	5 years