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Document and Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Billions	9 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - USD ($) $ in Billions	Sep. 30, 2011	Oct. 21, 2011	Jun. 30, 2010
Document and Entity Information [Abstract]
Entity Registrant Name	WASTE MANAGEMENT INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000823768
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2011
Amendment Flag	false
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2011
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Well-known Seasoned Issuer	Yes
Entity Voluntary Filers	No
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Public Float			$ 15.0
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		460,330,016

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 282	$ 539
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $31 and $26, respectively	1,686	1,510
Other receivables	113	146
Parts and supplies	142	130
Deferred income taxes	43	40
Other assets	153	117
Total current assets	2,419	2,482
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization of $15,107 and $14,690, respectively	11,911	11,868
Goodwill	6,104	5,726
Other intangible assets, net	397	295
Other assets	1,221	1,105
Total assets	22,052	21,476
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	676	692
Accrued liabilities	1,153	1,100
Deferred revenues	473	460
Current portion of long-term debt	225	233
Total current liabilities	2,527	2,485
Long-term debt, less current portion	9,388	8,674
Deferred income taxes	1,695	1,662
Landfill and environmental remediation liabilities	1,447	1,402
Other liabilities	710	662
Total liabilities	$ 15,767	$ 14,885
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	4,553	4,528
Retained earnings	6,613	6,400
Accumulated other comprehensive income	144	230
Treasury stock at cost, 169,078,749 and 155,235,711 shares, respectively	(5,368)	(4,904)
Total Waste Management, Inc. stockholders' equity	5,948	6,260
Noncontrolling interests	337	331
Total equity	6,285	6,591
Total liabilities and equity	$ 22,052	$ 21,476

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010
Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations [Abstract]
Operating revenues	$ 3,522	$ 3,235	$ 9,972	$ 9,328
Costs and expenses:
Operating	2,261	2,006	6,396	5,883
Selling, general and administrative	380	369	1,144	1,065
Depreciation and amortization	317	317	935	917
Restructuring	15	0	15	(1)
(Income) expense from divestitures, asset impairments and unusual items	6	(1)	6	(78)
Total costs and expenses	2,979	2,691	8,496	7,786
Income from operations	543	544	1,476	1,542
Other income (expense):
Interest expense	(118)	(126)	(358)	(354)
Interest income	1	1	6	3
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities	(7)	(8)	(20)	(16)
Other, net	2	0	4	2
Total other income (expense)	(122)	(133)	(368)	(365)
Income before income taxes	421	411	1,108	1,177
Provision for income taxes	136	153	377	469
Consolidated net income	285	258	731	708
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	13	14	36	36
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 272	$ 244	$ 695	$ 672
Basic earnings per common share	$ 0.58	$ 0.51	$ 1.47	$ 1.40
Diluted earnings per common share	0.58	0.51	1.46	1.39
Cash dividends declared per common share	$ 0.34	$ 0.315	$ 1.02	$ 0.945

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$ 731	$ 708
Adjustments to reconcile consolidated net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	935	917
Deferred income tax provision	48	95
Interest accretion on landfill liabilities	62	61
Interest accretion on and discount rate adjustments to environmental remediation liabilities and recovery assets	21	17
Provision for bad debts	29	29
Equity-based compensation expense	38	28
Net gain on disposal of assets	(13)	(16)
Excess tax benefits associated with equity-based transactions	(7)	(4)
Effect of (income) expense from divestitures, asset impairments and unusual items	6	(1)
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities, net of dividends	20	14
Change in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions and divestitures:
Receivables	(146)	(159)
Other current assets	(25)	38
Other assets	35	(4)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	96	(62)
Deferred revenues and other liabilities	(93)	(8)
Net cash provided by operating activities	1,737	1,653
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired	(645)	(343)
Capital expenditures	(909)	(737)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets	22	36
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts	74	36
Investments in unconsolidated entities	(92)	(162)
Other	15	(5)
Net cash used in investing activities	(1,535)	(1,175)
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings	1,001	775
Debt repayments	(425)	(932)
Common stock repurchases	(528)	(443)
Cash dividends	(481)	(454)
Exercise of common stock options	40	28
Excess tax benefits associated with equity-based transactions	7	4
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests	(30)	(30)
Other	(43)	(17)
Net cash used in financing activities	(459)	(1,069)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	1
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents	(257)	(590)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	539	1,140
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 282	$ 550

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity (Unaudited) - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2011
Statement [Line Items]
Beginning Balance		$ 6,591
Comprehensive Income:
Consolidated net income	$ 285	731
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes:
Unrealized losses resulting from changes in fair value of derivative instruments, net of taxes of $16	(12)	(25)
Realized gains on derivative instruments reclassified into earnings, net of taxes of $6	(18)	(9)
Unrealized losses on marketable securities, net of taxes of $3	(3)	(4)
Foreign currency translation adjustments	(82)	(46)
Change in funded status of post-retirement benefit obligations, net of taxes of $1	0	(2)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	(115)	(86)
Comprehensive income	170	645
Cash dividends declared		(481)
Equity-based compensation transactions, including dividend equivalents, net of taxes		106
Common stock repurchases		(546)
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests		(30)
Other		0
Ending Balance	6,285	6,285
Comprehensive Income
Statement [Line Items]
Beginning Balance		0
Comprehensive Income:
Consolidated net income		731
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes:
Unrealized losses resulting from changes in fair value of derivative instruments, net of taxes of $16		(25)
Realized gains on derivative instruments reclassified into earnings, net of taxes of $6		(9)
Unrealized losses on marketable securities, net of taxes of $3		(4)
Foreign currency translation adjustments		(46)
Change in funded status of post-retirement benefit obligations, net of taxes of $1		(2)
Other comprehensive income (loss)		(86)
Comprehensive income		645
Ending Balance	0	0
Common Stock
Statement [Line Items]
Beginning Balance		$ 6
Beginning Balance, shares		630,282
Comprehensive Income:
Consolidated net income		$ 0
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes:
Unrealized losses resulting from changes in fair value of derivative instruments, net of taxes of $16		0
Realized gains on derivative instruments reclassified into earnings, net of taxes of $6		0
Unrealized losses on marketable securities, net of taxes of $3		0
Foreign currency translation adjustments		0
Change in funded status of post-retirement benefit obligations, net of taxes of $1		0
Other comprehensive income (loss)		0
Comprehensive income		0
Cash dividends declared		0
Equity-based compensation transactions, including dividend equivalents, net of taxes		$ 0
Equity-based compensation transactions, including dividend equivalents, net of taxes, shares		0
Common stock repurchases		$ 0
Common stock repurchases, shares		0
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests		$ 0
Other		$ 0
Other, shares		0
Ending Balance	$ 6	$ 6
Ending Balance, shares	630,282	630,282
Additional Paid-In Capital
Statement [Line Items]
Beginning Balance		$ 4,528
Comprehensive Income:
Consolidated net income		0
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes:
Unrealized losses resulting from changes in fair value of derivative instruments, net of taxes of $16		0
Realized gains on derivative instruments reclassified into earnings, net of taxes of $6		0
Unrealized losses on marketable securities, net of taxes of $3		0
Foreign currency translation adjustments		0
Change in funded status of post-retirement benefit obligations, net of taxes of $1		0
Other comprehensive income (loss)		0
Comprehensive income		0
Cash dividends declared		0
Equity-based compensation transactions, including dividend equivalents, net of taxes		25
Common stock repurchases		0
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests		0
Other		0
Ending Balance	$ 4,553	4,553
Retained Earnings
Statement [Line Items]
Beginning Balance		6,400
Comprehensive Income:
Consolidated net income		695
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes:
Unrealized losses resulting from changes in fair value of derivative instruments, net of taxes of $16		0
Realized gains on derivative instruments reclassified into earnings, net of taxes of $6		0
Unrealized losses on marketable securities, net of taxes of $3		0
Foreign currency translation adjustments		0
Change in funded status of post-retirement benefit obligations, net of taxes of $1		0
Other comprehensive income (loss)		0
Comprehensive income		0
Cash dividends declared		(481)
Equity-based compensation transactions, including dividend equivalents, net of taxes		(1)
Common stock repurchases		0
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests		0
Other		0
Ending Balance	6,613	6,613
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Statement [Line Items]
Beginning Balance		230
Comprehensive Income:
Consolidated net income		0
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes:
Unrealized losses resulting from changes in fair value of derivative instruments, net of taxes of $16		(25)
Realized gains on derivative instruments reclassified into earnings, net of taxes of $6		(9)
Unrealized losses on marketable securities, net of taxes of $3		(4)
Foreign currency translation adjustments		(46)
Change in funded status of post-retirement benefit obligations, net of taxes of $1		(2)
Other comprehensive income (loss)		0
Comprehensive income		0
Cash dividends declared		0
Equity-based compensation transactions, including dividend equivalents, net of taxes		0
Common stock repurchases		0
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests		0
Other		0
Ending Balance	144	144
Treasury Stock
Statement [Line Items]
Beginning Balance		$ (4,904)
Beginning Balance, shares		(155,236)
Comprehensive Income:
Consolidated net income		$ 0
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes:
Unrealized losses resulting from changes in fair value of derivative instruments, net of taxes of $16		0
Realized gains on derivative instruments reclassified into earnings, net of taxes of $6		0
Unrealized losses on marketable securities, net of taxes of $3		0
Foreign currency translation adjustments		0
Change in funded status of post-retirement benefit obligations, net of taxes of $1		0
Other comprehensive income (loss)		0
Comprehensive income		0
Cash dividends declared		0
Equity-based compensation transactions, including dividend equivalents, net of taxes		$ 82
Equity-based compensation transactions, including dividend equivalents, net of taxes, shares		2,572
Common stock repurchases		$ (546)
Common stock repurchases, shares		(16,424)
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests		$ 0
Other		$ 0
Other, shares		9
Ending Balance	$ (5,368)	$ (5,368)
Ending Balance, shares	(169,079)	(169,079)
Noncontrolling Interests
Statement [Line Items]
Beginning Balance		$ 331
Comprehensive Income:
Consolidated net income		36
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes:
Unrealized losses resulting from changes in fair value of derivative instruments, net of taxes of $16		0
Realized gains on derivative instruments reclassified into earnings, net of taxes of $6		0
Unrealized losses on marketable securities, net of taxes of $3		0
Foreign currency translation adjustments		0
Change in funded status of post-retirement benefit obligations, net of taxes of $1		0
Other comprehensive income (loss)		0
Comprehensive income		0
Cash dividends declared		0
Equity-based compensation transactions, including dividend equivalents, net of taxes		0
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests		(30)
Other		0
Ending Balance	$ 337	$ 337

Basis of Presentation

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Basis of Presentation [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 beneficiary. 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 manage and evaluate our principal operations through five Groups. Our four geographic operating Groups, which are comprised of our Eastern, Midwest, Southern and Western Groups, provide collection, transfer, disposal (in both solid waste and hazardous waste landfills) and recycling services. Our fifth Group is the Wheelabrator Group, which 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 five Groups, including the operations of Oakleaf Global Holdings (“Oakleaf”) acquired on July 28, 2011, which are presented in this report as “Other.” Additional information related to our segments and to our acquisition of Oakleaf can be found in Note 9 and in Note 10, respectively.

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010 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, and cash flows 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, 2010.

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 a high degree of precision from data available or simply cannot be readily calculated based on generally accepted methods. In some cases, these estimates are particularly 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 Pronouncements

Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements — In October 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) amended authoritative guidance associated with multiple-deliverable revenue arrangements. This amended guidance addresses the determination of when individual deliverables within an arrangement are required to be treated as separate units of accounting and modifies the manner in which consideration is allocated across the separately identifiable deliverables. The amendments to authoritative guidance associated with multiple-deliverable revenue arrangements became effective for the Company on January 1, 2011. The new accounting standard has been applied prospectively to arrangements entered into or materially modified after the date of adoption. The adoption of this guidance has not had a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. However, our adoption of this guidance may significantly impact our accounting and reporting for future revenue arrangements to the extent they are material.

Reclassifications

Certain 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, 2011

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities [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, 2011						December 31, 2010
			Environmental						Environmental
	Landfill		Remediation		Total		Landfill		Remediation		Total

Current (in accrued liabilities)	$	105	$	45	$	150	$	105	$	43	$	148
Long-term		1,207		240		1,447		1,161		241		1,402

	$	1,312	$	285	$	1,597	$	1,266	$	284	$	1,550

The changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities for the year ended December 31, 2010 and the nine months ended September 30, 2011 are reflected in the table below (in millions):


				Environmental
	Landfill			Remediation

December 31, 2009	$	1,267		$	256
Obligations incurred and capitalized		47			—
Obligations settled		(86	)		(36	)
Interest accretion		82			5
Revisions in cost estimates and interest rate assumptions		(49	)		61
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments		5			(2	)

December 31, 2010		1,266			284
Obligations incurred and capitalized		36			—
Obligations settled		(56	)		(25	)
Interest accretion		62			5
Revisions in cost estimates and interest rate assumptions(a)		4			22
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments		—			(1	)

September 30, 2011	$	1,312		$	285


(a)		The revisions in estimates and interest rate assumptions associated with our environmental remediation liabilities were primarily related to the impact of changes in the risk-free discount rate used to measure the liabilities. As of December 31, 2010, we used a risk-free discount rate for these obligations of 3.5%. The applicable rate decreased to 2.0% effective September 30, 2011. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, this change in the risk-free discount rate resulted in an increase of $25 million to our environmental remediation liabilities and a corresponding increase to “Operating” expenses. This charge was partially offset by a $9 million favorable revision to an environmental remediation liability at a closed site based on the estimated cost of the remediation alternative selected by the EPA.

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 and we are the sole beneficiary of the 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.

The fair value of trust funds and escrow accounts for which we are the sole beneficiary was $121 million at September 30, 2011 and is included in long-term “Other assets” in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. Our portion of the trusts that have been established for the benefit of both the Company and the host community in which we operate had an aggregate carrying value of $108 million at September 30, 2011 and are recorded in “Other receivables” and as long-term “Other assets” in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. See Note 14 for additional information related to these trusts.

Debt

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Debt [Abstract]

Debt


3.	Debt

The following table summarizes the major components of debt at each balance sheet date (in millions) and provides the maturities and interest rate ranges of each major category as of September 30, 2011:


	September 30,		December 31,
	2011		2010

Revolving credit facility	$	—	$	—
Letter of credit facilities		—		—
Canadian credit facility (weighted average effective interest rate of 2.3% at September 30, 2011 and 2.2% at December 31, 2010)		133		212
Senior notes and debentures, maturing through 2039, interest rates ranging from 2.60% to 7.75% (weighted average interest rate of 6.0% at September 30, 2011 and 6.5% at December 31, 2010)		6,233		5,452
Tax-exempt bonds, maturing through 2041, fixed and variable interest rates ranging from 0.2% to 7.4% (weighted average interest rate of 3.0% at September 30, 2011 and 3.1% at December 31, 2010)		2,751		2,696
Tax-exempt project bonds, maturing through 2029, fixed and variable interest rates ranging from 0.2% to 3.4% (weighted average interest rate of 1.4% at September 30, 2011 and 2.5% at December 31, 2010)		86		116
Capital leases and other, maturing through 2050, interest rates up to 12%		410		431

		9,613		8,907
Current portion of long-term debt		225		233

	$	9,388	$	8,674

Debt Classification

As of September 30, 2011, we had $348 million of debt maturing within the next twelve months, including U.S. $133 million under our Canadian credit facility. We have classified $123 million of these borrowings as long-term as of September 30, 2011 based on our intent and ability to refinance these borrowings on a long-term basis.

Debt Borrowings and Repayments

The significant changes in our debt balances from December 31, 2010 to September 30, 2011 are related to the following:

Canadian credit facility — The decrease in the carrying value is primarily due to $77 million of debt repayments during the nine months ended September 30, 2011.

Senior notes — In February 2011, we issued $400 million of 4.60% senior notes due March 2021. The net proceeds from the debt issuance were $396 million. We used a portion of the proceeds to repay $147 million of 7.65% senior notes that matured in March 2011. In August 2011, we issued $500 million of 2.60% senior notes due September 2016. The net proceeds from the debt issuance were $497 million. A portion of the proceeds was used to repay the $100 million borrowing under our $2.0 billion revolving credit facility incurred in connection with our acquisition of Oakleaf, which is discussed below.

Tax-exempt bonds — We issued $80 million of tax-exempt bonds during the nine months ended September 30, 2011. 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. Accordingly, the restricted funds provided by these financing activities have not been included in “New borrowings” in our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. During the nine months ended September 30, 2011, we repaid $25 million of our tax-exempt bonds with available cash.

Tax-exempt project bonds — We repaid $30 million of tax-exempt project bonds with available cash during the nine months ended September 30, 2011.

Capital leases and other — The decrease in our capital leases and other debt obligations is primarily due to the repayment of various borrowings upon their scheduled maturities.

Revolving Credit and Letter of Credit Facilities

As of September 30, 2011, we had an aggregate committed capacity of $2.5 billion for letters of credit under various credit facilities. In May 2011, we amended and restated our $2.0 billion revolving credit facility as a result of changes in market conditions, which significantly reduced the cost of the facility. We also extended the term through May 2016. Our revolving credit facility is our primary source of letter of credit capacity. Our remaining letter of credit capacity is provided under facilities with terms that extend from June 2013 to June 2015. As of September 30, 2011, we had an aggregate of $1.5 billion of letters of credit outstanding under various credit facilities. Approximately $1.0 billion of these letters of credit have been issued under our revolving credit facility. During the third quarter of 2011, we borrowed $100 million under our revolving credit facility in connection with our acquisition of Oakleaf. These borrowings were repaid with proceeds from our August 2011 issuance of senior notes. See Note 10 for additional information related to this acquisition. There were no outstanding borrowings under these credit facilities as of September 30, 2011.

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities [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):


		September 30,		December 31,
Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments	Balance Sheet Location	2011		2010

Interest rate contracts	Current other assets	$	—	$	1
Electricity commodity contracts	Current other assets		1		—
Interest rate contracts	Long-term other assets		75		37
Foreign exchange contracts	Long-term other assets		8		—

Total derivative assets		$	84	$	38

Interest rate contracts	Current accrued liabilities	$	—	$	11
Electricity commodity contracts	Current accrued liabilities		1		1
Interest rate contracts	Long-term accrued liabilities		68		13
Foreign exchange contracts	Long-term accrued liabilities		—		3

Total derivative liabilities		$	69	$	28

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

Interest Rate Derivatives

Interest Rate Swaps

We use interest rate swaps to maintain a portion of our debt obligations at variable market interest rates. As of September 30, 2011, we had approximately $6.1 billion in fixed-rate senior notes outstanding compared with $5.4 billion as of December 31, 2010. As of September 30, 2011, the interest payments on $1 billion, or 16%, of these senior notes have been swapped to variable interest rates to protect the debt against changes in fair value due to changes in benchmark interest rates, compared with $500 million, or 9%, as of December 31, 2010. The increase in the notional amount of our interest rate swaps from December 31, 2010 to September 30, 2011 was due to the execution of $600 million of interest rate swaps in March 2011 partially offset by the scheduled maturity of $100 million of interest rate swaps in March 2011.

We have designated our interest rate swaps as fair value hedges of our fixed-rate senior notes. Fair value hedge accounting for interest rate swap contracts has increased the carrying value of our debt instruments by $108 million as of September 30, 2011 and $79 million as of December 31, 2010.

Gains or losses on the derivatives as well as the offsetting losses or gains on the hedged items attributable to our interest rate swaps are recognized in current earnings. We include gains and losses on our interest rate swaps as adjustments to interest expense, which is the same financial statement line item where offsetting gains and losses on the related hedged items are recorded. The following table summarizes the fair value adjustments from interest rate swaps and the underlying hedged items on our results of operations (in millions):


Three Months		Statement of Operations	Gain (Loss) on		Gain (Loss) on
Ended September 30,		Classification	Swap		Fixed-Rate Debt

	2011	Interest expense	$	25	$	(25	)
	2010	Interest expense	$	10	$	(10	)


Nine Months		Statement of Operations	Gain (Loss) on		Gain (Loss) on
Ended September 30,		Classification	Swap		Fixed-Rate Debt

	2011	Interest expense	$	37	$	(37	)
	2010	Interest expense	$	24	$	(24	)

We also recognize the impacts of (i) net periodic settlements of current interest on our active interest rate swaps 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				Nine Months
	Ended September 30,				Ended September 30,
Decrease to Interest Expense Due to Hedge Accounting for Interest Rate Swaps	2011		2010		2011		2010

Periodic settlements of active swap agreements(a)	$	7	$	6	$	18	$	24
Terminated swap agreements		2		4		8		15

	$	9	$	10	$	26	$	39


(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 are based on a spread from the three-month LIBOR.

Forward-Starting Interest Rate Swaps

In 2009, 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 first quarter of 2011, $150 million of these forward-starting interest rate swaps were terminated contemporaneously with the actual issuance of senior notes in February 2011, and we paid cash of $9 million to settle the liability related to these swap agreements. The ineffectiveness recognized upon termination of the hedges was immaterial and the related deferred loss continues to be recognized as a component of “Accumulated other comprehensive income.” The deferred loss is being amortized as an increase to interest expense over the ten-year life of the senior notes issued in February 2011 using the effective interest method. The incremental interest expense associated with these forward-starting interest rate swaps was immaterial during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011. As of September 30, 2011, the amount scheduled to be reclassified as an increase to interest expense over the next twelve months is immaterial.

The forward-starting interest rate swaps outstanding as of September 30, 2011 relate to anticipated debt issuances in November 2012 and March 2014. As of September 30, 2011, the fair value of these active interest rate derivatives was comprised of $68 million of long-term liabilities compared with $13 million of long-term liabilities as of December 31, 2010.

We recognized pre-tax and after-tax losses of $46 million and $28 million, respectively, to other comprehensive income for changes in the fair value of our forward-starting interest rate swaps during the three months ended September 30, 2011 and $53 million and $33 million, respectively, during the nine months ended September 30, 2011. We recognized pre-tax and after-tax losses of $22 million and $13 million, respectively, to other comprehensive income for changes in the fair value of our forward-starting interest rate swaps during the three months ended September 30, 2010 and $68 million and $41 million, respectively, during the nine months ended September 30, 2010. There was no significant ineffectiveness associated with these hedges during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 or 2010.

Treasury Rate Locks

In prior years, we used Treasury rate locks to secure underlying interest rates in anticipation of senior note issuances. These cash flow hedging agreements resulted in deferred losses, net of taxes, of $13 million at September 30, 2011 and $16 million at December 31, 2010, which are included in “Accumulated other comprehensive income.” These deferred losses are reclassified as an increase to interest expense over the life of the related senior note issuances, which extend through 2032. Pre-tax and after-tax amounts of $2 million and $1 million, respectively, for the three-month periods ended September 30, 2011 and September 30, 2010, and pre-tax and after-tax amounts of $6 million and $3 million, respectively, for the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2011 and September 30, 2010, were reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income and into interest expense. As of September 30, 2011, $7 million (on a pre-tax basis) is scheduled to be reclassified as an increase to interest expense over the next twelve months.

Credit-Risk-Related Contingent Features

Certain of our interest rate derivative instruments contain provisions related to the Company’s credit rating. 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, 2011, we had not experienced any credit events that would trigger these provisions, nor did we have any derivative instruments with credit-risk-related contingent features that were in a net liability position.

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 Waste Management Holdings, Inc., a wholly-owned subsidiary (“WM Holdings”), and its Canadian subsidiaries. As of September 30, 2011, 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 include C$370 million of principal, which is scheduled for payment on October 31, 2013, and interest payments scheduled as follows: C$10 million on November 30, 2011, C$11 million on November 30, 2012 and C$10 million on October 31, 2013. We designated our foreign currency derivatives as cash flow hedges.

Gains or losses on the underlying hedged items attributable to foreign currency exchange risk are recognized in current earnings. The gains or losses on our foreign currency forward contracts that are reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income are recognized as adjustments to other income and expense, which is the same financial statement line item where offsetting gains or losses on the related hedged items are recorded. The following table summarizes the pre-tax impacts of our foreign currency cash flow derivatives on our comprehensive income and results of operations (in millions):


						Derivative Gain or
		Derivative Gain or				(Loss) Reclassified
		(Loss) Recognized				from AOCI into
Three Months		in OCI			Statement of Operations	Income
Ended September 30,		(Effective Portion)			Classification	(Effective Portion)

	2011	$	25		Other income (expense)	$	33
	2010	$	(12	)	Other income (expense)	$	(12	)


						Derivative Gain or
		Derivative Gain or				(Loss) Reclassified
		(Loss) Recognized				from AOCI into
Nine Months		in OCI			Statement of Operations	Income
Ended September 30,		(Effective Portion)			Classification	(Effective Portion)

	2011	$	11		Other income (expense)	$	21
	2010	$	(7	)	Other income (expense)	$	(7	)

Amounts reported in other comprehensive income and accumulated other comprehensive income are reported net of tax. Adjustments to other comprehensive income for changes in the fair value of our foreign currency cash flow hedges resulted in the recognition of after-tax gains of $15 million and $7 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, respectively, as compared with the recognition of after-tax losses of $7 million and $4 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, respectively. After-tax adjustments for the reclassification of gains from accumulated other comprehensive income into income were $20 million and $13 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011, respectively. After-tax adjustments for the reclassification of losses from accumulated other comprehensive income into income were $7 million and $4 million during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, respectively. There was no significant ineffectiveness associated with these hedges during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 or 2010.

Electricity Commodity Derivatives

As a result of the expiration of certain long-term electricity contracts at our waste-to-energy facilities, we use short-term “receive fixed, pay variable” electricity commodity swaps to mitigate the variability in our revenues and cash flows caused by fluctuations in the market prices for electricity. We hedged 672,360 megawatt hours, or approximately 26%, of our Wheelabrator Group’s full year 2010 merchant electricity sales, and the swaps executed through September 30, 2011 are expected to hedge about 1.6 million megawatt hours, or 49%, of the Group’s full year 2011 merchant electricity sales. For the three-month periods ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, we hedged 46% and 22%, respectively, of our merchant electricity sales. For the nine-month periods ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, we hedged 49% and 24%, respectively, of our merchant electricity sales. There was no significant ineffectiveness associated with these cash flow hedges and all financial statement impacts associated with these derivatives were immaterial for the three and nine-month periods ended September 30, 2011 and 2010.

Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Income Taxes [Abstract]

Income Taxes


5.	Income Taxes

Our effective income tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 was 32.3% and 34.0%, respectively, compared with 37.3% and 39.8% for the comparable prior year periods. We evaluate our effective income tax rate at each interim period and adjust it accordingly as facts and circumstances warrant. The differences between federal income taxes computed at the federal statutory rate and reported income taxes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 were primarily due to the favorable impact of federal tax credits, audit settlements and adjustments to our accruals due to the filing of our 2010 income tax returns offset in part by the unfavorable impact of state and local income taxes. The differences between federal income taxes computed at the federal statutory rate and reported income taxes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010 were primarily due to an increase in our state deferred income taxes to reflect the impact of changes in the estimated income tax rate at which temporary differences would be realized and the unfavorable impact of state and local income taxes, offset in part by the favorable impact of federal tax credits.

Investment in Refined Coal Facility — In January 2011, we acquired a noncontrolling interest in a limited liability company, which was 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. Our initial consideration for this investment consisted of a cash payment of $48 million.

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 Statement of Operations. Losses relating to our investment in this entity were immaterial for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011. Our tax provision for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 was reduced by $4 million and $11 million, respectively, primarily as a result of tax credits realized from this investment. See Note 14 for additional information related to this investment.

Investment in Federal Low-income Housing Tax Credits — 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 Statement 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, 2011, we recognized $5 million and $17 million of losses relating to our equity investment in this entity, $2 million and $6 million of interest expense, and a reduction in our tax provision of $9 million (including $7 million of tax credits) and $27 million (including $18 million of tax credits), respectively. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2010, we recognized $4 million and $12 million of losses associated with our equity investment, $3 million and $4 million of interest expense, and a reduction in our tax provision of $7 million (including $4 million of tax credits) and $18 million (including $12 million of tax credits), respectively.

Recent Legislation — The Tax Relief, Unemployment Insurance Reauthorization, and Job Creation Act, signed into law on December 17, 2010, included an extension of the bonus depreciation allowance through the end of 2012 and increased the amount of qualifying capital expenditures that can be depreciated immediately from 50 percent to 100 percent. The 100 percent depreciation deduction applies to qualifying property placed in service from September 8, 2010 through December 31, 2011. The acceleration of deductions on 2011 capital expenditures resulting from the bonus depreciation provision will have no impact on our effective tax rate. However, the ability to accelerate depreciation deductions is expected to decrease our 2011 cash taxes by approximately $190 million. Taking the accelerated tax depreciation in the current period will result in increased cash taxes in future periods when the accelerated deductions for these capital expenditures would have otherwise been taken.

Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Commitments and Contingencies [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies


8.	Commitments and Contingencies

Financial Instruments — We have obtained letters of credit, performance 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. We obtain surety bonds and insurance policies from an entity in which we have a noncontrolling financial interest. We also obtain insurance from a wholly-owned insurance company, the sole business of which is to issue policies for us. In those instances where our use of financial assurance from entities we own or have financial interests in is not allowed, we have available alternative financial assurance mechanisms.

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 insurance programs. 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 used. We do not expect 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 of, and provided indemnification to, third parties in the ordinary course of business. Guarantee agreements outstanding as of September 30, 2011 include (i) guarantees of unconsolidated entities’ financial obligations maturing through 2020 for maximum future payments of $11 million; and (ii) agreements guaranteeing certain market value losses for approximately 900 homeowners’ properties adjacent to or near 21 of our landfills. Our indemnification obligations generally arise in 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 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. Contingent obligations related to indemnifications arising from our divestitures and contingent consideration provided for by our acquisitions are not expected to be material to our financial position, 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 investigation of the extent of environmental impact and identification of likely site-remediation alternatives. 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 $150 million higher than the $285 million recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of September 30, 2011. 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, 2011, we had been notified that we are a PRP in connection with 79 locations listed on the EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List, or NPL. Of the 79 sites at which claims have been made against us, 17 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 characterize 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 62 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.

Litigation — In April 2002, certain former participants in the ERISA plans of WM Holdings filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia in a case entitled William S. Harris, et al. v. James E. Koenig, et al. The lawsuit attempts to increase the recovery of a class of ERISA plan participants on behalf of the plan based on allegations related to both the events alleged in, and the settlements relating to, the securities class action against WM Holdings that was settled in 1998, the litigation against WM in Texas that was settled in 2002, as well as the decision to offer WM common stock as an investment option within the plan beginning in 1990, despite alleged knowledge by at least two members of the investment committee of financial misstatement by WM during the relevant time period.

During the second quarter of 2010, the Court dismissed certain claims against individual defendants, including all claims against each of the current members of our Board of Directors. Previously, plaintiffs dismissed all claims related to the settlement of the securities class action against WM that was settled in 2002, and the court certified a limited class of participants who may bring claims on behalf of the plan, but not individually. During the third quarter of 2011, the Court ruled in favor of WM and two former employees dismissing all claims brought by the plaintiffs related to the decision to offer WM stock as an investment option within the plan. The Court still has under consideration additional motions that, if granted, would resolve the few remaining claims against WM and its Committees. The outcome of this lawsuit cannot be predicted with certainty. The defendants intend to defend themselves vigorously in this litigation.

Two separate wage and hour lawsuits were commenced in October 2006 and March 2007 against certain of our subsidiaries in California, each seeking class certification. The actions were coordinated to proceed in San Diego County Superior Court. Both lawsuits make the same general allegations that our subsidiaries failed to comply with certain California wage and hour laws, including allegedly failing to provide meal and rest periods and failing to properly pay hourly and overtime wages. We have executed a settlement agreement in connection with this matter. Following hearings held on July 15, 2011 and October 21, 2011, the Court approved the class action settlement and final judgment. The settlement did not have a material effect on our consolidated financial statements.

Additionally, in July 2008, we were named as a defendant in a purported class action in the Circuit Court of Bullock County, Alabama, which was subsequently removed to the United States District Court for the Northern District of Alabama. This suit pertained to our fuel and environmental charge in our customer service agreements and generally alleged that such charges were not properly disclosed, were unfair and were contrary to the contracts. We filed a motion to dismiss that was partially granted during the third quarter of 2010, resulting in dismissal of the plaintiffs’ national class action claims. During the third quarter of 2011, the plaintiffs filed and the Court granted a motion to dismiss the litigation without prejudice.

In October 2011, we were named as a defendant in a purported class action in the Circuit Court of Sarasota County, Florida. This suit was filed by the same law firm that brought the Alabama litigation discussed in the prior paragraph, and it also pertains to our fuel and environmental charges in our customer service agreements, generally alleging that such charges were not properly disclosed, were unfair and were contrary to the contracts. We will vigorously defend this matter. Given the inherent uncertainties of litigation, the ultimate outcome of this case cannot be predicted at this time, nor can possible damages, if any, be reasonably estimated.

We often enter into contractual arrangements 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 arrangements is inherently subject to subjective determinations and may result in disputes, including litigation. In May 2008, Mnoian Management, Inc. filed suit in Los Angeles County Superior Court seeking remediation and increased compaction of a site we had previously leased for landfill purposes. The parties have completed a binding arbitration and are awaiting the arbitrator’s decision.

From time to time, we also are named as defendants 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.

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, as noted above, purported class action lawsuits related to 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 any such actions will ultimately have a material adverse impact on our consolidated financial statements.

WM’s charter and bylaws require indemnification of its officers and directors if statutory standards of conduct have been met and allow the advancement of expenses to these individuals upon receipt of an undertaking by the individuals to repay all expenses if it is ultimately determined that they did not meet the required standards of conduct. Additionally, WM has entered into separate indemnification agreements with each of the members of its Board of Directors as well as its President and Chief Executive Officer, and its principal financial officer. The Company may incur substantial expenses in connection with the fulfillment of its advancement of costs and indemnification obligations in connection with current actions involving former officers of the Company or its subsidiaries or other actions or proceedings that may be brought against its former or current officers, directors and employees.

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 pending as of September 30, 2011 is disclosed in accordance with that requirement:

On April 4, 2006, the EPA issued a Notice of Violation (“NOV”) to Waste Management of Hawaii, Inc., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of WM, and to the City and County of Honolulu for alleged violations of the federal Clean Air Act, based on an alleged failure to submit certain reports and design plans required by the EPA, and the failure to begin and timely complete the installation of a gas collection and control system (“GCCS”) for the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill on Oahu. The EPA has also indicated that it will seek penalties and injunctive relief as part of the NOV enforcement for elevated landfill temperatures that were recorded after installation of the GCCS. The parties have been in confidential settlement negotiations. Pursuant to an indemnity agreement, any penalty assessed will be paid by the Company, and not by the City and County of Honolulu.

Additionally, the following matters previously reported were resolved during the third quarter of 2011 as set forth below.

On February 25, 2011, the EPA issued an NOV to Chemical Waste Management, Inc.’s Kettleman Hills facility for alleged violations of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (“RCRA”). In this matter, the EPA sought civil penalties for the violations alleged, which related primarily to management of landfill leachate, laboratory protocols, and the management and disposal of certain hazardous waste. On August 23, 2011, Chemical Waste Management, Inc. settled the RCRA enforcement action with the EPA through entry of a Consent Agreement/Final Order. Under the agreement, Chemical Waste Management, Inc. paid a penalty of $400,000 on September 12, 2011 and will implement certain corrective actions and process changes.

On April 11, 2011, Waste Management LampTracker, Inc.’s Kaiser, Missouri facility was notified that the EPA would be filing an administrative complaint and assessing civil penalties for alleged RCRA violations relating to container and facility management and the handling of certain waste. On September 12, 2011, Waste Management LampTracker, Inc. settled the RCRA enforcement action with the EPA through entry of a Consent Agreement/Final Order and paid a penalty of $118,800. As a result of the agreement, Waste Management LampTracker, Inc. will implement a corrective action at the facility.

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. 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”), which has reported that it adopted a rehabilitation plan as a result of its actuarial certification for the plan year beginning January 1, 2008. The Central States Pension Plan is in “critical status,” as defined by the Pension Protection Act of 2006.

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. In October 2011, our last remaining group of employees that were active participants in the Central States Pension Plan voted to decertify the union that represented them, ceasing any contribution obligation and effectively withdrawing them from the Central States Pension Plan.

We recognized charges to “Operating” expenses of $26 million, largely in the first quarter of 2010, associated with the withdrawal of three bargaining units from the Central States Pension Plan in connection with our negotiations of these units’ agreements. We are still negotiating and litigating final resolutions of our withdrawal liability for previous withdrawals and our recent final withdrawal referenced above, which could be materially higher than the charges we have recognized. We do not believe that our withdrawals from the multiemployer plans, individually or in the aggregate, will have a material adverse effect on our financial condition or liquidity. However, depending on the number of employees withdrawn in any future period and the financial condition of the multiemployer plans at the time of withdrawal, such withdrawals could materially affect our results of operations in the period of the withdrawal.

Tax Matters — We are currently in the examination phase of IRS audits for the tax years 2010 and 2011 and expect these audits to be completed within the next three and 15 months, respectively. We participate in the IRS’s Compliance Assurance Program, which means we work with the IRS throughout the year in order to resolve any material issues prior to the filing of our year-end tax return. We are also currently undergoing audits by various state and local jurisdictions that date back to 2000. In the third quarter of 2010, we finalized audits in Canada through the 2005 tax year and are not currently under audit for any subsequent tax years. On July 28, 2011, we acquired Oakleaf, which is currently under IRS examination for the tax periods ended December 31, 2005 through December 31, 2008. We expect this examination to be completed within the next 12 months. In addition, Oakleaf is subject to state income tax examinations for years dating back to 2002. Pursuant to the terms of our acquisition of Oakleaf, we are entitled to indemnification for Oakleaf’s 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, 2011

Segment and Related Information


9.	Segment and Related Information

We currently manage and evaluate our operations primarily through our Eastern, Midwest, Southern, Western and Wheelabrator Groups. These five Groups are presented below as our reportable segments. Our four geographic operating Groups provide collection, transfer, disposal (in both solid waste and hazardous waste landfills) and recycling services. Our fifth Group is the Wheelabrator Group, which provides waste-to-energy services and manages waste-to-energy facilities and independent power production plants. We serve residential, commercial, industrial, and municipal customers throughout North America. The operations not managed through our five operating Groups, including the Oakleaf operations we acquired on July 28, 2011, are presented herein as “Other.” See Note 10 for additional information related to our acquisition of Oakleaf.

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		Intercompany			Net
	Operating		Operating			Operating		Income from
	Revenues		Revenues			Revenues		Operations

Three Months Ended:
September 30, 2011
Eastern	$	822	$	(139	)	$	683	$	146
Midwest		847		(123	)		724		175
Southern		853		(104	)		749		194
Western		841		(114	)		727		154
Wheelabrator		228		(28	)		200		57
Other		462		(23	)		439		(40	)

		4,053		(531	)		3,522		686
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(143	)

Total	$	4,053	$	(531	)	$	3,522	$	543

September 30, 2010
Eastern	$	755	$	(132	)	$	623	$	138
Midwest		792		(119	)		673		149
Southern		903		(102	)		801		218
Western		809		(113	)		696		146
Wheelabrator		237		(32	)		205		67
Other		248		(11	)		237		(38	)

		3,744		(509	)		3,235		680
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(136	)

Total	$	3,744	$	(509	)	$	3,235	$	544

Nine Months Ended:
September 30, 2011
Eastern	$	2,326	$	(387	)	$	1,939	$	407
Midwest		2,403		(355	)		2,048		460
Southern		2,553		(307	)		2,246		579
Western		2,456		(336	)		2,120		436
Wheelabrator		664		(89	)		575		112
Other		1,085		(41	)		1,044		(75	)

		11,487		(1,515	)		9,972		1,919
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(443	)

Total	$	11,487	$	(1,515	)	$	9,972	$	1,476

September 30, 2010
Eastern	$	2,214	$	(385	)	$	1,829	$	390
Midwest		2,266		(336	)		1,930		372
Southern		2,602		(303	)		2,299		624
Western		2,372		(328	)		2,044		416
Wheelabrator		660		(92	)		568		150
Other		688		(30	)		658		(93	)

		10,802		(1,474	)		9,328		1,859
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(317	)

Total	$	10,802	$	(1,474	)	$	9,328	$	1,542

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 and operating segment and by general economic conditions. In addition, our revenues and income from operations typically reflect seasonal patterns. Our operating revenues normally tend to be somewhat higher in the summer months, primarily due to the traditional seasonal increase in the volume of construction and demolition waste. Historically, the volumes of industrial and residential waste in certain regions in which we operate have tended 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 hurricanes that most often impact our Southern Group, can actually increase our revenues in the areas affected. While weather-related and other “one-time” occurrences can boost revenues through additional work, 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.

From time to time, the operating results of our reportable segments are significantly affected by unusual or infrequent transactions or events. During 2010, our Midwest Group recognized $26 million in charges, largely in the first quarter, as a result of bargaining unit employees in Michigan and Ohio agreeing to our proposal to withdraw them from an underfunded multiemployer pension plan. Refer to Note 8 for additional information related to our participation in multiemployer pension plans.

Variable Interest Entities

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Variable Interest Entities [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 capital account balances until Hancock and CIT achieve targeted returns; thereafter, we will receive 80% of the earnings of each of the LLCs and Hancock and CIT will be allocated the remaining 20% proportionate to their respective ownership interests. All capital allocations made through September 30, 2011 have been based on initial capital account balances as the target returns have not yet been achieved.

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, 2011, our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet includes $310 million of net property and equipment associated with the LLCs’ waste-to-energy facilities and $248 million in noncontrolling interests associated with Hancock’s and CIT’s interests in the LLCs. As of September 30, 2011, all debt obligations of the LLCs have been paid in full and, therefore, the LLCs have no liabilities. We recognized reductions in earnings of $13 million and $38 million for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010, respectively, for Hancock’s and CIT’s noncontrolling interests in the LLCs’ earnings. 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 Refined Coal Facility — In January 2011, we acquired a noncontrolling interest in a limited liability company, which was established to invest in and manage a refined coal facility. Along with the other 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. At September 30, 2011, our investment balance was $42 million, 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. Future contributions will commence once certain levels of tax credits have been generated 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 Federal Low-income Housing Tax Credits — 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. At September 30, 2011, our investment balance was $184 million and our debt balance was $181 million. 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. We have determined that we are not the primary beneficiary of certain of these trust funds because power over the trusts’ significant activities is shared.

Our interests in these variable interest entities are accounted for as equity investments in unconsolidated entities and receivables. These amounts are recorded in “Other receivables” and as long-term “Other assets” in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. Our investments and receivables related to the trusts had an aggregate carrying value of $108 million as of September 30, 2011. We reflect our interests in the unrealized gains and losses on marketable securities held by these trusts as a component of “Accumulated other comprehensive income.”

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, 2011

Condensed Consolidating 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, 2011

(Unaudited)


			WM		Non-Guarantor
	WM		Holdings		Subsidiaries		Eliminations			Consolidated

ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	184	$	—	$	98	$	—		$	282
Other current assets		2		—		2,135		—			2,137

		186		—		2,233		—			2,419
Property and equipment, net		—		—		11,911		—			11,911
Investments in and advances to affiliates		11,664		14,576		3,029		(29,269	)		—
Other assets		141		12		7,569		—			7,722

Total assets	$	11,991	$	14,588	$	24,742	$	(29,269	)	$	22,052


LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	$	35	$	—	$	190	$	—		$	225
Accounts payable and other current liabilities		94		5		2,203		—			2,302

		129		5		2,393		—			2,527
Long-term debt, less current portion		5,846		449		3,093		—			9,388
Other liabilities		68		—		3,784		—			3,852

Total liabilities		6,043		454		9,270		—			15,767
Equity:
Stockholders’ equity		5,948		14,134		15,135		(29,269	)		5,948
Noncontrolling interests		—		—		337		—			337

		5,948		14,134		15,472		(29,269	)		6,285

Total liabilities and equity	$	11,991	$	14,588	$	24,742	$	(29,269	)	$	22,052

December 31, 2010


			WM		Non-Guarantor
	WM		Holdings		Subsidiaries		Eliminations			Consolidated

ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	465	$	—	$	74	$	—		$	539
Other current assets		4		1		1,938		—			1,943

		469		1		2,012		—			2,482
Property and equipment, net		—		—		11,868		—			11,868
Investments in and advances to affiliates		10,757		13,885		2,970		(27,612	)		—
Other assets		91		12		7,023		—			7,126

Total assets	$	11,317	$	13,898	$	23,873	$	(27,612	)	$	21,476


LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	$	—	$	1	$	232	$	—		$	233
Accounts payable and other current liabilities		93		17		2,142		—			2,252

		93		18		2,374		—			2,485
Long-term debt, less current portion		4,951		596		3,127		—			8,674
Other liabilities		13		—		3,713		—			3,726

Total liabilities		5,057		614		9,214		—			14,885
Equity:
Stockholders’ equity		6,260		13,284		14,328		(27,612	)		6,260
Noncontrolling interests		—		—		331		—			331

		6,260		13,284		14,659		(27,612	)		6,591

Total liabilities and equity	$	11,317	$	13,898	$	23,873	$	(27,612	)	$	21,476

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

Three Months Ended September 30, 2011

(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated

Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	3,522		$	—		$	3,522
Costs and expenses		—			—			2,979			—			2,979

Income from operations		—			—			543			—			543

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(85	)		(8	)		(24	)		—			(117	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		323			328			—			(651	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(5	)		—			(5	)

		238			320			(29	)		(651	)		(122	)

Income before income taxes		238			320			514			(651	)		421
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(34	)		(3	)		173			—			136

Consolidated net income		272			323			341			(651	)		285
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			13			—			13

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	272		$	323		$	328		$	(651	)	$	272

Three Months Ended September 30, 2010
(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated

Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	3,235		$	—		$	3,235
Costs and expenses		—			—			2,691			—			2,691

Income from operations		—			—			544			—			544

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(88	)		(9	)		(28	)		—			(125	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		298			303			—			(601	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(8	)		—			(8	)

		210			294			(36	)		(601	)		(133	)

Income before income taxes		210			294			508			(601	)		411
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(34	)		(4	)		191			—			153

Consolidated net income		244			298			317			(601	)		258
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			14			—			14

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	244		$	298		$	303		$	(601	)	$	244

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2011
(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated

Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	9,972		$	—		$	9,972
Costs and expenses		—			—			8,496			—			8,496

Income from operations		—			—			1,476			—			1,476

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(256	)		(25	)		(71	)		—			(352	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		850			865			—			(1,715	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(16	)		—			(16	)

		594			840			(87	)		(1,715	)		(368	)

Income before income taxes		594			840			1,389			(1,715	)		1,108
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(101	)		(10	)		488			—			377

Consolidated net income		695			850			901			(1,715	)		731
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			36			—			36

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	695		$	850		$	865		$	(1,715	)	$	695

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2010
(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated

Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	9,328		$	—		$	9,328
Costs and expenses		—			—			7,786			—			7,786

Income from operations		—			—			1,542			—			1,542

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(241	)		(28	)		(82	)		—			(351	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		819			836			—			(1,655	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(14	)		—			(14	)

		578			808			(96	)		(1,655	)		(365	)

Income before income taxes		578			808			1,446			(1,655	)		1,177
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(94	)		(11	)		574			—			469

Consolidated net income		672			819			872			(1,655	)		708
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			36			—			36

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	672		$	819		$	836		$	(1,655	)	$	672

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2011
(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated

Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$	695		$	850		$	901		$	(1,715	)	$	731
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		(850	)		(865	)		—			1,715			—
Other adjustments		8			(11	)		1,009			—			1,006

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities		(147	)		(26	)		1,910			—			1,737

Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired		—			—			(645	)		—			(645	)
Capital expenditures		—			—			(909	)		—			(909	)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets		—			—			22			—			22
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net		(5	)		—			2			—			(3	)

Net cash used in investing activities		(5	)		—			(1,530	)		—			(1,535	)

Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings		893			—			108			—			1,001
Debt repayments		—			(147	)		(278	)		—			(425	)
Common stock repurchases		(528	)		—			—			—			(528	)
Cash dividends		(481	)		—			—			—			(481	)
Exercise of common stock options		40			—			—			—			40
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other		(10	)		—			(56	)		—			(66	)
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net		(43	)		173			(130	)		—			—

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		(129	)		26			(356	)		—			(459	)

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

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		(281	)		—			24			—			(257	)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		465			—			74			—			539

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	184		$	—		$	98		$	—		$	282

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2010
(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated

Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$	672		$	819		$	872		$	(1,655	)	$	708
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		(819	)		(836	)		—			1,655			—
Other adjustments		12			(13	)		946			—			945

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities		(135	)		(30	)		1,818			—			1,653

Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired		—			—			(343	)		—			(343	)
Capital expenditures		—			—			(737	)		—			(737	)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets		—			—			36			—			36
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net		(2	)		—			(129	)		—			(131	)

Net cash used in investing activities		(2	)		—			(1,173	)		—			(1,175	)

Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings		592			—			183			—			775
Debt repayments		(617	)		(35	)		(280	)		—			(932	)
Common stock repurchases		(443	)		—			—			—			(443	)
Cash dividends		(454	)		—			—			—			(454	)
Exercise of common stock options		28			—			—			—			28
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other		(10	)		—			(33	)		—			(43	)
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net		405			65			(470	)		—			—

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		(499	)		30			(600	)		—			(1,069	)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		—			—			1			—			1

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		(636	)		—			46			—			(590	)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		1,093			—			47			—			1,140

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	457		$	—		$	93		$	—		$	550

Basis of Presentation (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation (Policies)	Sep. 30, 2011
Basis of Presentation (Policies) [Abstract]
Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements	Multiple-Deliverable Revenue Arrangements — In October 2009, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) amended authoritative guidance associated with multiple-deliverable revenue arrangements. This amended guidance addresses the determination of when individual deliverables within an arrangement are required to be treated as separate units of accounting and modifies the manner in which consideration is allocated across the separately identifiable deliverables. The amendments to authoritative guidance associated with multiple-deliverable revenue arrangements became effective for the Company on January 1, 2011. The new accounting standard has been applied prospectively to arrangements entered into or materially modified after the date of adoption. The adoption of this guidance has not had a material impact on our consolidated financial statements. However, our adoption of this guidance may significantly impact our accounting and reporting for future revenue arrangements to the extent they are material.
Reclassifications	Certain reclassifications have been made to our prior period consolidated financial information in order to conform to the current year presentation.
Fair Value Measurement	Fair Value Measurement — In May 2011, the FASB amended authoritative guidance associated with fair value measurements. This amended guidance defines certain requirements for measuring fair value and for disclosing information about fair value measurements in accordance with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles. The amendments to authoritative guidance associated with fair value measurements are effective for the Company on January 1, 2012 and are to be applied prospectively. We are in the process of assessing the provisions of this new guidance and currently do not expect that the adoption will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
Goodwill Impairment Testing	Goodwill Impairment Testing — In September 2011, the FASB amended authoritative guidance associated with goodwill impairment testing. The amended guidance provides companies the option to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the existence of events or circumstances leads to a determination that it is more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount before performing the two-step impairment test. If, after assessing the totality of events or circumstances, an entity determines it is not more likely than not that the fair value of a reporting unit is less than its carrying amount, then performing the two-step impairment test is unnecessary. The amendments are effective for goodwill impairment tests performed for fiscal years beginning after December 15, 2011; however, early adoption is permitted. We are in the process of assessing the provisions of this new guidance and currently do not expect that the adoption will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.
Multiemployer Pension Plans	Multiemployer Pension Plans — In September 2011, the FASB amended authoritative guidance associated with disclosures about an employer’s participation in a multiemployer plan. The amended disclosure requirements are intended to provide more information about an employer’s financial obligations to multiemployer plans and, therefore, help financial statement users better understand the financial health of all of the significant plans in which the employer participates. The revised standard is effective for fiscal years ending after December 15, 2011 and retrospective application is required for all years presented. We are in the process of assessing the provisions of this new guidance and currently do not expect that the adoption of these new disclosure requirements will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (Tables) [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):


		September 30,		December 31,
Derivatives Designated as Hedging Instruments	Balance Sheet Location	2011		2010

Interest rate contracts	Current other assets	$	—	$	1
Electricity commodity contracts	Current other assets		1		—
Interest rate contracts	Long-term other assets		75		37
Foreign exchange contracts	Long-term other assets		8		—

Total derivative assets		$	84	$	38

Interest rate contracts	Current accrued liabilities	$	—	$	11
Electricity commodity contracts	Current accrued liabilities		1		1
Interest rate contracts	Long-term accrued liabilities		68		13
Foreign exchange contracts	Long-term accrued liabilities		—		3

Total derivative liabilities		$	69	$	28

Impact of changes in the fair value of interest rate swaps and the underlying hedged items on results of operations


Three Months		Statement of Operations	Gain (Loss) on		Gain (Loss) on
Ended September 30,		Classification	Swap		Fixed-Rate Debt

	2011	Interest expense	$	25	$	(25	)
	2010	Interest expense	$	10	$	(10	)


Nine Months		Statement of Operations	Gain (Loss) on		Gain (Loss) on
Ended September 30,		Classification	Swap		Fixed-Rate Debt

	2011	Interest expense	$	37	$	(37	)
	2010	Interest expense	$	24	$	(24	)

Impact of periodic settlements of active swap agreements and the impact of terminated swap agreements on results of operations


	Three Months				Nine Months
	Ended September 30,				Ended September 30,
Decrease to Interest Expense Due to Hedge Accounting for Interest Rate Swaps	2011		2010		2011		2010

Periodic settlements of active swap agreements(a)	$	7	$	6	$	18	$	24
Terminated swap agreements		2		4		8		15

	$	9	$	10	$	26	$	39


(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 are based on a spread from the three-month LIBOR.

Pretax impacts of our foreign currency cash flow derivatives on our comprehensive income and results of operations


						Derivative Gain or
		Derivative Gain or				(Loss) Reclassified
		(Loss) Recognized				from AOCI into
Three Months		in OCI			Statement of Operations	Income
Ended September 30,		(Effective Portion)			Classification	(Effective Portion)

	2011	$	25		Other income (expense)	$	33
	2010	$	(12	)	Other income (expense)	$	(12	)


						Derivative Gain or
		Derivative Gain or				(Loss) Reclassified
		(Loss) Recognized				from AOCI into
Nine Months		in OCI			Statement of Operations	Income
Ended September 30,		(Effective Portion)			Classification	(Effective Portion)

	2011	$	11		Other income (expense)	$	21
	2010	$	(7	)	Other income (expense)	$	(7	)

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2011

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Tables) [Abstract]

Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS

September 30, 2011

(Unaudited)


			WM		Non-Guarantor
	WM		Holdings		Subsidiaries		Eliminations			Consolidated

ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	184	$	—	$	98	$	—		$	282
Other current assets		2		—		2,135		—			2,137

		186		—		2,233		—			2,419
Property and equipment, net		—		—		11,911		—			11,911
Investments in and advances to affiliates		11,664		14,576		3,029		(29,269	)		—
Other assets		141		12		7,569		—			7,722

Total assets	$	11,991	$	14,588	$	24,742	$	(29,269	)	$	22,052


LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	$	35	$	—	$	190	$	—		$	225
Accounts payable and other current liabilities		94		5		2,203		—			2,302

		129		5		2,393		—			2,527
Long-term debt, less current portion		5,846		449		3,093		—			9,388
Other liabilities		68		—		3,784		—			3,852

Total liabilities		6,043		454		9,270		—			15,767
Equity:
Stockholders’ equity		5,948		14,134		15,135		(29,269	)		5,948
Noncontrolling interests		—		—		337		—			337

		5,948		14,134		15,472		(29,269	)		6,285

Total liabilities and equity	$	11,991	$	14,588	$	24,742	$	(29,269	)	$	22,052

December 31, 2010


			WM		Non-Guarantor
	WM		Holdings		Subsidiaries		Eliminations			Consolidated

ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	465	$	—	$	74	$	—		$	539
Other current assets		4		1		1,938		—			1,943

		469		1		2,012		—			2,482
Property and equipment, net		—		—		11,868		—			11,868
Investments in and advances to affiliates		10,757		13,885		2,970		(27,612	)		—
Other assets		91		12		7,023		—			7,126

Total assets	$	11,317	$	13,898	$	23,873	$	(27,612	)	$	21,476


LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	$	—	$	1	$	232	$	—		$	233
Accounts payable and other current liabilities		93		17		2,142		—			2,252

		93		18		2,374		—			2,485
Long-term debt, less current portion		4,951		596		3,127		—			8,674
Other liabilities		13		—		3,713		—			3,726

Total liabilities		5,057		614		9,214		—			14,885
Equity:
Stockholders’ equity		6,260		13,284		14,328		(27,612	)		6,260
Noncontrolling interests		—		—		331		—			331

		6,260		13,284		14,659		(27,612	)		6,591

Total liabilities and equity	$	11,317	$	13,898	$	23,873	$	(27,612	)	$	21,476

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

Three Months Ended September 30, 2011

(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated

Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	3,522		$	—		$	3,522
Costs and expenses		—			—			2,979			—			2,979

Income from operations		—			—			543			—			543

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(85	)		(8	)		(24	)		—			(117	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		323			328			—			(651	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(5	)		—			(5	)

		238			320			(29	)		(651	)		(122	)

Income before income taxes		238			320			514			(651	)		421
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(34	)		(3	)		173			—			136

Consolidated net income		272			323			341			(651	)		285
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			13			—			13

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	272		$	323		$	328		$	(651	)	$	272

Three Months Ended September 30, 2010
(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated

Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	3,235		$	—		$	3,235
Costs and expenses		—			—			2,691			—			2,691

Income from operations		—			—			544			—			544

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(88	)		(9	)		(28	)		—			(125	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		298			303			—			(601	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(8	)		—			(8	)

		210			294			(36	)		(601	)		(133	)

Income before income taxes		210			294			508			(601	)		411
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(34	)		(4	)		191			—			153

Consolidated net income		244			298			317			(601	)		258
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			14			—			14

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	244		$	298		$	303		$	(601	)	$	244

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2011
(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated

Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	9,972		$	—		$	9,972
Costs and expenses		—			—			8,496			—			8,496

Income from operations		—			—			1,476			—			1,476

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(256	)		(25	)		(71	)		—			(352	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		850			865			—			(1,715	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(16	)		—			(16	)

		594			840			(87	)		(1,715	)		(368	)

Income before income taxes		594			840			1,389			(1,715	)		1,108
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(101	)		(10	)		488			—			377

Consolidated net income		695			850			901			(1,715	)		731
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			36			—			36

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	695		$	850		$	865		$	(1,715	)	$	695

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2010
(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated

Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	9,328		$	—		$	9,328
Costs and expenses		—			—			7,786			—			7,786

Income from operations		—			—			1,542			—			1,542

Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)		(241	)		(28	)		(82	)		—			(351	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		819			836			—			(1,655	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(14	)		—			(14	)

		578			808			(96	)		(1,655	)		(365	)

Income before income taxes		578			808			1,446			(1,655	)		1,177
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(94	)		(11	)		574			—			469

Consolidated net income		672			819			872			(1,655	)		708
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			36			—			36

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	672		$	819		$	836		$	(1,655	)	$	672

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2011
(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated

Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$	695		$	850		$	901		$	(1,715	)	$	731
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		(850	)		(865	)		—			1,715			—
Other adjustments		8			(11	)		1,009			—			1,006

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities		(147	)		(26	)		1,910			—			1,737

Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired		—			—			(645	)		—			(645	)
Capital expenditures		—			—			(909	)		—			(909	)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets		—			—			22			—			22
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net		(5	)		—			2			—			(3	)

Net cash used in investing activities		(5	)		—			(1,530	)		—			(1,535	)

Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings		893			—			108			—			1,001
Debt repayments		—			(147	)		(278	)		—			(425	)
Common stock repurchases		(528	)		—			—			—			(528	)
Cash dividends		(481	)		—			—			—			(481	)
Exercise of common stock options		40			—			—			—			40
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other		(10	)		—			(56	)		—			(66	)
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net		(43	)		173			(130	)		—			—

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		(129	)		26			(356	)		—			(459	)

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

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		(281	)		—			24			—			(257	)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		465			—			74			—			539

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	184		$	—		$	98		$	—		$	282

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2010
(Unaudited)


				WM			Non-Guarantor
	WM			Holdings			Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated

Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$	672		$	819		$	872		$	(1,655	)	$	708
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		(819	)		(836	)		—			1,655			—
Other adjustments		12			(13	)		946			—			945

Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities		(135	)		(30	)		1,818			—			1,653

Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired		—			—			(343	)		—			(343	)
Capital expenditures		—			—			(737	)		—			(737	)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets		—			—			36			—			36
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net		(2	)		—			(129	)		—			(131	)

Net cash used in investing activities		(2	)		—			(1,173	)		—			(1,175	)

Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings		592			—			183			—			775
Debt repayments		(617	)		(35	)		(280	)		—			(932	)
Common stock repurchases		(443	)		—			—			—			(443	)
Cash dividends		(454	)		—			—			—			(454	)
Exercise of common stock options		28			—			—			—			28
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other		(10	)		—			(33	)		—			(43	)
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net		405			65			(470	)		—			—

Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities		(499	)		30			(600	)		—			(1,069	)

Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		—			—			1			—			1

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		(636	)		—			46			—			(590	)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		1,093			—			47			—			1,140

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	457		$	—		$	93		$	—		$	550

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities
Beginning Balance, Landfill	$ 1,550
Ending Balance	1,597	$ 1,550
Ending Balance	285
Landfill Liabilities [Member]
Changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities
Beginning Balance, Landfill	1,266	1,267
Obligations incurred and capitalized	36	47
Obligations settled	(56)	(86)
Interest accretion	62	82
Revisions in cost estimates and interest rate assumptions	4	(49)
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments	0	5
Ending Balance	1,312	1,266
Environmental Remediation Liabilities [Member]
Changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities
Beginning Balance, Landfill	284
Beginning Balance, Environmental Remediation	284	256
Obligations incurred and capitalized	0	0
Obligations settled	(25)	(36)
Interest accretion	5	5
Revisions in cost estimates and interest rate assumptions	22	61
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments	(1)	(2)
Ending Balance	285	284
Ending Balance	$ 285	$ 284

Debt (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Components of Debt
Revolving credit facility	$ 0	$ 0
Letter of credit facilities	0	0
Canadian credit facility (weighted average effective interest rate of 2.3 % at September 30, 2011 and 2.2 % December 31, 2010)	133	212
Senior notes and debentures, maturing through 2039, interest rates ranging from 2.60% to 7.75% (weighted average interest rate of 6.0% at September 30, 2011 and 6.5% at December 31,2010)	6,233	5,452
Tax-exempt bonds maturing through 2041, fixed and variable interest rates ranging from 0.2% to 7.4% (weighted average interest rate of 3.0% at September 30, 2011 and 3.1% at December 31, 2010)	2,751	2,696
Tax-exempt project bonds, maturing through 2029, fixed and variable interest rates ranging from 0.2% to 3.4% (weighted average interest rate of 1.4% at September 30, 2011 and 2.5% at December 31, 2010)	86	116
Capital leases and other, maturing through 2050, interest rates up to 12%	410	431
Components of Debt, total	9,613	8,907
Current portion of long-term debt	225	233
Long term Debt, less current portion of long-term debt	$ 9,388	$ 8,674

Debt (Details Textual) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
Debt (Details Textual) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($)	Aug. 31, 2011 USD ($)	Feb. 28, 2011 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2010
Debt (Textual) [Abstract]
Debt maturing within twelve months, total	$ 348.0		$ 348.0
Debt (Additional) (Textual) [Abstract]
Debt maturing within 12 months classified as long-term	123.0		123.0
Issuance of tax exempt bonds			80.0
Repayment of tax-exempt bonds			25.0
Repayment of tax-exempt project bonds			30.0
Letter of credit outstanding, revolving credit and letter of credit facilities	1,500.0		1,500.0
Proceeds from the debt issuance		$ 396.0	497.0
Revolving credit and credit facilities, aggregate capacity	2,500.0		2,500.0
Letter of credit outstanding, revolving credit facility	$ 1.0		$ 1.0
4.60% senior notes due March 2021 [Member]
Debt (Textual) [Abstract]
Issuance of senior notes					$ 400.0
Interest rate of Senior notes					4.60%
7.65% senior notes [Member]
Debt (Textual) [Abstract]
Repayment of senior notes matured		$ 147.0
Interest rate of Senior notes		7.65%
2.60% Senior Notes due September 2016 [Member]
Debt (Textual) [Abstract]
Issuance of senior notes				$ 500.0
Interest rate of Senior notes				2.60%
Capital leases and other [Member]
Debt (Textual) [Abstract]
Interest rate upper range			0.12
End period of maturity for debt instruments			2050
Senior notes and debentures [Member]
Debt (Textual) [Abstract]
Weighted average interest rate	6.00%		6.00%			6.50%
Interest rate upper range			0.0775
Interest rate lower range			0.0260
End period of maturity for debt instruments			2039
Tax exempt project bonds [Member]
Debt (Textual) [Abstract]
Weighted average interest rate	1.40%		1.40%			2.50%
Interest rate upper range			0.034
Interest rate lower range			0.002
End period of maturity for debt instruments			2029
Tax exempt bonds [Member]
Debt (Textual) [Abstract]
Weighted average interest rate	3.00%		3.00%			3.10%
Interest rate upper range			0.074
Interest rate lower range			0.002
End period of maturity for debt instruments			2041
Canadian credit facility [Member]
Debt (Textual) [Abstract]
Debt maturing within twelve months, total	$ 133.0		$ 133.0
Weighted average effective interest rate	2.30%		2.30%			2.20%
Net Repayment of Canadian credit facility debt			$ 77.0
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt (Textual) [Abstract]
Repayment under revolving credit facility	$ 100.0
Borrowing under revolving credit facility	100.0
End period of maturity for debt instruments			2016
Revolving credit facility, total capacity	$ 2,000.0		$ 2,000.0
Letter of Credit [Member]
Debt (Textual) [Abstract]
DebtInstrumentMaturityDateRangeStart			2013
End period of maturity for debt instruments			2015

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (Details Textual) $ in Millions, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2011 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2010 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2010 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2011 MW	Dec. 31, 2010 USD ($) MW	Oct. 31, 2013 CAD ($)	Nov. 30, 2012 CAD ($)	Nov. 30, 2011 CAD ($)	Dec. 31, 2009 USD ($)
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (Textual) [Abstract]
Deferred losses related to Treasury rate locks reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income into interest expense, after tax	$ 1		$ 1	$ 3	$ 3
Deferred losses related to Treasury rate locks scheduled to be reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive into interest expense over next 12 months, pre tax	7			$ 7
Notional amounts of fixed-rate debt expected to be issued in 2011, 2012 and 2014											$ 525
Tenor of forward-starting swaps in years				10 years
Notional amount of terminated forward-starting interest rate swaps		$ 150
Cash paid to settle forward-starting interest rate swap agreements		$ 9
Tenor of senior notes issued in February 2011 in years		10 years
Fair value of forward-starting swaps (interest rate derivatives) included in long-term liabilities	68			$ 68			$ 13
Pre tax gains (losses) recognized in other comprehensive income for changes in fair value of forward-starting interest rate swaps	(46)		(22)	(53)	(68)
After tax gains (losses) recognized in other comprehensive income due to changes in fair value of forward-starting interest rate swaps	(28)		(13)	(33)	(41)
Scheduled principal payments for foreign currency forward contracts included in hedged cash flows								$ 370
Scheduled interest payments for foreign currency forward contracts included in hedged cash flows								$ 10	$ 11	$ 10
(Loss)/gain recognized due to Adjustments to other comprehensive income for changes in the fair value of foreign currency cash flow hedges, after-tax	$ 15		(7)	$ 7	(4)
Percentage of senior notes swapped to variable interest rates	16.00%			16.00%			9.00%
Adjustments for the reclassification of gains or (losses) from accumulated other comprehensive income into income, after-tax	$ 20		(7)	$ 13	(4)
Deferred losses, net of taxes, related to Treasury rate locks included in accumulated other comprehensive income	13			13			$ 16
Increase in carrying value of debt instruments from fair value hedge accounting for interest rate swaps	108			108			79
Expected number of megawatt hours hedged by electricity swaps \| MW						1,600,000
Fixed-rate senior notes outstanding	6,100			$ 6,100			5,400
Maximum term of cash flows hedged with Treasury rate locks				2032
Notional Amount of Executed Interest Rate Swaps		$ 600
Expected percentage of merchant electricity sales hedged						49.00%
Senior notes swapped to variable interest rates	1,000			$ 1,000			$ 500
Deferred losses related to Treasury rate locks reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income into interest expense, pre tax	$ 2		$ 2	$ 6	$ 6
Notional Amount of Matured Interest Rate Swaps		$ 100
Number of megawatt hours hedged by electricity swaps \| MW							672,360
Percentage of merchant electricity sales hedged	46.00%		22.00%	49.00%	24.00%		26.00%

Income Taxes (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
Income Taxes (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Jan. 30, 2011	Apr. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2011
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities			$ (7)	$ (8)	$ (20)	$ (16)
Interest expense			$ 118	$ 126	$ 358	$ 354
Income Taxes (Additional) (Textual) [Abstract]
Effective tax rate			32.30%	37.30%	34.00%	39.80%
Increase in the bonus depreciation allowance low					50.00%
Increase in the bonus depreciation allowance high					100.00%
Percentage of deduction that applies to qualifying property							100.00%
Expected decrease in cash taxes due to acceleration of depreciation deduction on current year capital expenditures							$ 190
Low-Income Housing Properties [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Cash payments to acquire equity method investment		$ 6
Income tax benefit, including tax credits, from equity method investment			$ 9	$ 7	$ 27	$ 18
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities			5	4	17	12
Interest expense			2	3	6	4
Tax credits from equity method investment			7	$ 4	18	$ 12
Investment in Refined Coal Facility [Member]
Schedule of Equity Method Investments [Line Items]
Cash payments to acquire equity method investment	$ 48				48
Income tax benefit, including tax credits, from equity method investment			$ 4		$ 11

Comprehensive Income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
Comprehensive Income (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2010
Comprehensive Income:
Consolidated net income	$ 285	$ 258	$ 731	$ 708
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes:
Unrealized losses resulting from changes in fair value of derivative instruments, net of taxes	(12)	(21)	(25)	(54)
Realized (gains) losses on derivative instruments reclassified into earnings, net of taxes	(18)	10	(9)	10
Unrealized gains (losses) on marketable securities, net of taxes	(3)	1	(4)	1
Foreign currency translation adjustments	(82)	30	(46)	20
Change in funded status of post-retirement benefit obligations, net of taxes	0	0	(2)	(1)
Other comprehensive income (loss)	(115)	20	(86)	(24)
Comprehensive income	170	278	645	684
Comprehensive income attributable to noncontrolling interests	(13)	(14)	(36)	(36)
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	157	$ 264	609	$ 648
Components of accumulated other comprehensive income, which is included as a component of Waste Management, Inc. Stockholders' equity
Accumulated unrealized losses on derivative instruments, net of taxes	(67)		(67)		$ (33)
Accumulated unrealized gains on marketable securities, net of taxes	1		1		5
Foreign currency translation adjustments	215		215		261
Funded status of post-retirement benefit obligations, net of taxes	(5)		(5)		(3)
Total accumulated other comprehensive income	$ 144		$ 144		$ 230

Commitments and Contingencies (Details Textual)	9 Months Ended
Commitments and Contingencies (Details Textual)	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($) LegalMatter Location Property	Sep. 30, 2010 USD ($) Contract	Apr. 11, 2011 USD ($)	Feb. 25, 2011 USD ($)
Commitments and Contingencies (Textual) [Abstract]
Environmental Remediation Reasonably Possible Additional Losses, if high estimate were used	$ 150,000,000
Environmental remediation liability	$ 285,000,000
Number of sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP \| Location	79
Number of owned sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP \| Location	17
Number of non-owned sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP \| Location	62
Number of separate wage and hour lawsuits pending against certain of our subsidiaries in California, each seeking class certification \| LegalMatter	2
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%
Charge to "Operating" expenses for the agreed upon withdrawal of bargaining units from multiemployer pension plans, Central States		$ 26,000,000
Number of bargaining units withdrawn from multiemployer pension plans \| Contract		3
Number of months expected for IRS audit(s) to be completed	3 and 15
Approximate number of homeowners' properties adjacent to or near certain of our landfills with agreements guaranteeing market value \| Property	900
Number of landfills adjacent to or near homeowners' properties with agreements guaranteeing market value \| Property	21
Term of Guarantees of financial obligations	Guarantees of unconsolidated entities' financial obligations maturing through 2020
Future payments regarding guarantees of unconsolidated entities financial obligations	$ 11,000,000
Number of months expected for examination to be completed	12 months
Kettleman Hills [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Civil penalties for the violation alleged				$ 400,000
Kaiser Missouri [Member]
Loss Contingencies [Line Items]
Civil penalties for the violation alleged			$ 118,800

Segment and Related Information (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010
Reportable segments
Gross Operating Revenues	$ 4,053	$ 3,744	$ 11,487	$ 10,802
Intercompany Operating Revenues	(531)	(509)	(1,515)	(1,474)
Net Operating Revenues	3,522	3,235	9,972	9,328
Income from Operations	543	544	1,476	1,542
Eastern [Member]
Reportable segments
Gross Operating Revenues	822	755	2,326	2,214
Intercompany Operating Revenues	(139)	(132)	(387)	(385)
Net Operating Revenues	683	623	1,939	1,829
Income from Operations	146	138	407	390
Midwest [Member]
Reportable segments
Gross Operating Revenues	847	792	2,403	2,266
Intercompany Operating Revenues	(123)	(119)	(355)	(336)
Net Operating Revenues	724	673	2,048	1,930
Income from Operations	175	149	460	372
Southern [Member]
Reportable segments
Gross Operating Revenues	853	903	2,553	2,602
Intercompany Operating Revenues	(104)	(102)	(307)	(303)
Net Operating Revenues	749	801	2,246	2,299
Income from Operations	194	218	579	624
Western [Member]
Reportable segments
Gross Operating Revenues	841	809	2,456	2,372
Intercompany Operating Revenues	(114)	(113)	(336)	(328)
Net Operating Revenues	727	696	2,120	2,044
Income from Operations	154	146	436	416
Wheelabrator [Member]
Reportable segments
Gross Operating Revenues	228	237	664	660
Intercompany Operating Revenues	(28)	(32)	(89)	(92)
Net Operating Revenues	200	205	575	568
Income from Operations	57	67	112	150
Operating Group Total [Member]
Reportable segments
Gross Operating Revenues	4,053	3,744	11,487	10,802
Intercompany Operating Revenues	(531)	(509)	(1,515)	(1,474)
Net Operating Revenues	3,522	3,235	9,972	9,328
Income from Operations	686	680	1,919	1,859
Corporate and Other [Member]
Reportable segments
Gross Operating Revenues	0	0	0	0
Intercompany Operating Revenues	0	0	0	0
Net Operating Revenues	0	0	0	0
Income from Operations	(143)	(136)	(443)	(317)
Other [Member]
Reportable segments
Gross Operating Revenues	462	248	1,085	688
Intercompany Operating Revenues	(23)	(11)	(41)	(30)
Net Operating Revenues	439	237	1,044	658
Income from Operations	$ (40)	$ (38)	$ (75)	$ (93)

Fair Value Measurements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Assets:
Cash equivalents	$ 185	$ 468
Available-for-sale securities	162	148
Interest rate derivatives	75	38
Foreign currency derivatives	8	0
Electricity commodity derivatives	1	0
Total assets	431	654
Liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives	68	24
Electricity commodity derivatives	1	1
Foreign currency derivatives	0	3
Total liabilities	69	28
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member]
Liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives	0	0
Electricity commodity derivatives	0	0
Foreign currency derivatives	0	0
Total liabilities	0	0
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member]
Liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives	68	24
Electricity commodity derivatives	1	1
Foreign currency derivatives	0	3
Total liabilities	69	28
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]
Liabilities:
Interest rate derivatives	0	0
Electricity commodity derivatives	0	0
Foreign currency derivatives	0	0
Total liabilities	0	0
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member]
Assets:
Cash equivalents	185	468
Available-for-sale securities	162	148
Interest rate derivatives	0	0
Foreign currency derivatives	0	0
Electricity commodity derivatives	0	0
Total assets	347	616
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member]
Assets:
Cash equivalents	0	0
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Interest rate derivatives	75	38
Foreign currency derivatives	8	0
Electricity commodity derivatives	1	0
Total assets	84	38
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]
Assets:
Cash equivalents	0	0
Available-for-sale securities	0	0
Interest rate derivatives	0	0
Foreign currency derivatives	0	0
Electricity commodity derivatives	0	0
Total assets	$ 0	$ 0

Variable Interest Entities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jan. 30, 2011	Apr. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2000
Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Noncontrolling interests			$ 337		$ 337		$ 331
Variable Interest Entities (Additional Details) [Abstract]
Expense recognized for other companies' noncontrolling interests in LLCs earnings			13	$ 13	38	$ 38
Carrying value of restricted trust funds and escrow accounts for which company is the not sole beneficiary specifically for future settlement of landfill and environmental remediation liabilities			108		$ 108
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) December31, 2063; (iii) a court's dissolution of the LLCs; or (iv) the LLCs ceasing to own any interest in the waste-to-energy facilities.
Limited Liability Company I [Member]
Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Percentage of ownership in LLC's					0.50%
Percentage of variable interest entities owned by other companies					99.50%
Low-Income Housing Properties [Member]
Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Value of notes payable included in consideration for investment		$ 215
Cash payments to acquire equity method investment		6
Investment balance			184		$ 184
Equity method investments debt balance			181		181
Consideration for investment		$ 221
Investment in Refined Coal Facility [Member]
Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Cash payments to acquire equity method investment	$ 48				48
Investment balance			42		$ 42
Limited Liability Company II [Member]
Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
Percentage of ownership in LLC's					0.25%
Percentage of variable interest entities owned by other companies					99.75%
Limited Liability Company II [Member] \| Limited Liability Company I [Member]
Variable Interest Entities (Textual) [Abstract]
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%
Noncontrolling interests			$ 248		$ 248
Consolidated variable interest entity carrying amount of asset					$ 310
Total initial investment by other companies								$ 167

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Sep. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 282	$ 539	$ 550	$ 1,140
Other current assets	2,137	1,943
Total current assets	2,419	2,482
Property and equipment, net	11,911	11,868
Investments in and advances to affiliates	0	0
Other assets	7,722	7,126
Total assets	22,052	21,476
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	225	233
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	2,302	2,252
Total current liabilities	2,527	2,485
Long-term debt, less current portion	9,388	8,674
Other liabilities	3,852	3,726
Total liabilities	15,767	14,885
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	5,948	6,260
Noncontrolling interests	337	331
Total equity	6,285	6,591
Total liabilities and equity	22,052	21,476
WM [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	184	465	457	1,093
Other current assets	2	4
Total current assets	186	469
Property and equipment, net	0	0
Investments in and advances to affiliates	11,664	10,757
Other assets	141	91
Total assets	11,991	11,317
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	35	0
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	94	93
Total current liabilities	129	93
Long-term debt, less current portion	5,846	4,951
Other liabilities	68	13
Total liabilities	6,043	5,057
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	5,948	6,260
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	5,948	6,260
Total liabilities and equity	11,991	11,317
WM Holdings [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	0	0
Other current assets	0	1
Total current assets	0	1
Property and equipment, net	0	0
Investments in and advances to affiliates	14,576	13,885
Other assets	12	12
Total assets	14,588	13,898
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	0	1
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	5	17
Total current liabilities	5	18
Long-term debt, less current portion	449	596
Other liabilities	0	0
Total liabilities	454	614
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	14,134	13,284
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	14,134	13,284
Total liabilities and equity	14,588	13,898
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	98	74	93	47
Other current assets	2,135	1,938
Total current assets	2,233	2,012
Property and equipment, net	11,911	11,868
Investments in and advances to affiliates	3,029	2,970
Other assets	7,569	7,023
Total assets	24,742	23,873
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	190	232
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	2,203	2,142
Total current liabilities	2,393	2,374
Long-term debt, less current portion	3,093	3,127
Other liabilities	3,784	3,713
Total liabilities	9,270	9,214
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	15,135	14,328
Noncontrolling interests	337	331
Total equity	15,472	14,659
Total liabilities and equity	24,742	23,873
Eliminations [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	0	0	$ 0	$ 0
Other current assets	0	0
Total current assets	0	0
Property and equipment, net	0	0
Investments in and advances to affiliates	(29,269)	(27,612)
Other assets	0	0
Total assets	(29,269)	(27,612)
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	0	0
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	0	0
Total current liabilities	0	0
Long-term debt, less current portion	0	0
Other liabilities	0	0
Total liabilities	0	0
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	(29,269)	(27,612)
Noncontrolling interests	0	0
Total equity	(29,269)	(27,612)
Total liabilities and equity	$ (29,269)	$ (27,612)

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Details 1) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010
Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations
Operating revenues	$ 3,522	$ 3,235	$ 9,972	$ 9,328
Costs and expenses	2,979	2,691	8,496	7,786
Income from operations	543	544	1,476	1,542
Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)	(117)	(125)	(352)	(351)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	0	0	0	0
Other, net	(5)	(8)	(16)	(14)
Total other income (expense)	(122)	(133)	(368)	(365)
Income before income taxes	421	411	1,108	1,177
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	136	153	377	469
Consolidated net income	285	258	731	708
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	13	14	36	36
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	272	244	695	672
WM [Member]
Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations
Operating revenues	0	0	0	0
Costs and expenses	0	0	0	0
Income from operations	0	0	0	0
Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)	(85)	(88)	(256)	(241)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	323	298	850	819
Other, net	0	0	0	0
Total other income (expense)	238	210	594	578
Income before income taxes	238	210	594	578
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	(34)	(34)	(101)	(94)
Consolidated net income	272	244	695	672
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0	0	0
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	272	244	695	672
WM Holdings [Member]
Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations
Operating revenues	0	0	0	0
Costs and expenses	0	0	0	0
Income from operations	0	0	0	0
Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)	(8)	(9)	(25)	(28)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	328	303	865	836
Other, net	0	0	0	0
Total other income (expense)	320	294	840	808
Income before income taxes	320	294	840	808
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	(3)	(4)	(10)	(11)
Consolidated net income	323	298	850	819
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0	0	0
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	323	298	850	819
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations
Operating revenues	3,522	3,235	9,972	9,328
Costs and expenses	2,979	2,691	8,496	7,786
Income from operations	543	544	1,476	1,542
Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)	(24)	(28)	(71)	(82)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	0	0	0	0
Other, net	(5)	(8)	(16)	(14)
Total other income (expense)	(29)	(36)	(87)	(96)
Income before income taxes	514	508	1,389	1,446
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	173	191	488	574
Consolidated net income	341	317	901	872
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	13	14	36	36
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	328	303	865	836
Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations
Operating revenues	0	0	0	0
Costs and expenses	0	0	0	0
Income from operations	0	0	0	0
Other income (expense):
Interest income (expense)	0	0	0	0
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	(651)	(601)	(1,715)	(1,655)
Other, net	0	0	0	0
Total other income (expense)	(651)	(601)	(1,715)	(1,655)
Income before income taxes	(651)	(601)	(1,715)	(1,655)
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	0	0	0	0
Consolidated net income	(651)	(601)	(1,715)	(1,655)
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interests	0	0	0	0
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ (651)	$ (601)	$ (1,715)	$ (1,655)

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Details 2) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$ 285	$ 258	$ 731	$ 708
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes			0	0
Other adjustments			1,006	945
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities			1,737	1,653
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired			(645)	(343)
Capital expenditures			(909)	(737)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets			22	36
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net			(3)	(131)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities			(1,535)	(1,175)
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings			1,001	775
Debt repayments			(425)	(932)
Common stock repurchases			(528)	(443)
Cash dividends			(481)	(454)
Exercise of common stock options			40	28
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other			(66)	(43)
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net			0	0
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities			(459)	(1,069)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents			0	1
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents			(257)	(590)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period			539	1,140
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	282	550	282	550
WM [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	272	244	695	672
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes			(850)	(819)
Other adjustments			8	12
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities			(147)	(135)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired			0	0
Capital expenditures			0	0
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets			0	0
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net			(5)	(2)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities			(5)	(2)
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings			893	592
Debt repayments			0	(617)
Common stock repurchases			(528)	(443)
Cash dividends			(481)	(454)
Exercise of common stock options			40	28
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other			(10)	(10)
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net			(43)	405
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities			(129)	(499)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents			0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents			(281)	(636)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period			465	1,093
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	184	457	184	457
WM Holdings [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	323	298	850	819
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes			(865)	(836)
Other adjustments			(11)	(13)
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities			(26)	(30)
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired			0	0
Capital expenditures			0	0
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets			0	0
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net			0	0
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities			0	0
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings			0	0
Debt repayments			(147)	(35)
Common stock repurchases			0	0
Cash dividends			0	0
Exercise of common stock options			0	0
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other			0	0
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net			173	65
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities			26	30
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents			0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents			0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period			0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	0	0	0	0
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	341	317	901	872
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes			0	0
Other adjustments			1,009	946
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities			1,910	1,818
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired			(645)	(343)
Capital expenditures			(909)	(737)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets			22	36
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net			2	(129)
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities			(1,530)	(1,173)
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings			108	183
Debt repayments			(278)	(280)
Common stock repurchases			0	0
Cash dividends			0	0
Exercise of common stock options			0	0
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other			(56)	(33)
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net			(130)	(470)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities			(356)	(600)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents			0	1
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents			24	46
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period			74	47
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	98	93	98	93
Eliminations [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	(651)	(601)	(1,715)	(1,655)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes			1,715	1,655
Other adjustments			0	0
Net cash provided by (used in) operating activities			0	0
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired			0	0
Capital expenditures			0	0
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses (net of cash divested) and other sales of assets			0	0
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net			0	0
Net cash provided by (used in) investing activities			0	0
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings			0	0
Debt repayments			0	0
Common stock repurchases			0	0
Cash dividends			0	0
Exercise of common stock options			0	0
Distributions paid to noncontrolling interests and other			0	0
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net			0	0
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities			0	0
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents			0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents			0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period			0	0
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0	$ 0

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Changes in Equity (Unaudited) (Parenthetical) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($)
Comprehensive Income:
Tax effects on unrealized losses resulting from changes in fair values of derivative instruments	$ 16
Tax effects on realized gains on derivative instruments reclassified into earnings	6
Tax effects on unrealized losses on marketable securities	3
Tax effects on Change in funded status of post-retirement benefit obligations	1
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]
Comprehensive Income:
Tax effects on unrealized losses resulting from changes in fair values of derivative instruments	16
Tax effects on realized gains on derivative instruments reclassified into earnings	6
Tax effects on unrealized losses on marketable securities	3
Tax effects on Change in funded status of post-retirement benefit obligations	1
Comprehensive Income [Member]
Comprehensive Income:
Tax effects on unrealized losses resulting from changes in fair values of derivative instruments	16
Tax effects on realized gains on derivative instruments reclassified into earnings	6
Tax effects on unrealized losses on marketable securities	3
Tax effects on Change in funded status of post-retirement benefit obligations	$ 1

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Fair values of derivative instruments recorded in Balance Sheet
Derivative Assets Designated as Hedging Instruments	$ 84	$ 38
Derivative Liabilities Designated as Hedging Instruments	69	28
Interest Rate Contracts [Member] \| Current other assets [Member]
Fair values of derivative instruments recorded in Balance Sheet
Derivative Assets Designated as Hedging Instruments	0	1
Interest Rate Contracts [Member] \| Long-term other assets [Member]
Fair values of derivative instruments recorded in Balance Sheet
Derivative Assets Designated as Hedging Instruments	75	37
Interest Rate Contracts [Member] \| Current accrued liabilities [Member]
Fair values of derivative instruments recorded in Balance Sheet
Derivative Liabilities Designated as Hedging Instruments	0	11
Interest Rate Contracts [Member] \| Long-term accrued liabilities [Member]
Fair values of derivative instruments recorded in Balance Sheet
Derivative Liabilities Designated as Hedging Instruments	68	13
Electricity Commodity Contracts [Member] \| Current other assets [Member]
Fair values of derivative instruments recorded in Balance Sheet
Derivative Assets Designated as Hedging Instruments	1	0
Electricity Commodity Contracts [Member] \| Current accrued liabilities [Member]
Fair values of derivative instruments recorded in Balance Sheet
Derivative Liabilities Designated as Hedging Instruments	1	1
Foreign Exchange Contracts [Member] \| Long-term other assets [Member]
Fair values of derivative instruments recorded in Balance Sheet
Derivative Assets Designated as Hedging Instruments	8	0
Foreign Exchange Contracts [Member] \| Long-term accrued liabilities [Member]
Fair values of derivative instruments recorded in Balance Sheet
Derivative Liabilities Designated as Hedging Instruments	$ 0	$ 3

Earnings Per Share (Details) - shares shares in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
Earnings Per Share (Details) - shares shares in Millions	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010
Common share data used for computing the basic and diluted earnings per share
Number of common shares outstanding at end of period	461.2	475.7	461.2	475.7
Effect of using weighted average common shares outstanding	7.1	1.6	11.5	6.0
Weighted average basic common shares outstanding	468.3	477.3	472.7	481.7
Dilutive effect of equity-based compensation awards and other contingently issuable shares	1.4	3.7	1.8	3.2
Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding	469.7	481.0	474.5	484.9
Potentially issuable shares	17.3	14.7	17.3	14.7
Number of anti-dilutive potentially issuable shares excluded from diluted common shares outstanding	9.9	0.2	6.4	0.2

Acquisition of Oakleaf Global Holdings (Details 1) $ in Millions	Jul. 28, 2011 USD ($) Year
Preliminary allocation of the purchase price to intangible assets
Total intangible assets subject to amortization \| $	$ 92
Total intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted Average Amortization Periods \| Year	10.5
Customer relationships
Preliminary allocation of the purchase price to intangible assets
Total intangible assets subject to amortization \| $	$ 74
Total intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted Average Amortization Periods \| Year	10.0
Vendor relationships
Preliminary allocation of the purchase price to intangible assets
Total intangible assets subject to amortization \| $	$ 9
Total intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted Average Amortization Periods \| Year	10.0
Trademarks
Preliminary allocation of the purchase price to intangible assets
Total intangible assets subject to amortization \| $	$ 9
Total intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted Average Amortization Periods \| Year	15.0

Acquisition of Oakleaf Global Holdings (Details 2) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010
Pro forma consolidated results of operations
Operating revenues	$ 3,566	$ 3,379	$ 10,287	$ 9,740
Net income attributable to Waste Management Inc.	$ 272	$ 239	$ 689	$ 660
Basic earnings per common share	$ 0.58	$ 0.50	$ 1.46	$ 1.37
Diluted earnings per common share	$ 0.58	$ 0.50	$ 1.45	$ 1.36

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Current assets:
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 31	$ 26
Long-term assets
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	$ 15,107	$ 14,690
Waste Management, Inc. stockholders' equity:
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	169,078,749	155,235,711

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
Liabilities for landfill and environmental remediation costs
Current (in accrued liabilities)	$ 150	$ 148
Long-term	1,447	1,402
Total	1,597	1,550
Landfill Liabilities [Member]
Liabilities for landfill and environmental remediation costs
Current (in accrued liabilities)	105	105
Long-term	1,207	1,161
Total	1,312	1,266	$ 1,267
Environmental Remediation Liabilities [Member]
Liabilities for landfill and environmental remediation costs
Current (in accrued liabilities)	45	43
Long-term	240	241
Total	$ 285	$ 284

Segment and Related Information (Details Textual) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2010 USD ($)
Segment And Related Information (Textual) [Abstract]
Charge to "Operating" expenses for the agreed upon withdrawal of bargaining units from multiemployer pension plans, Central States	$ 26

Acquisition of Oakleaf Global Holdings (Details) $ in Millions	Jul. 28, 2011 USD ($)
Preliminary Purchase Price Allocation
Accounts and other receivables	$ 68
Other current assets	28
Property and equipment	77
Goodwill	320
Intangible assets	92
Accounts payable	(80)
Accrued liabilities	(48)
Deferred income taxes, net	(13)
Other liabilities	(12)
Total Purchase Price	$ 432

Restructuring (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
Restructuring (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010	Sep. 30, 2011	Sep. 30, 2010
Segmental restructuring charges associated with reorganization, pre tax
Restructuring Charges, Total	$ 15	$ 0	$ 15	$ (1)
Restructuring Charges Eastern [Member]
Segmental restructuring charges associated with reorganization, pre tax
Restructuring Charges, Total	2		2
Restructuring Charges Midwest [Member]
Segmental restructuring charges associated with reorganization, pre tax
Restructuring Charges, Total	3		3
Restructuring Charges Southern [Member]
Segmental restructuring charges associated with reorganization, pre tax
Restructuring Charges, Total	2		2
Restructuring Charges Western [Member]
Segmental restructuring charges associated with reorganization, pre tax
Restructuring Charges, Total	2		2
Restructuring Charges Wheelabrator [Member]
Segmental restructuring charges associated with reorganization, pre tax
Restructuring Charges, Total	1		1
Restructuring Charges Corporate and other [Member]
Segmental restructuring charges associated with reorganization, pre tax
Restructuring Charges, Total	$ 5		$ 5

Restructuring (Details Textual) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
Restructuring (Details Textual) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($) Employee	Sep. 30, 2011 USD ($) Employee
Restructuring (Textual) [Abstract]
Number of employee positions eliminated \| Employee	700	700
Restructuring Charges [Abstract]
Pre-tax restructuring charges associated with this reorganization related to employee severance and benefit costs \| $	$ 14	$ 14
Employee severance and benefit cost payments through the balance sheet date \| $	$ 4	$ 4
Open Positions [Member]
Restructuring (Textual) [Abstract]
Number of employee positions eliminated \| Employee		300

(Income) Expense from Divestitures, Asset Impairments and Unusual Items (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2010	Dec. 31, 2009
(Income) Expense from Divestitures, Asset Impairments and Unusual Items (Details) [Abstract]
Non-cash charge recognized due to abandonment of revenue management software		$ 51
Increase in Income from operations due to settlement related to revenue management software	$ 77

Fair Value Measurements (Details Textual) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2011	Dec. 31, 2010
Fair Value Measurements (Textual) [Abstract]
Carrying value of debt	$ 9,600	$ 8,900
Estimated fair value of debt	10,600	$ 9,200
Net borrowings of senior notes	$ 753