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Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
Document and Entity Information - shares	Sep. 30, 2016	Oct. 17, 2016
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2016
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2016
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Trading Symbol	WM
Entity Registrant Name	WASTE MANAGEMENT INC
Entity Central Index Key	0000823768
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		442,003,086

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 30	$ 39
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $20 and $25, respectively	1,716	1,549
Other receivables	324	545
Parts and supplies	93	92
Other assets	130	120
Total current assets	2,293	2,345
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization of $17,003 and $16,420, respectively	10,842	10,665
Goodwill	6,227	5,984
Other intangible assets, net	617	477
Investments in unconsolidated entities	326	360
Other assets	451	536
Total assets	20,756	20,367
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	689	721
Accrued liabilities	1,068	1,064
Deferred revenues	475	472
Current portion of long-term debt	432	253
Total current liabilities	2,664	2,510
Long-term debt, less current portion	8,829	8,676
Deferred income taxes	1,428	1,391
Landfill and environmental remediation liabilities	1,683	1,584
Other liabilities	769	839
Total liabilities	15,373	15,000
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	4,874	4,827
Retained earnings	7,235	6,939
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(63)	(127)
Treasury stock at cost, 188,284,965 and 183,105,326 shares, respectively	(6,693)	(6,300)
Total Waste Management, Inc. stockholders' equity	5,359	5,345
Noncontrolling interests	24	22
Total equity	5,383	5,367
Total liabilities and equity	$ 20,756	$ 20,367

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 20	$ 25
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	$ 17,003	$ 16,420
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	188,284,965	183,105,326

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Income Statement [Abstract]
Operating revenues	$ 3,548	$ 3,360	$ 10,149	$ 9,715
Costs and expenses:
Operating	2,216	2,095	6,339	6,204
Selling, general and administrative	330	330	1,032	1,000
Depreciation and amortization	336	330	988	944
Restructuring		2	4	7
Expense from divestitures, asset impairments and unusual items	106	2	107	17
Total costs and expenses	2,988	2,759	8,470	8,172
Income from operations	560	601	1,679	1,543
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net	(94)	(95)	(282)	(294)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt			(4)	(552)
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities	(9)	(9)	(32)	(32)
Other, net		(1)	(49)	(2)
Total other income (expense)	(103)	(105)	(367)	(880)
Income (loss) before income taxes	457	496	1,312	663
Provision for income taxes	153	159	466	184
Consolidated net income	304	337	846	479
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	2	2	(1)	(1)
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 302	$ 335	$ 847	$ 480
Basic earnings per common share	$ 0.68	$ 0.75	$ 1.91	$ 1.06
Diluted earnings per common share	0.68	0.74	1.89	1.05
Cash dividends declared per common share	$ 0.410	$ 0.385	$ 1.230	$ 1.155

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Consolidated net income	$ 304	$ 337	$ 846	$ 479
Derivative instruments, net	2	5	11	10
Available-for-sale securities, net		(2)	2	(1)
Foreign currency translation adjustments	(16)	(60)	51	(123)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes	(14)	(57)	64	(114)
Comprehensive income	290	280	910	365
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	2	2	(1)	(1)
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 288	$ 278	$ 911	$ 366

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$ 846	$ 479
Adjustments to reconcile consolidated net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	988	944
Deferred income tax provision	20	46
Interest accretion on landfill liabilities	67	66
Interest accretion on and discount rate adjustments to environmental remediation liabilities and recovery assets	8	2
Provision for bad debts	27	27
Equity-based compensation expense	67	53
Excess tax benefits associated with equity-based transactions	(27)	(11)
Net gain from disposal of assets	(18)	(9)
Expense from divestitures, asset impairments and other, net	106	17
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities, net of dividends	32	32
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	4	552
Change in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions and divestitures:
Receivables	32	(71)
Other current assets	(21)	9
Other assets	76	(19)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	51	(91)
Deferred revenues and other liabilities	(51)	(54)
Net cash provided by operating activities	2,207	1,972
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired	(600)	(473)
Capital expenditures	(962)	(864)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses and other assets (net of cash divested)	32	114
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts		54
Other, net	(20)	(12)
Net cash used in investing activities	(1,550)	(1,181)
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings	2,536	2,060
Debt repayments	(2,210)	(2,421)
Premiums paid on early extinguishment of debt	(2)	(555)
Common stock repurchase program	(500)	(600)
Cash dividends	(546)	(523)
Exercise of common stock options	57	53
Excess tax benefits associated with equity-based transactions	27	11
Other, net	(28)	(8)
Net cash used in financing activities	(666)	(1,983)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents		(2)
Decrease in cash and cash equivalents	(9)	(1,194)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	39	1,307
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 30	$ 113

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity (Unaudited) - 9 months ended Sep. 30, 2016 - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-In Capital [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Member]	Treasury Stock [Member]	Noncontrolling Interests [Member]
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2015	$ 5,367	$ 6	$ 4,827	$ 6,939	$ (127)	$ (6,300)	$ 22
Beginning balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2015		630,282				(183,105)
Consolidated net income	846			847			(1)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes	64				64
Cash dividends	(546)			(546)
Equity-based compensation transactions, including dividend equivalents, net of taxes	159		45	(5)		$ 119
Equity-based compensation transactions, including dividend equivalents, net of taxes, shares						3,401
Common stock repurchase program	(500)					$ (500)
Common stock repurchase program, shares						(8,402)
Other	(7)		2			$ (12)	3
Other, shares						(179)
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2016	$ 5,383	$ 6	$ 4,874	$ 7,235	$ (63)	$ (6,693)	$ 24
Ending balance, shares at Sep. 30, 2016		630,282				(188,285)

Basis of Presentation

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Accounting Policies [Abstract]

Basis of Presentation

1.	Basis of Presentation

The financial statements presented in this report represent the consolidation of Waste Management, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and Waste Management’s wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries. 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. and its consolidated subsidiaries. When we use the term “WM,” we are referring only to Waste Management, Inc., the parent holding company.

We are North America’s leading provider of comprehensive waste management environmental services. We partner with our residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers and the communities we serve to manage and reduce waste at each stage from collection to disposal, while recovering valuable resources and creating clean, renewable energy. Our “Solid Waste” business is operated and managed locally by our subsidiaries that focus on distinct geographic areas and provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. Through our subsidiaries, we are also a leading developer, operator and owner of landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States.

We evaluate, oversee and manage the financial performance of our Solid Waste business subsidiaries through our 17 geographic Areas. We also provide additional services that are not managed through our Solid Waste business, which are presented in this report as “Other.” Additional information related to our segments is included in Note 8.

The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of September 30, 2016 and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 are unaudited. In the opinion of management, these financial statements include all adjustments, which, unless otherwise disclosed, are of a normal recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows, and changes in equity for the periods presented. The results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. The financial statements presented herein should be read in connection with the financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015.

In preparing our financial statements, we make numerous estimates and assumptions that affect the accounting for and recognition and disclosure of assets, liabilities, equity, revenues and expenses. We must make these estimates and assumptions because certain information that we use is dependent on future events, cannot be calculated with precision from available data or simply cannot be calculated. In some cases, these estimates are difficult to determine, and we must exercise significant judgment. In preparing our financial statements, the most difficult, subjective and complex estimates and the assumptions that present the greatest amount of uncertainty relate to our accounting for landfills, environmental remediation liabilities, asset impairments, deferred income taxes and reserves associated with our insured and self-insured claims. Actual results could differ materially from the estimates and assumptions that we use in the preparation of our financial statements.

Adoption of New Accounting Standards

Debt Issuance Costs — In April 2015, and as subsequently amended, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued amended authoritative guidance associated with debt issuance costs which were previously presented as assets related to recognized debt liabilities. The amended guidance requires that debt issuance costs, other than those costs related to line of credit arrangements, be presented on the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the related debt liability, which is similar to the presentation for debt discounts and premiums. This guidance was effective for the Company on January 1, 2016. The Company’s adoption of this guidance was applied retrospectively and resulted in a reclassification of $52 million of such costs in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2015.

Consolidation — In February 2015, the FASB issued amended authoritative guidance associated with consolidation. The amended guidance makes changes to existing consolidation requirements associated with the analysis a reporting entity must perform to determine whether it should consolidate certain types of legal entities, including limited partnerships and variable interest entities. The guidance was effective for the Company on January 1, 2016. The Company’s adoption of this guidance did not impact our consolidated financial statements.

Reclassifications

When necessary, reclassifications have been made to our prior period consolidated financial information in order to conform to the current year presentation.

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Text Block [Abstract]

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities

2.	Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities

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


	September 30, 2016						December 31, 2015
	Landfill		Environmental Remediation		Total		Landfill		Environmental Remediation		Total
Current (in accrued liabilities)	$	115	$	31	$	146	$	112	$	31	$	143
Long-term		1,461		222		1,683		1,406		178		1,584

	$	1,576	$	253	$	1,829	$	1,518	$	209	$	1,727

The changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 are reflected in the table below (in millions):


	Landfill			Environmental Remediation
December 31, 2015	$	1,518		$	209
Obligations incurred and capitalized		45			—
Obligations settled		(66	)		(16	)
Interest accretion		67			2
Revisions in estimates and interest rate assumptions(a)(b)		9			58
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments		3			—

September 30, 2016	$	1,576		$	253

(a)

The amount reported for our landfill liabilities includes an increase of $13 million due to acceleration of timing of closure and post-closure activities due to a loss of expected volumes for a landfill. See Note 10 for further discussion.

(b)

The amount reported for our environmental remediation liabilities includes the impact of a decrease in the risk-free discount rate used to measure our liabilities from 2.25% at December 31, 2015 to 1.50% at September 30, 2016, resulting in an increase of $9 million to our environmental remediation liabilities and a corresponding increase to “Operating” expenses. Additionally, we increased our cost estimates associated with the environmental remediation liability of a subsidiary related to a closed site in Harris County, Texas by $42 million. See Notes 7 and 10 for further discussion.

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

Debt

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Debt

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, 2016:


	September 30, 2016		December 31, 2015
$2.25 billion revolving credit facility, maturing July 2020 (weighted average interest rate of 1.5% at September 30, 2016)	$	295	$	20
Letter of credit facilities, maturing through December 2018		—		—
Canadian credit facility and term loan, maturing March 2019 (weighted average effective interest rate of 2.0% at September 30, 2016 and 2.2% at December 31, 2015)		278		84
Senior notes maturing through 2045, interest rates ranging from 2.4% to 7.75% (weighted average interest rate of 4.6% at September 30, 2016 and 4.7% at December 31, 2015)		6,034		6,050
Tax-exempt bonds, maturing through 2045, fixed and variable interest rates ranging from 0.7% to 5.7% (weighted average interest rate of 1.8% at September 30, 2016 and 1.9% at December 31, 2015)		2,346		2,447
Capital leases and other, maturing through 2055, interest rates up to 12%		308		328

		9,261		8,929
Current portion of long-term debt		432		253

	$	8,829	$	8,676

Debt Classification

As of September 30, 2016, the current portion of our debt balance of $432 million includes (i) $295 million of short-term borrowings under the long-term U.S. revolving credit facility (“$2.25 billion revolving credit facility”) and (ii) $137 million of other debt with scheduled maturities within the next 12 months, including $83 million of tax-exempt bonds.

As of September 30, 2016, we also have $503 million of tax-exempt bonds with term interest rate periods that expire within the next 12 months and an additional $491 million of variable-rate tax-exempt bonds that are supported by letters of credit. The interest rates on our variable-rate tax-exempt bonds are generally reset on either a daily or weekly basis through a remarketing process. All recent tax-exempt bond remarketings have successfully placed Company bonds with investors at market-driven rates and we currently expect future remarketings to be successful. However, if the remarketing agent is unable to remarket our bonds, the remarketing agent can put the bonds to us. In the event of a failed remarketing, we have the intent and ability to use availability under our $2.25 billion revolving credit facility to fund the debt obligations until they can be remarketed successfully. Accordingly, we classified these borrowings as long-term in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet at September 30, 2016.

Access to and Utilization of Credit Facilities

$2.25 Billion Revolving Credit Facility and Other Letter of Credit Facilities — As of September 30, 2016, we had an aggregate committed capacity of $2.4 billion for letters of credit under various U.S. credit facilities. Our $2.25 billion revolving credit facility expires in July 2020 and is our primary source of letter of credit capacity. Our remaining committed letter of credit capacity is provided under facilities with terms extending through December 2018. As of September 30, 2016, we had an aggregate of $967 million of letters of credit outstanding under committed credit facilities. As of September 30, 2016, we had $295 million of outstanding borrowings under our $2.25 billion revolving credit facility and $817 million of letters of credit issued and supported by the facility, leaving $1,138 million of unused and available capacity.

Canadian Term Loan and Revolving Credit Facility — In March 2016, we amended and restated our Canadian credit agreement (which includes a term loan and revolving credit facility), decreasing the revolving credit capacity, increasing the amount of term credit, and extending the term through March 2019. Waste Management of Canada Corporation and WM Quebec Inc., wholly-owned subsidiaries of WM, are borrowers under the agreement. The amended and restated credit agreement provides the Company (i) C$50 million of revolving credit capacity, which can be used for borrowings or letters of credit, and (ii) C$460 million of non-revolving term credit that is prepayable without penalty. Prior to closing, there was a balance of C$90 million remaining on the prior C$500 million term loan. Upon closing, the term loan was fully drawn to repay the indebtedness owed under the prior Canadian credit agreement and to repay C$370 million of intercompany debt. At no time during the nine months ended September 30, 2016 did we have borrowings or letters of credit outstanding under the Canadian revolving credit agreement.

Debt Borrowings and Repayments

$2.25 Billion Revolving Credit Facility — During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, we had net borrowings of $275 million under our $2.25 billion revolving credit facility. These net borrowings included funds to support our acquisition of certain operations and business assets of Southern Waste Systems/Sun Recycling (“SWS”) in Southern Florida. Refer to Note 9 for additional information related to this acquisition.

Canadian Term Loan — During the three months ended March 31, 2016, we repaid C$27 million, or $20 million, of advances under our prior Canadian term loan reducing the balance to C$90 million at the time of the amendment and restatement of the credit agreement. Upon closing the new Canadian credit agreement, we borrowed C$460 million, or $347 million, to repay the prior term loan and to allow our Canadian subsidiaries to repay C$370 million, or $280 million, of intercompany debt. From April 1, 2016, through September 30, 2016, we repaid C$94 million, or $72 million, of advances under our Canadian term loan.

Senior Notes — In May 2016, we issued $500 million of 2.4% senior notes due May 2023. We utilized the net proceeds of $496 million in the repayment of $500 million of 2.6% senior notes that matured in September 2016.

Tax-Exempt Bonds — During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, we repaid $103 million of tax-exempt bonds with available cash. In May 2016, we elected to refund and reissue $143 million of tax-exempt bonds in order to reduce the interest costs associated with this debt. The “Loss on early extinguishment of debt” reflected in our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 includes $3 million of charges related to these refundings.

Senior Notes Refinancing

During the nine months ended September 30, 2015, we recognized a pre-tax loss of $552 million associated with the early extinguishment of almost $2 billion of our high-coupon senior notes through make-whole redemption and cash tender offers. We replaced substantially all of the debt extinguished with new senior notes at significantly lower coupon interest rates and extended the weighted average duration of these debt obligations.

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

4.	Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities

Foreign Currency Derivatives — As of December 31, 2015, we had cross currency swaps outstanding for all of the anticipated cash flows associated with C$370 million of intercompany debt between WM Holdings and its wholly-owned Canadian subsidiaries. As discussed in Note 3, in March 2016, our Canadian subsidiaries repaid the intercompany debt with proceeds from our Canadian term loan. Concurrent with the repayment of the intercompany debt, we terminated the cross currency swaps and received $67 million in cash. The cash received from our termination of the swaps has been classified as a change in “Other current assets” and “Other assets” within “Net cash provided by operating activities” in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. In addition, we recognized $8 million of expense associated with the termination of these swaps which was included in “Other, net” in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations.

These cross currency swaps had been designated as cash flow hedges and as of December 31, 2015, the carrying value of the hedge position was reflected in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as $15 million of current other assets and $63 million of long-term other assets. Through March 2016, when the intercompany loans and the related hedges were terminated, gains or losses resulting from the remeasurement of the underlying non-functional currency intercompany loans were recognized in current earnings in the same financial statement line item as the offsetting gains or losses on the related cross currency swaps. There was no significant ineffectiveness associated with our cash flow hedges during the reported periods.

Forward-Starting Interest Rate Swaps — At September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, our “Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)” included $38 million and $43 million, respectively, of after-tax deferred losses related to terminated cash flow swaps, which are being amortized as an increase to interest expense using the effective interest method over the ten-year terms of the related senior notes, which extend through 2024. As of September 30, 2016, $10 million of the pre-tax deferred losses for these previously terminated swaps is scheduled to be reclassified as an increase to interest expense over the next 12 months.

Refer to Note 11 for information regarding the impacts of our cash flow derivatives on our comprehensive income and results of operations.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for derivative instruments and hedging activities including, but not limited to, risk management strategies, non-hedging derivative instruments, assets, liabilities, revenue and expenses, and methodologies and assumptions used in determining the amounts.

+ References

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-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=56946850&loc=d3e41638-113959

Reference 19: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 235
-SubTopic 10
-Section S99
-Paragraph 1
-Subparagraph (SX 210.4-08.(n))
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=26873400&loc=d3e23780-122690

+ Details

Income Taxes

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]

Income Taxes

5.	Income Taxes

Our effective income tax rate for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 was 33.7% and 35.5%, respectively, compared with 32.3% and 27.8%, respectively, for the comparable prior year periods. We evaluate our effective income tax rate at each interim period and adjust it as facts and circumstances warrant. The difference between federal income taxes computed at the federal statutory rate and reported income taxes for the three months ended September 30, 2016 was primarily due to the favorable impact of federal tax credits and adjustments to our accruals and related deferred taxes due to the filing of our 2015 income tax returns offset, in part, by the unfavorable impact of state and local income taxes and nondeductible impairments and capital losses. The difference between federal income taxes computed at the federal statutory rate and reported income taxes for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 was primarily due to the unfavorable impact of state and local income taxes and nondeductible impairments and capital losses offset, in part, by the favorable impact of federal tax credits, adjustments to our accruals and related deferred taxes due to the filing of our 2015 income tax returns, and tax audit settlements.

The difference between federal income taxes computed at the federal statutory rate and reported income taxes for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015 was primarily due to the favorable impact of federal tax credits, adjustments to our accruals and related deferred taxes due to the filing of our 2014 income tax returns and tax audit settlements offset, in part, by the unfavorable impact of state and local income taxes. The nine months ended September 30, 2015 was also favorably impacted by the revaluation of our deferred taxes and utilization of state net operating losses resulting from changes in state law and nontaxable post-closing adjustments related to the divestiture of our Wheelabrator business. In addition, the loss on early extinguishment of debt included in our pre-tax income for the nine months ended September 30, 2015 contributed to a lower effective tax rate.

Investments Qualifying for Federal Tax Credits — We have significant financial interests in entities established to invest in and manage low-income housing properties and a refined coal facility. We support the operations of these entities in exchange for a pro-rata share of the tax credits they generate. The low-income housing investments and the coal facility’s refinement processes qualify for federal tax credits that we expect to realize through 2020 under Section 42 and through 2019 under Section 45, respectively, of the Internal Revenue Code.

We account for our investments in these entities using the equity method of accounting, recognizing our share of each entity’s results of operations and other reductions in the value of our investments in “Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities,” within our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, we recognized $7 million and $22 million of net losses and a reduction in our tax provision of $15 million and $40 million, respectively, primarily as a result of tax credits realized from these investments. In addition, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, we recognized interest expense of less than $1 million and $2 million, respectively, associated with the low-income housing investments. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, we recognized $7 million and $21 million of net losses and a reduction in our tax provision of $17 million and $41 million, respectively, primarily as a result of tax credits realized from these investments. In addition, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, we recognized interest expense of $1 million and $3 million, respectively, associated with the low-income housing investments.

See Note 14 for additional information related to these unconsolidated variable interest entities.

Earnings Per Share

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

Earnings Per Share

6.	Earnings Per Share

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


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2015		2016		2015
Number of common shares outstanding at end of period		442.0		446.5		442.0		446.5
Effect of using weighted average common shares outstanding		0.9		3.1		2.3		8.0

Weighted average basic common shares outstanding		442.9		449.6		444.3		454.5
Dilutive effect of equity-based compensation awards and other contingently issuable shares		2.8		3.1		2.8		3.0

Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding		445.7		452.7		447.1		457.5

Potentially issuable shares		9.2		11.0		9.2		11.0
Number of anti-dilutive potentially issuable shares excluded from diluted common shares outstanding		0.5		2.0		0.5		2.0

Commitments and Contingencies

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]

Commitments and Contingencies

7.	Commitments and Contingencies

Financial Instruments — We have obtained letters of credit, surety bonds and insurance policies and have established trust funds and issued financial guarantees to support tax-exempt bonds, contracts, performance of landfill final capping, closure and post-closure requirements, environmental remediation, and other obligations. Letters of credit generally are supported by our $2.25 billion revolving credit facility and other credit facilities established for that purpose. These facilities are discussed further in Note 3. Surety bonds and insurance policies are supported by (i) a diverse group of third-party surety and insurance companies; (ii) an entity in which we have a noncontrolling financial interest or (iii) wholly-owned insurance companies, the sole business of which is to issue surety bonds and/or insurance policies on our behalf.

Management does not expect that any claims against or draws on these instruments would have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements. We have not experienced any unmanageable difficulty in obtaining the required financial assurance instruments for our current operations. In an ongoing effort to mitigate risks of future cost increases and reductions in available capacity, we continue to evaluate various options to access cost-effective sources of financial assurance.

Insurance — We carry insurance coverage for protection of our assets and operations from certain risks including automobile liability, general liability, real and personal property, workers’ compensation, directors’ and officers’ liability, pollution legal liability and other coverages we believe are customary to the industry. Our exposure to loss for insurance claims is generally limited to the per incident deductible under the related insurance policy. Our exposure, however, could increase if our insurers are unable to meet their commitments on a timely basis.

We have retained a significant portion of the risks related to our automobile, general liability and workers’ compensation claims programs. “General liability” refers to the self-insured portion of specific third-party claims made against us that may be covered under our commercial General Liability Insurance Policy. For our self-insured retentions, the exposure for unpaid claims and associated expenses, including incurred but not reported losses, is based on an actuarial valuation and internal estimates. The accruals for these liabilities could be revised if future occurrences or loss development significantly differ from our assumptions used. We do not expect the impact of any known casualty, property, environmental or other contingency to have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Guarantees — In the ordinary course of our business, WM and WM Holdings enter into guarantee agreements associated with their subsidiaries’ operations. Additionally, WM and WM Holdings have each guaranteed all of the senior debt of the other entity. No additional liabilities have been recorded for these intercompany guarantees because all of the underlying obligations are reflected in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets.

We also have guaranteed the obligations and certain performance requirements of, and provided indemnification to, third parties in connection with both consolidated and unconsolidated entities. Guarantee agreements outstanding as of September 30, 2016 (excluding those related to Wheelabrator obligations that are discussed below) include agreements guaranteeing certain market value losses for approximately 875 homeowners’ properties adjacent to or near 22 of our landfills. Our indemnification obligations generally arise from divestitures and provide that we will be responsible for liabilities associated with our operations for events that occurred prior to the sale of the operations. Additionally, under certain of our acquisition agreements, we have provided for additional consideration to be paid to the sellers if established financial targets or other market conditions are achieved post-closing and we have recognized liabilities for these contingent obligations based on an estimate of the fair value of these contingencies at the time of acquisition. We do not currently believe that contingent obligations to provide indemnification or pay additional post-closing consideration in connection with our divestitures or acquisitions will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

In December 2014, we sold our Wheelabrator business, which provides waste-to-energy services and manages waste-to-energy facilities and independent power production plants. Before the divestiture of our Wheelabrator business, WM had guaranteed certain operational and financial performance obligations of Wheelabrator and its subsidiaries in the ordinary course of business. In conjunction with the divestiture, certain WM guarantees of Wheelabrator obligations were terminated, but others continued and are now guarantees of third-party obligations. Wheelabrator is working with the various third-party beneficiaries to release WM from these guarantees, but until they are successful, WM has agreed to retain the guarantees and, in exchange, receive a credit support fee. The most significant of these guarantees specifically define WM’s maximum financial obligation over the course of the relevant agreements. As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, WM’s maximum future payments under these guarantees were $106 million. WM’s exposure under certain of the performance guarantees is variable and a maximum exposure is not defined. We have recorded the fair value of the operational and financial performance guarantees, some of which could extend through 2038 if not terminated, in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. The estimated fair value of WM’s potential obligation associated with guarantees of Wheelabrator obligations (net of credit support fee) at September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015 was $12 million and $13 million, respectively. We currently do not expect the financial impact of such operational and financial performance guarantees to materially exceed the recorded fair value.

Environmental Matters — A significant portion of our operating costs and capital expenditures could be characterized as costs of environmental protection. The nature of our operations, particularly with respect to the construction, operation and maintenance of our landfills, subjects us to an array of laws and regulations relating to the protection of the environment. Under current laws and regulations, we may have liabilities for environmental damage caused by our operations, or for damage caused by conditions that existed before we acquired a site. In addition to remediation activity required by state or local authorities, such liabilities include potentially responsible party, or PRP, investigations. The costs associated with these liabilities can include settlements, certain legal and consultant fees, as well as incremental internal and external costs directly associated with site investigation and clean-up.

Estimating our degree of responsibility for remediation is inherently difficult. We recognize and accrue for an estimated remediation liability when we determine that such liability is both probable and reasonably estimable. Determining the method and ultimate cost of remediation requires that a number of assumptions be made. There can sometimes be a range of reasonable estimates of the costs associated with the likely site remediation alternatives identified in the investigation of the extent of environmental impact. In these cases, we use the amount within the range that constitutes our best estimate. If no amount within a range appears to be a better estimate than any other, we use the amount that is the low end of such range. If we used the high ends of such ranges, our aggregate potential liability would be approximately $143 million higher than the $253 million recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of September 30, 2016. Our ultimate responsibility may differ materially from current estimates. It is possible that technological, regulatory or enforcement developments, the results of environmental studies, the inability to identify other PRPs, the inability of other PRPs to contribute to the settlements of such liabilities, or other factors could require us to record additional liabilities. Our ongoing review of our remediation liabilities, in light of relevant internal and external facts and circumstances, could result in revisions to our accruals that could cause upward or downward adjustments to income from operations. These adjustments could be material in any given period.

As of September 30, 2016, we had been notified by the government that we are a PRP in connection with 75 locations listed on the EPA’s Superfund National Priorities List, or NPL. Of the 75 sites at which claims have been made against us, 15 are sites we own. Each of the NPL sites we own was initially developed by others as a landfill disposal facility. At each of these facilities, we are working in conjunction with the government to evaluate or remediate identified site problems, and we have either agreed with other legally liable parties on an arrangement for sharing the costs of remediation or are working toward a cost-sharing agreement. We generally expect to receive any amounts due from other participating parties at or near the time that we make the remedial expenditures. The other 60 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 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.

On September 28, 2016, the EPA announced a proposed remediation plan for the San Jacinto waste pits in Harris County, Texas, naming McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corporation (“MIMC”), a subsidiary of WM, as a PRP. MIMC operated the waste pits from 1965 to 1966. In 1998, WM acquired the stock of the parent entity of MIMC. During the three months ended September 30, 2016, we increased our environmental remediation liability reserve by $42 million to record MIMC’s estimated share of the EPA’s proposed remedy. The remedy and remedial design plan for the site are not yet final and are currently in a notice and comment period. MIMC disagrees with the proposed remedy put forth by the EPA and is continuing to focus on a solution that it believes best protects the environment and public health. MIMC’s ultimate liability could be materially different from current estimates. We remain an active participant in the EPA’s process established to evaluate and determine the appropriate remedy and remedial design plan for this site. As this site was never owned by the Company and never operated by MIMC while under the Company’s ownership, the increase in this liability was recorded in “Expense from divestitures, asset impairments and unusual items” instead of “Operating” expenses in our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations. See Note 10 for further discussion.

Item 103 of the SEC’s Regulation S-K requires disclosure of certain environmental matters when a governmental authority is a party to the proceedings, or such proceedings are known to be contemplated, unless we reasonably believe that the matter will result in no monetary sanctions, or in monetary sanctions, exclusive of interest and costs, of less than $100,000. The following matter is disclosed in accordance with that requirement.

Waste Management of Hawaii, Inc. (“WMHI”) may face civil claims from the Hawaii Department of Health and/or the EPA based upon water discharges at the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill, which WMHI operates for the city and county of Honolulu, following three major rainstorms in December 2010 and January 2011. We do not anticipate such claims could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Litigation — On March 26, 2015, the Company acquired Deffenbaugh Disposal, Inc. (“Deffenbaugh”). In May 2012 and December 2013, Deffenbaugh was named as a defendant in purported class actions filed in the United States District Court for the District of Kansas. These cases pertained to fuel, environmental and base rate charges included on invoices, generally alleging that such charges were not properly disclosed, were unfair or were contrary to the customer service contracts. We have agreed on settlement terms for both cases. We have received preliminary court approval and are anticipating final court approval in the fourth quarter of 2016. The settlements will not have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

From time to time, we are also 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. Additionally, we often enter into agreements with landowners imposing obligations on us to meet certain regulatory or contractual conditions upon site closure or upon termination of the agreements. Compliance with these agreements inherently involves subjective determinations and may result in disputes, including litigation.

As a large company with operations across the United States and Canada, we are subject to various proceedings, lawsuits, disputes and claims arising in the ordinary course of our business. Many of these actions raise complex factual and legal issues and are subject to uncertainties. Actions filed against us include commercial, customer, and employment-related claims, including purported class action lawsuits related to our sales and marketing practices and our customer service agreements and purported class actions involving federal and state wage and hour and other laws. The plaintiffs in some actions seek unspecified damages or injunctive relief, or both. These actions are in various procedural stages, and some are covered, in part, by insurance. We currently do not believe that the eventual outcome of any such actions could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

WM’s charter and bylaws provide that WM shall indemnify against all liabilities and expenses, and upon request shall advance expenses to any person, who is subject to a pending or threatened proceeding because such person is or was a director or officer of the Company. Such indemnification is required to the maximum extent permitted under Delaware law. Accordingly, the director or officer must execute an undertaking to reimburse the Company for any fees advanced if it is later determined that the director or officer was not entitled to have such fees advanced under Delaware law. Additionally, the Company has direct contractual obligations to provide indemnification to each of the members of WM’s Board of Directors and each of our executive officers and senior vice presidents. The Company may incur substantial expenses in connection with the fulfillment of its advancement of costs and indemnification obligations in connection with actions or proceedings that may be brought against its former or current officers, directors and employees.

Multiemployer Defined Benefit Pension Plans — About 20% of our workforce is covered by collective bargaining agreements with various local unions 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 covered employees. In connection with our ongoing renegotiation of various collective bargaining agreements, we may discuss and negotiate for the complete or partial withdrawal from one or more of these pension plans. A complete or partial withdrawal from a multiemployer defined benefit pension plan may also occur if employees covered by a collective bargaining agreement vote to decertify a union from continuing to represent them. Any other circumstance resulting in a decline in Company contributions to a multiemployer defined benefit pension plan through a reduction in the labor force, whether through attrition over time or through a business event (such as the discontinuation or nonrenewal of a customer contract, the decertification of a union, or relocation, reduction or discontinuance of certain operations) may also trigger a complete or partial withdrawal from one or more of these pension plans.

We do not believe that any future liability for withdrawals from the multiemployer defined benefit pension plans to which we contribute will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or liquidity. However, liability for future withdrawals could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or cash flows for a particular reporting period, depending on the number of employees withdrawn and the financial condition of the multiemployer defined benefit pension plan(s) at the time of such withdrawal(s).

In the second quarter of 2015, we recognized a $55 million charge to “Operating” expenses associated with the withdrawal from the Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Plan and the Teamsters Employers Local 945 Pension Fund.

Tax Matters — We participate in the IRS’s Compliance Assurance Process, which means we work with the IRS throughout the year in order to resolve any material issues prior to the filing of our annual tax return. We are currently in the examination phase of IRS audits for the tax years 2014, 2015 and 2016 and expect these audits to be completed within the next nine, 12 and 21 months, respectively. We are also currently undergoing audits by various state and local jurisdictions for tax years that date back to 2009, with the exception of affirmative claims in a limited number of jurisdictions that date back to 2000. 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, 2016

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Segment and Related Information

8.	Segment and Related Information

We evaluate, oversee and manage the financial performance of our Solid Waste subsidiaries through our 17 Areas. The 17 Areas constitute our operating segments and none of the Areas individually meet the quantitative criteria to be a separate reportable segment. We have evaluated the aggregation criteria and concluded that, based on the similarities between our Areas, including the fact that our Solid Waste business is homogenous across geography with the same services offered across the Areas, aggregation of our Areas is appropriate for purposes of presenting our reportable segments. Accordingly, we have aggregated our 17 Areas into three tiers that we believe have similar economic characteristics and future prospects based in large part on a review of the Areas’ income from operations margins. The economic variations experienced by our Areas are attributable to a variety of factors, including regulatory environment of the Area; economic environment of the Area, including level of commercial and industrial activity; population density; service offering mix and disposal logistics, with no one factor being singularly determinative of an Area’s current or future economic performance.

Annually, we analyze the Areas’ income from operations margins for purposes of segment reporting and in the fourth quarter of 2015, we realigned our Solid Waste tiers to reflect changes in their relative economic characteristics and prospects. These changes are the results of various factors including acquisitions, divestments, business mix and the economic climate of various geographies. Reclassifications have been made to our prior period consolidated financial information in order to conform to the current year presentation.

Tier 1 is now comprised of our operations across the Southern United States, with the exception of Southern California and the Florida peninsula and also includes the New England states, the tri-state area of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio and Western Canada. Tier 2 includes Southern California, Eastern Canada, Wisconsin, Minnesota and a portion of the lower Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. Tier 3 encompasses all the remaining operations including the Pacific Northwest and Northern California, the majority of the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, the Florida peninsula, Illinois and Missouri.

The operating segments not evaluated and overseen through the 17 Areas are presented herein as “Other” as these operating segments do not meet the criteria to be aggregated with other operating segments and do not meet the quantitative criteria to be separately reported.

Summarized financial information concerning our reportable segments is shown in the following table (in millions):


	Gross Operating Revenues		Intercompany Operating Revenues			Net Operating Revenues		Income from Operations
Three Months Ended:
September 30, 2016
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	1,364	$	(238	)	$	1,126	$	369
Tier 2		885		(162	)		723		121
Tier 3		1,382		(241	)		1,141		238

Solid Waste		3,631		(641	)		2,990		728
Other		608		(50	)		558		(30	)

		4,239		(691	)		3,548		698
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(138	)

Total	$	4,239	$	(691	)	$	3,548	$	560

September 30, 2015
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	1,316	$	(224	)	$	1,092	$	344
Tier 2		851		(157	)		694		168
Tier 3		1,265		(208	)		1,057		215

Solid Waste		3,432		(589	)		2,843		727
Other		549		(32	)		517		(8	)

		3,981		(621	)		3,360		719
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(118	)

Total	$	3,981	$	(621	)	$	3,360	$	601


	Gross Operating Revenues		Intercompany Operating Revenues			Net Operating Revenues		Income from Operations
Nine Months Ended:
September 30, 2016
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	3,921	$	(679	)	$	3,242	$	1,065
Tier 2		2,522		(462	)		2,060		423
Tier 3		3,989		(686	)		3,303		681

Solid Waste		10,432		(1,827	)		8,605		2,169
Other		1,680		(136	)		1,544		(86	)

		12,112		(1,963	)		10,149		2,083
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(404	)

Total	$	12,112	$	(1,963	)	$	10,149	$	1,679

September 30, 2015
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	3,803	$	(632	)	$	3,171	$	937
Tier 2		2,484		(462	)		2,022		458
Tier 3		3,651		(603	)		3,048		575

Solid Waste		9,938		(1,697	)		8,241		1,970
Wheelabrator		—		—			—		1
Other		1,552		(78	)		1,474		(48	)

		11,490		(1,775	)		9,715		1,923
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(380	)

Total	$	11,490	$	(1,775	)	$	9,715	$	1,543

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

Service disruptions caused by severe storms, extended periods of inclement weather or climate extremes can significantly affect the operating results of the affected Areas. On the other hand, certain destructive weather conditions that tend to occur during the second half of the year, such as the hurricanes that most often impact our operations in the Southern and Eastern United States, can actually increase our revenues in the areas affected. While weather-related and other “one-time” occurrences can boost revenues through additional work for a limited time, as a result of significant start-up costs and other factors, such revenue can generate earnings at comparatively lower margins.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for reporting segments including data and tables. Reportable segments include those that meet any of the following quantitative thresholds a) it's reported revenue, including sales to external customers and intersegment sales or transfers is 10 percent or more of the combined revenue, internal and external, of all operating segments b) the absolute amount of its reported profit or loss is 10 percent or more of the greater, in absolute amount of 1) the combined reported profit of all operating segments that did not report a loss or 2) the combined reported loss of all operating segments that did report a loss c) its assets are 10 percent or more of the combined assets of all operating segments.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
-Paragraph 34
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51669610&loc=d3e8981-108599

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
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Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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Reference 5: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
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-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
-SubTopic 10
-Section 50
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 280
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-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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+ Details

Acquisitions

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Acquisitions

9.	Acquisitions

Southern Waste Systems/Sun Recycling (“SWS”) — On January 8, 2016, Waste Management Inc. of Florida, a wholly-owned subsidiary of WM, acquired certain operations and business assets of SWS in Southern Florida for total consideration of $525 million. The acquired business assets include residential, commercial, and industrial solid waste collection, processing/recycling and transfer operations, equipment, vehicles, real estate and customer agreements. The acquisition was funded primarily with borrowings under our $2.25 billion revolving credit facility.

We recorded $93 million of property and equipment, $182 million of other intangible assets and $250 million of goodwill. The acquisition accounting for this transaction was finalized in the third quarter of 2016. There were no significant measurement period adjustments recorded in 2016. The goodwill allocation was calculated as the excess of the consideration paid over the net assets recognized and represents the future economic benefits expected to arise from other assets acquired that could not be individually identified and separately recognized. Goodwill has been assigned to our Florida Area as it is expected to benefit from the synergies of the combination. Goodwill related to this acquisition is deductible for income tax purposes.

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


	Amount		Weighted Average Amortization Periods (in Years)
Customer relationships	$	160		10.0
Noncompete agreements		18		5.0
Trade name		4		10.0

Total other intangible assets subject to amortization	$	182		9.5

For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016, the acquired operations of SWS contributed revenues of $36 million and $112 million, respectively, which are included in our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. The acquired operations have not materially affected our “Consolidated net income” for the reported periods.

Deffenbaugh Disposal, Inc. — On March 26, 2015, we acquired Deffenbaugh, one of the largest privately owned collection and disposal firms in the Midwest, for total consideration, net of cash acquired, of $400 million. Deffenbaugh’s assets include collection operations, transfer stations, recycling facilities and landfills. The acquisition accounting for this transaction was finalized in the first quarter of 2016. There were no significant measurement period adjustments recorded in 2016.

The following pro forma consolidated results of operations have been prepared as if the acquisitions of Deffenbaugh and SWS occurred at January 1, 2015 (in millions, except per share amounts):


	Three Months Ended September 30,		Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2015		2016		2015
Operating revenues	$	3,395	$	10,151	$	9,856
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.		335		847		479
Basic earnings per common share		0.75		1.91		1.05
Diluted earnings per common share		0.74		1.90		1.05

- Definition

The entire disclosure for a business combination (or series of individually immaterial business combinations) completed during the period, including background, timing, and recognized assets and liabilities. The disclosure may include leverage buyout transactions (as applicable).

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+ Details

Asset Impairments and Unusual Items

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Extraordinary and Unusual Items [Abstract]

Asset Impairments and Unusual Items

10.

Asset Impairments and Unusual Items

Expense from divestitures, asset impairments and unusual items

During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, we recognized net charges of $107 million primarily related to (i) a $43 million charge to impair a landfill in Western Pennsylvania due to a loss of expected volumes; (ii) a $42 million charge to adjust our subsidiary’s estimated environmental remediation liability for a closed site in Harris County, Texas, as further discussed in Note 7; (iii) a $10 million goodwill impairment charge associated with our LampTracker^® reporting unit and (iv) an $8 million loss on the sale of a majority-owned organics company.

During the nine months ended September 30, 2015, we recognized net charges of $17 million, including $18 million of charges to write down or divest of certain assets in our recycling operations and a $5 million impairment charge related to a landfill in our Western Canada Area. Partially offsetting these charges was a $6 million gain on the sale of an oil and gas producing property.

Other income (expense)

During the second quarter of 2016, we recognized $41 million of impairments to write down minority-owned investments in waste diversion technology companies to their fair value. These charges are recorded in “Other, net” in our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Equity [Abstract]

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

11.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)

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


	Derivative Instruments			Available- for-Sale Securities		Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments			Post- Retirement Benefit Plans			Total
Balance, December 31, 2015	$	(52	)	$	8	$	(75	)	$	(8	)	$	(127	)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax expense (benefit) of $(4), $1, $0 and $0, respectively		(7	)		2		51			—			46
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, net of tax (expense) benefit of $11, $0, $0 and $0, respectively		18			—		—			—			18

Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)		11			2		51			—			64

Balance, September 30, 2016	$	(41	)	$	10	$	(24	)	$	(8	)	$	(63	)

The amounts of other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications associated with the effective portion of derivatives designated as cash flow hedges are as follows (in millions):


	Three Months Ended September 30,					Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2015			2016			2015
Foreign currency derivatives	$	—	$	23		$	(11	)	$	44
Tax (expense) benefit		—		(9	)		4			(17	)

Net of tax	$	—	$	14		$	(7	)	$	27

The significant amounts reclassified out of each component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) associated with our cash flow hedges are as follows (in millions, with amounts in parentheses representing debits to the statement of operations classification):


	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,						Statement of Operations Classification
	2016			2015			2016			2015			Statement of Operations Classification
Forward-starting interest rate swaps	$	(2	)	$	(4	)	$	(8	)	$	(9	)	Interest expense, net
Treasury rate locks		(1	)		—			(1	)		(3	)	Interest expense, net
Foreign currency derivatives		—			19			(20	)		40		Other, net

		(3	)		15			(29	)		28		Total before tax
		1			(6	)		11			(11	)	Tax (expense) benefit

Total reclassifications for the period	$	(2	)	$	9		$	(18	)	$	17		Net of tax

- Definition

The entire disclosure for comprehensive income, which includes, but is not limited to, 1) the amount of income tax expense or benefit allocated to each component of other comprehensive income, including reclassification adjustments, 2) the reclassification adjustments for each classification of other comprehensive income and 3) the ending accumulated balances for each component of comprehensive income.

+ References

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-Glossary Reclassification Adjustments
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=6522872

+ Details

Common Stock Repurchase Program

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Equity [Abstract]

Common Stock Repurchase Program

12.

Common Stock Repurchase Program

Our share repurchases have been authorized by our Board of Directors. The Company entered into an accelerated share repurchase (“ASR”) agreement in December 2015 to repurchase $150 million of our common stock in early 2016. In January 2016, we delivered $150 million in cash and received 2.0 million shares based on a stock price of $53.37. The ASR agreement completed in February 2016, at which time we received 0.9 million additional shares based on a final weighted average per share purchase price during the repurchase period of $53.15.

In March 2016, the Company entered into an ASR agreement to repurchase $100 million of our common stock. At the beginning of the ASR repurchase period, we delivered $100 million in cash and received 1.2 million shares based on a stock price of $56.95. The ASR agreement completed in April 2016, at which time we received 0.5 million additional shares based on a final weighted average per share purchase price during the repurchase period of $58.33.

In May 2016, the Company entered into an ASR agreement to repurchase $250 million of our common stock. At the beginning of the ASR repurchase period, we delivered $250 million in cash and received 3.3 million shares based on a stock price of $60.49. The ASR agreement completed in August 2016, at which time we received 0.5 million additional shares based on a final weighted average per share price during the repurchase period of $64.67.

After completion of these ASRs, the Company has Board authorization remaining for $650 million of future share repurchases. Any future share repurchases pursuant to such authorization will be made at the discretion of management.

Each ASR agreement was accounted for as two separate transactions: (i) as shares of reacquired common stock for the shares delivered to us upon effectiveness of the ASR agreements and (ii) as a forward contract indexed to our own common stock for the undelivered shares. The initial delivery of shares is included in treasury stock at cost, and resulted in an immediate reduction of the outstanding shares used to calculate the weighted average common shares outstanding for basic and diluted earnings per share. The forward contracts indexed to our own stock met the criteria for equity classification, and these amounts are initially recorded in additional paid-in capital and reclassified to treasury stock upon completion of the ASR agreement.

Fair Value Measurements

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value Measurements

13.

Fair Value Measurements

Assets and Liabilities Accounted for at Fair Value

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


			Fair Value Measurements at September 30, 2016 Using
	Total		Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)(a)
Assets:
Money market funds	$	35	$	35	$	—	$	—
Available-for-sale securities		46		—		46		—
Fixed-income securities		40		—		40		—
Redeemable preferred stock		48		—		—		48

Total assets	$	169	$	35	$	86	$	48


			Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2015 Using
	Total		Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)(a)
Assets:
Money market funds	$	35	$	35	$	—	$	—
Available-for-sale securities		43		—		43		—
Fixed-income securities		40		—		40		—
Foreign currency derivatives(b)		78		—		78		—
Redeemable preferred stock		47		—		—		47

Total assets	$	243	$	35	$	161	$	47

(a)

When available, Level 3 investments have been measured based on third-party investors’ recent or pending transactions in these securities, which are considered the best evidence of fair value. When this evidence is not available, we use other valuation techniques as appropriate and available. These valuation methodologies may include transactions in similar instruments, discounted cash flow analysis, third-party appraisals or industry multiples and public comparables. There has not been any significant change in the fair value of the redeemable preferred stock since our assessment at December 31, 2015.

(b)

In March 2016, we terminated our foreign currency derivatives. Refer to Note 4 for additional information.

Fair Value of Debt

At September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, the carrying value of our debt was approximately $9.3 billion and $8.9 billion, respectively.

The estimated fair value of our debt was approximately $10.1 billion and $9.2 billion at September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. The fair value of our fixed-rate debt is estimated using discounted cash flow analysis, based on current market rates for similar types of instruments. The carrying value of our variable-rate debt approximates fair value due to the short-term nature of the interest rates. The increase in the fair value of our debt when comparing September 30, 2016 with December 31, 2015 is primarily related to $326 million of net borrowings during 2016, as well as recent decreases in long-term interest rates.

Although we have determined the estimated fair value amounts using available market information and commonly accepted valuation methodologies, considerable judgment is required in interpreting market data to develop the estimates of fair value. Accordingly, our estimates are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that we, or holders of the instruments, could realize in a current market exchange. The use of different assumptions and/or estimation methodologies could have a material effect on the estimated fair values. The fair value estimates are based on Level 2 inputs of the fair value hierarchy available as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015. These amounts have not been revalued since those dates, and current estimates of fair value could differ significantly from the amounts presented.

- Definition

The entire disclosure for the fair value of financial instruments (as defined), including financial assets and financial liabilities (collectively, as defined), and the measurements of those instruments as well as disclosures related to the fair value of non-financial assets and liabilities. Such disclosures about the financial instruments, assets, and liabilities would include: (1) the fair value of the required items together with their carrying amounts (as appropriate); (2) for items for which it is not practicable to estimate fair value, disclosure would include: (a) information pertinent to estimating fair value (including, carrying amount, effective interest rate, and maturity, and (b) the reasons why it is not practicable to estimate fair value; (3) significant concentrations of credit risk including: (a) information about the activity, region, or economic characteristics identifying a concentration, (b) the maximum amount of loss the entity is exposed to based on the gross fair value of the related item, (c) policy for requiring collateral or other security and information as to accessing such collateral or security, and (d) the nature and brief description of such collateral or security; (4) quantitative information about market risks and how such risks are managed; (5) for items measured on both a recurring and nonrecurring basis information regarding the inputs used to develop the fair value measurement; and (6) for items presented in the financial statement for which fair value measurement is elected: (a) information necessary to understand the reasons for the election, (b) discussion of the effect of fair value changes on earnings, (c) a description of [similar groups] items for which the election is made and the relation thereof to the balance sheet, the aggregate carrying value of items included in the balance sheet that are not eligible for the election; (7) all other required (as defined) and desired information.

+ References + Details

Variable Interest Entities

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [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 that represent a significant interest in an unconsolidated entity and (ii) trusts for final capping, closure, post-closure or environmental remediation obligations.

Significant Unconsolidated Variable Interest Entities

We have significant financial interests in entities established to invest in and manage low-income housing properties and a refined coal facility. We support the operations of these entities in exchange for a pro-rata share of the tax credits they generate. We have determined we are not the primary beneficiary of these entities as we do not have the power to individually direct the activities of these entities. Accordingly, we account for these investments under the equity method of accounting and do not consolidate them. As of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, our aggregate investment balance in these two entities was $90 million and $110 million, respectively. The debt balance related to our investment in low-income housing properties was $63 million and $80 million at September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. Additional information related to these investments is discussed in Note 5.

Trusts for Final Capping, Closure, Post-Closure or Environmental Remediation Obligations

We have significant financial interests in trust funds that were created to settle certain of our final capping, closure, post-closure or environmental remediation obligations. Generally, we are the sole beneficiary of these restricted balances; however, certain of the funds have been established for the benefit of both the Company and the host community in which we operate. We have determined that these trust funds are variable interest entities; however, we are not the primary beneficiary of certain of these entities because either (i) we do not have the power to direct the significant activities of the trusts or (ii) power over the trusts’ significant activities is shared.

We account for the trusts for which we are the sole beneficiary as long-term “Other assets” in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets. We reflect our interests in the unrealized gains and losses on available-for-sale securities held by these trusts as a component of “Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss).” These trusts had a fair value of $96 million and $94 million at September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively. Our interests in the trusts that have been established for the benefit of both the Company and the host community in which we operate are accounted for as investments in unconsolidated entities and receivables. These amounts are recorded in “Other receivables,” “Investments in unconsolidated entities” and long-term “Other assets” in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets, as appropriate. Our investments and receivables related to these trusts had an aggregate carrying value of $96 million and $93 million as of September 30, 2016 and December 31, 2015, respectively.

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. 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, 2016

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements

15.

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements

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

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS

September 30, 2016

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings		Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	—		$	—	$	30		$	—		$	30
Other current assets		5			5		2,253			—			2,263

		5			5		2,283			—			2,293
Property and equipment, net		—			—		10,842			—			10,842
Investments in affiliates		19,543			19,978		—			(39,521	)		—
Advances to affiliates(a)		—			—		12,727			(12,727	)		—
Other assets		14			30		7,577			—			7,621

Total assets	$	19,562		$	20,013	$	33,429		$	(52,248	)	$	20,756


LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	$	295		$	—	$	137		$	—		$	432
Accounts payable and other current liabilities		66			4		2,162			—			2,232

		361			4		2,299			—			2,664
Long-term debt, less current portion(a)		6,072			304		2,453			—			8,829
Due to affiliates(a)		13,053			148		5,299			(18,500	)		—
Other liabilities		16			—		3,864			—			3,880

Total liabilities		19,502			456		13,915			(18,500	)		15,373
Equity:
Stockholders’ equity		5,359			19,557		19,964			(39,521	)		5,359
Advances to affiliates		(5,299	)		—		(474	)		5,773			—
Noncontrolling interests		—			—		24			—			24

		60			19,557		19,514			(33,748	)		5,383

Total liabilities and equity	$	19,562		$	20,013	$	33,429		$	(52,248	)	$	20,756

(a)

In conjunction with the preparation of our June 30, 2016 Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet, we identified and corrected the presentation of $126 million of tax-exempt bonds previously reported in Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries’ rather than WM’s “Long-term debt, less current portion,” which had corresponding impacts on “Advances to affiliates” and “Due to affiliates.” This immaterial correction has been reflected in our current year Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS (Continued)

December 31, 2015


	WM			WM Holdings		Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	—		$	—	$	39		$	—		$	39
Other current assets		3			6		2,297			—			2,306

		3			6		2,336			—			2,345
Property and equipment, net		—			—		10,665			—			10,665
Investments in affiliates(b)		18,557			18,925		—			(37,482	)		—
Advances to affiliates		—			—		12,113			(12,113	)		—
Other assets		23			29		7,305			—			7,357

Total assets	$	18,583		$	18,960	$	32,419		$	(49,595	)	$	20,367


LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	$	41		$	—	$	212		$	—		$	253
Accounts payable and other current liabilities		83			9		2,165			—			2,257

		124			9		2,377			—			2,510
Long-term debt, less current portion		5,801			304		2,571			—			8,676
Due to affiliates(b)		12,588			76		5,299			(17,963	)		—
Other liabilities		24			—		3,790			—			3,814

Total liabilities		18,537			389		14,037			(17,963	)		15,000
Equity:
Stockholders’ equity		5,345			18,571		18,911			(37,482	)		5,345
Advances to affiliates(b)		(5,299	)		—		(551	)		5,850			—
Noncontrolling interests		—			—		22			—			22

		46			18,571		18,382			(31,632	)		5,367

Total liabilities and equity	$	18,583		$	18,960	$	32,419		$	(49,595	)	$	20,367

(b)

In conjunction with the preparation of our September 30, 2016 Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet, we identified $5.9 billion of intercompany loans between WM and Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries previously included in “Due to affiliates” and “Advances to affiliates” that based on intent are not expected to be collected, and as such are being presented as part of “Equity” in WM’s and Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries’ balance sheet. Accordingly, the 2015 Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheet included herein has been revised to reflect this presentation.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

Three Months Ended September 30, 2016

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	3,548		$	—		$	3,548
Costs and expenses		—			—			2,988			—			2,988

Income from operations		—			—			560			—			560

Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net		(77	)		(5	)		(12	)		—			(94	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		349			352			—			(701	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(9	)		—			(9	)

		272			347			(21	)		(701	)		(103	)

Income (loss) before income taxes		272			347			539			(701	)		457
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(30	)		(2	)		185			—			153

Consolidated net income		302			349			354			(701	)		304
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			2			—			2

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	302		$	349		$	352		$	(701	)	$	302

Three Months Ended September 30, 2015

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	3,360		$	—		$	3,360
Costs and expenses		—			—			2,759			—			2,759

Income from operations		—			—			601			—			601

Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net		(72	)		(5	)		(18	)		—			(95	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		378			381			—			(759	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(10	)		—			(10	)

		306			376			(28	)		(759	)		(105	)

Income (loss) before income taxes		306			376			573			(759	)		496
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(29	)		(2	)		190			—			159

Consolidated net income		335			378			383			(759	)		337
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			2			—			2

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	335		$	378		$	381		$	(759	)	$	335

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Continued)

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	10,149		$	—		$	10,149
Costs and expenses		—			—			8,470			—			8,470

Income from operations		—			—			1,679			—			1,679

Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net		(227	)		(15	)		(40	)		—			(282	)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt		(1	)		—			(3	)		—			(4	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		986			995			—			(1,981	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(81	)		—			(81	)

		758			980			(124	)		(1,981	)		(367	)

Income (loss) before income taxes		758			980			1,555			(1,981	)		1,312
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(89	)		(6	)		561			—			466

Consolidated net income		847			986			994			(1,981	)		846
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			(1	)		—			(1	)

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	847		$	986		$	995		$	(1,981	)	$	847

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 (Unaudited)
	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	9,715		$	—		$	9,715
Costs and expenses		—			—			8,172			—			8,172

Income from operations		—			—			1,543			—			1,543

Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net		(226	)		(17	)		(51	)		—			(294	)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt		(500	)		(52	)		—			—			(552	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		929			971			—			(1,900	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(34	)		—			(34	)

		203			902			(85	)		(1,900	)		(880	)

Income (loss) before income taxes		203			902			1,458			(1,900	)		663
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(277	)		(27	)		488			—			184

Consolidated net income		480			929			970			(1,900	)		479
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			(1	)		—			(1	)

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	480		$	929		$	971		$	(1,900	)	$	480

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Unaudited)


	WM		WM Holdings		Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Three Months Ended September 30, 2016
Comprehensive income	$	303	$	349	$	339		$	(701	)	$	290
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		2			—			2

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	303	$	349	$	337		$	(701	)	$	288

Three Months Ended September 30, 2015
Comprehensive income	$	336	$	378	$	325		$	(759	)	$	280
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		2			—			2

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	336	$	378	$	323		$	(759	)	$	278


	WM		WM Holdings		Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016
Comprehensive income	$	852	$	986	$	1,053		$	(1,981	)	$	910
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		(1	)		—			(1	)

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management Inc.	$	852	$	986	$	1,054		$	(1,981	)	$	911

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015
Comprehensive income	$	487	$	929	$	849		$	(1,900	)	$	365
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		(1	)		—			(1	)

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	487	$	929	$	850		$	(1,900	)	$	366

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016

(Unaudited)


	WM(c)			WM Holdings(c)			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$	847		$	986		$	994		$	(1,981	)	$	846
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		(986	)		(995	)		—			1,981			—
Other adjustments		139			9			1,213			—			1,361

Net cash provided by operating activities		—			—			2,207			—			2,207

Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired		—			—			(600	)		—			(600	)
Capital expenditures		—			—			(962	)		—			(962	)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses and other assets (net of cash divested)		—			—			32			—			32
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net		—			—			(20	)		—			(20	)

Net cash used in investing activities		—			—			(1,550	)		—			(1,550	)

Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings		—			—			2,536			—			2,536
Debt repayments		—			—			(2,210	)		—			(2,210	)
Premiums paid on early extinguishment of debt		—			—			(2	)		—			(2	)
Common stock repurchase program		—			—			(500	)		—			(500	)
Cash dividends		—			—			(546	)		—			(546	)
Exercise of common stock options		—			—			57			—			57
Other, net		—			—			(1	)		—			(1	)
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net		—			—			—			—			—

Net cash used in financing activities		—			—			(666	)		—			(666	)

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

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		—			—			(9	)		—			(9	)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		—			—			39			—			39

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	—		$	—		$	30		$	—		$	30

(c)	Cash receipts and payments of WM and WM Holdings are transacted by Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Continued)

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015

(Unaudited)


	WM(d)			WM Holdings(d)			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$	480		$	929		$	970		$	(1,900	)	$	479
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		(929	)		(971	)		—			1,900			—
Other adjustments		449			42			1,002			—			1,493

Net cash provided by operating activities		—			—			1,972			—			1,972

Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired		—			—			(473	)		—			(473	)
Capital expenditures		—			—			(864	)		—			(864	)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses and other assets (net of cash divested)		—			—			114			—			114
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net		—			—			42			—			42

Net cash used in investing activities		—			—			(1,181	)		—			(1,181	)

Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings		—			—			2,060			—			2,060
Debt repayments		—			—			(2,421	)		—			(2,421	)
Premiums paid on early extinguishment of debt		—			—			(555	)		—			(555	)
Common stock repurchase program		—			—			(600	)		—			(600	)
Cash dividends		—			—			(523	)		—			(523	)
Exercise of common stock options		—			—			53			—			53
Other, net		—			—			3			—			3
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net		(1,235	)		—			1,235			—			—

Net cash used in financing activities		(1,235	)		—			(748	)		—			(1,983	)

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

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		(1,235	)		—			41			—			(1,194	)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		1,235			—			72			—			1,307

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	—		$	—		$	113		$	—		$	113

(d)	Cash receipts and payments of WM and WM Holdings are transacted by Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries. We have revised the prior year presentation to reflect all relevant cash flow activities in the Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries column.

New Accounting Standards Pending Adoption

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]

New Accounting Standards Pending Adoption

16.

New Accounting Standards Pending Adoption

Statement of Cash Flows — In August 2016, the FASB issued amended authoritative guidance associated with the classification of certain cash receipts and cash payments on the statement of cash flows. The amended guidance addresses specific cash flow issues with the objective of reducing existing diversity in practice. The amended guidance is effective for the Company on January 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted. We do not currently expect that the adoption of this amended guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Financial Instrument Credit Losses — In June 2016, the FASB issued amended authoritative guidance associated with the measurement of credit losses on financial instruments. The amended guidance replaces the incurred loss impairment methodology in current U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) of recognizing credit losses when a loss is probable, with a methodology that reflects expected credit losses and requires consideration of a broader range of reasonable and supportable information to assess credit loss estimates. The amended guidance is effective for the Company on January 1, 2020, with early adoption permitted beginning January 1, 2019. We are assessing the provisions of the amended guidance and evaluating the timing and impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Stock Compensation — In March 2016, the FASB issued amended authoritative guidance associated with stock-based employee compensation as part of its simplification initiative to reduce the cost and complexity of compliance with GAAP while maintaining or improving the usefulness of the information provided. The amended guidance changes both the accounting and financial reporting for certain income tax impacts of stock-based employee compensation. All excess tax benefits and tax deficiencies will be required to be recognized as an income tax benefit or expense rather than as a component of equity. The guidance also provides for changes in the calculation of forfeitures related to the expense of stock-based employee compensation. The amended guidance is effective for the Company on January 1, 2017. We do not currently expect that the adoption of this amended guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Leases — In February 2016, the FASB issued amended authoritative guidance associated with lease accounting. The amended guidance requires the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet for those leases with terms in excess of 12 months and currently classified as operating leases. The disclosure of key information about leasing arrangements will also be required. The amended guidance is effective for the Company on January 1, 2019, with early adoption permitted. We are in the process of assessing the provisions of the amended guidance and evaluating the timing and impact on our consolidated financial statements and disclosures.

Financial Instruments — In January 2016, the FASB issued amended authoritative guidance associated with the recognition and measurement of financial assets and liabilities. The amended guidance will require certain equity investments that are not consolidated to be measured at fair value with changes in fair value recognized in net income rather than as a component of accumulated other comprehensive income. The amended guidance is effective for the Company on January 1, 2018, with early adoption permitted. We do not currently expect that the adoption of this amended guidance will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Revenue Recognition — In May 2014, the FASB issued amended authoritative guidance associated with revenue recognition. The amended guidance requires companies to recognize revenue to depict the transfer of promised goods or services to customers in an amount that reflects the consideration to which the entity expects to be entitled in exchange for those goods or services. Additionally, the amendments will require enhanced qualitative and quantitative disclosures regarding customer contracts. The amended guidance associated with revenue recognition is effective for the Company on January 1, 2018. The amended guidance may be applied retrospectively for all periods presented or retrospectively with the cumulative effect of initially applying the amended guidance recognized at the date of initial adoption. We have formed an implementation work team and completed training on the new standard. We are in the process of reviewing our contractual arrangements. We have not determined whether the adoption will have a material impact on our consolidated financial statements.

Basis of Presentation (Policies)	9 Months Ended
Basis of Presentation (Policies)	Sep. 30, 2016
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	The financial statements presented in this report represent the consolidation of Waste Management, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and Waste Management’s wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries. 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. and its consolidated subsidiaries. When we use the term “WM,” we are referring only to Waste Management, Inc., the parent holding company. We are North America’s leading provider of comprehensive waste management environmental services. We partner with our residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers and the communities we serve to manage and reduce waste at each stage from collection to disposal, while recovering valuable resources and creating clean, renewable energy. Our “Solid Waste” business is operated and managed locally by our subsidiaries that focus on distinct geographic areas and provides collection, transfer, recycling and resource recovery, and disposal services. Through our subsidiaries, we are also a leading developer, operator and owner of landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. We evaluate, oversee and manage the financial performance of our Solid Waste business subsidiaries through our 17 geographic Areas. We also provide additional services that are not managed through our Solid Waste business, which are presented in this report as “Other.” Additional information related to our segments is included in Note 8. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of September 30, 2016 and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2016 and 2015 are unaudited. In the opinion of management, these financial statements include all adjustments, which, unless otherwise disclosed, are of a normal recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows, and changes in equity for the periods presented. The results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. The financial statements presented herein should be read in connection with the financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015. In preparing our financial statements, we make numerous estimates and assumptions that affect the accounting for and recognition and disclosure of assets, liabilities, equity, revenues and expenses. We must make these estimates and assumptions because certain information that we use is dependent on future events, cannot be calculated with precision from available data or simply cannot be calculated. In some cases, these estimates are difficult to determine, and we must exercise significant judgment. In preparing our financial statements, the most difficult, subjective and complex estimates and the assumptions that present the greatest amount of uncertainty relate to our accounting for landfills, environmental remediation liabilities, asset impairments, deferred income taxes and reserves associated with our insured and self-insured claims. Actual results could differ materially from the estimates and assumptions that we use in the preparation of our financial statements.
Adoption of New Accounting Standards	*Adoption of New Accounting Standards* Debt Issuance Costs — In April 2015, and as subsequently amended, the Financial Accounting Standards Board (“FASB”) issued amended authoritative guidance associated with debt issuance costs which were previously presented as assets related to recognized debt liabilities. The amended guidance requires that debt issuance costs, other than those costs related to line of credit arrangements, be presented on the balance sheet as a direct deduction from the related debt liability, which is similar to the presentation for debt discounts and premiums. This guidance was effective for the Company on January 1, 2016. The Company’s adoption of this guidance was applied retrospectively and resulted in a reclassification of $52 million of such costs in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet at December 31, 2015. Consolidation — In February 2015, the FASB issued amended authoritative guidance associated with consolidation. The amended guidance makes changes to existing consolidation requirements associated with the analysis a reporting entity must perform to determine whether it should consolidate certain types of legal entities, including limited partnerships and variable interest entities. The guidance was effective for the Company on January 1, 2016. The Company’s adoption of this guidance did not impact our consolidated financial statements.
Reclassifications	*Reclassifications* When necessary, reclassifications have been made to our prior period consolidated financial information in order to conform to the current year presentation.

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Text Block [Abstract]

Liabilities for Landfill and Environmental Remediation Costs

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


	September 30, 2016						December 31, 2015
	Landfill		Environmental Remediation		Total		Landfill		Environmental Remediation		Total
Current (in accrued liabilities)	$	115	$	31	$	146	$	112	$	31	$	143
Long-term		1,461		222		1,683		1,406		178		1,584

	$	1,576	$	253	$	1,829	$	1,518	$	209	$	1,727

Changes to Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities

The changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities for the nine months ended September 30, 2016 are reflected in the table below (in millions):


	Landfill			Environmental Remediation
December 31, 2015	$	1,518		$	209
Obligations incurred and capitalized		45			—
Obligations settled		(66	)		(16	)
Interest accretion		67			2
Revisions in estimates and interest rate assumptions(a)(b)		9			58
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments		3			—

September 30, 2016	$	1,576		$	253

(a)

(b)

Debt (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Debt Disclosure [Abstract]

Components of Debt


	September 30, 2016		December 31, 2015
$2.25 billion revolving credit facility, maturing July 2020 (weighted average interest rate of 1.5% at September 30, 2016)	$	295	$	20
Letter of credit facilities, maturing through December 2018		—		—
Canadian credit facility and term loan, maturing March 2019 (weighted average effective interest rate of 2.0% at September 30, 2016 and 2.2% at December 31, 2015)		278		84
Senior notes maturing through 2045, interest rates ranging from 2.4% to 7.75% (weighted average interest rate of 4.6% at September 30, 2016 and 4.7% at December 31, 2015)		6,034		6,050
Tax-exempt bonds, maturing through 2045, fixed and variable interest rates ranging from 0.7% to 5.7% (weighted average interest rate of 1.8% at September 30, 2016 and 1.9% at December 31, 2015)		2,346		2,447
Capital leases and other, maturing through 2055, interest rates up to 12%		308		328

		9,261		8,929
Current portion of long-term debt		432		253

	$	8,829	$	8,676

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Earnings Per Share [Abstract]

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

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


	Three Months Ended September 30,				Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2015		2016		2015
Number of common shares outstanding at end of period		442.0		446.5		442.0		446.5
Effect of using weighted average common shares outstanding		0.9		3.1		2.3		8.0

Weighted average basic common shares outstanding		442.9		449.6		444.3		454.5
Dilutive effect of equity-based compensation awards and other contingently issuable shares		2.8		3.1		2.8		3.0

Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding		445.7		452.7		447.1		457.5

Potentially issuable shares		9.2		11.0		9.2		11.0
Number of anti-dilutive potentially issuable shares excluded from diluted common shares outstanding		0.5		2.0		0.5		2.0

Segment and Related Information (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Segment Reporting [Abstract]

Reportable Segments

Summarized financial information concerning our reportable segments is shown in the following table (in millions):


	Gross Operating Revenues		Intercompany Operating Revenues			Net Operating Revenues		Income from Operations
Three Months Ended:
September 30, 2016
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	1,364	$	(238	)	$	1,126	$	369
Tier 2		885		(162	)		723		121
Tier 3		1,382		(241	)		1,141		238

Solid Waste		3,631		(641	)		2,990		728
Other		608		(50	)		558		(30	)

		4,239		(691	)		3,548		698
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(138	)

Total	$	4,239	$	(691	)	$	3,548	$	560

September 30, 2015
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	1,316	$	(224	)	$	1,092	$	344
Tier 2		851		(157	)		694		168
Tier 3		1,265		(208	)		1,057		215

Solid Waste		3,432		(589	)		2,843		727
Other		549		(32	)		517		(8	)

		3,981		(621	)		3,360		719
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(118	)

Total	$	3,981	$	(621	)	$	3,360	$	601


	Gross Operating Revenues		Intercompany Operating Revenues			Net Operating Revenues		Income from Operations
Nine Months Ended:
September 30, 2016
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	3,921	$	(679	)	$	3,242	$	1,065
Tier 2		2,522		(462	)		2,060		423
Tier 3		3,989		(686	)		3,303		681

Solid Waste		10,432		(1,827	)		8,605		2,169
Other		1,680		(136	)		1,544		(86	)

		12,112		(1,963	)		10,149		2,083
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(404	)

Total	$	12,112	$	(1,963	)	$	10,149	$	1,679

September 30, 2015
Solid Waste:
Tier 1	$	3,803	$	(632	)	$	3,171	$	937
Tier 2		2,484		(462	)		2,022		458
Tier 3		3,651		(603	)		3,048		575

Solid Waste		9,938		(1,697	)		8,241		1,970
Wheelabrator		—		—			—		1
Other		1,552		(78	)		1,474		(48	)

		11,490		(1,775	)		9,715		1,923
Corporate and Other		—		—			—		(380	)

Total	$	11,490	$	(1,775	)	$	9,715	$	1,543

Acquisitions (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Business Combinations [Abstract]

Schedule of Preliminary Allocation of Purchase Price

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


	Amount		Weighted Average Amortization Periods (in Years)
Customer relationships	$	160		10.0
Noncompete agreements		18		5.0
Trade name		4		10.0

Total other intangible assets subject to amortization	$	182		9.5

Pro Forma Consolidated Results of Operations

The following pro forma consolidated results of operations have been prepared as if the acquisitions of Deffenbaugh and SWS occurred at January 1, 2015 (in millions, except per share amounts):


	Three Months Ended September 30,		Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2015		2016		2015
Operating revenues	$	3,395	$	10,151	$	9,856
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.		335		847		479
Basic earnings per common share		0.75		1.91		1.05
Diluted earnings per common share		0.74		1.90		1.05

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Equity [Abstract]

Components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)


	Derivative Instruments			Available- for-Sale Securities		Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments			Post- Retirement Benefit Plans			Total
Balance, December 31, 2015	$	(52	)	$	8	$	(75	)	$	(8	)	$	(127	)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax expense (benefit) of $(4), $1, $0 and $0, respectively		(7	)		2		51			—			46
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, net of tax (expense) benefit of $11, $0, $0 and $0, respectively		18			—		—			—			18

Net current period other comprehensive income (loss)		11			2		51			—			64

Balance, September 30, 2016	$	(41	)	$	10	$	(24	)	$	(8	)	$	(63	)

Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Before Reclassifications Associated with the Effective Portion of Derivatives Designated as Cash Flow Hedges

The amounts of other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications associated with the effective portion of derivatives designated as cash flow hedges are as follows (in millions):


	Three Months Ended September 30,					Nine Months Ended September 30,
	2016		2015			2016			2015
Foreign currency derivatives	$	—	$	23		$	(11	)	$	44
Tax (expense) benefit		—		(9	)		4			(17	)

Net of tax	$	—	$	14		$	(7	)	$	27

Reclassification of Component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Associated with Cash Flow Hedges


	Three Months Ended September 30,						Nine Months Ended September 30,						Statement of Operations Classification
	2016			2015			2016			2015			Statement of Operations Classification
Forward-starting interest rate swaps	$	(2	)	$	(4	)	$	(8	)	$	(9	)	Interest expense, net
Treasury rate locks		(1	)		—			(1	)		(3	)	Interest expense, net
Foreign currency derivatives		—			19			(20	)		40		Other, net

		(3	)		15			(29	)		28		Total before tax
		1			(6	)		11			(11	)	Tax (expense) benefit

Total reclassifications for the period	$	(2	)	$	9		$	(18	)	$	17		Net of tax

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]

Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis

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


			Fair Value Measurements at September 30, 2016 Using
	Total		Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)(a)
Assets:
Money market funds	$	35	$	35	$	—	$	—
Available-for-sale securities		46		—		46		—
Fixed-income securities		40		—		40		—
Redeemable preferred stock		48		—		—		48

Total assets	$	169	$	35	$	86	$	48


			Fair Value Measurements at December 31, 2015 Using
	Total		Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1)		Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2)		Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)(a)
Assets:
Money market funds	$	35	$	35	$	—	$	—
Available-for-sale securities		43		—		43		—
Fixed-income securities		40		—		40		—
Foreign currency derivatives(b)		78		—		78		—
Redeemable preferred stock		47		—		—		47

Total assets	$	243	$	35	$	161	$	47

(a)

(b)

In March 2016, we terminated our foreign currency derivatives. Refer to Note 4 for additional information.

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Tables)

9 Months Ended

Sep. 30, 2016

Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]

Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS

September 30, 2016

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings		Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	—		$	—	$	30		$	—		$	30
Other current assets		5			5		2,253			—			2,263

		5			5		2,283			—			2,293
Property and equipment, net		—			—		10,842			—			10,842
Investments in affiliates		19,543			19,978		—			(39,521	)		—
Advances to affiliates(a)		—			—		12,727			(12,727	)		—
Other assets		14			30		7,577			—			7,621

Total assets	$	19,562		$	20,013	$	33,429		$	(52,248	)	$	20,756


LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	$	295		$	—	$	137		$	—		$	432
Accounts payable and other current liabilities		66			4		2,162			—			2,232

		361			4		2,299			—			2,664
Long-term debt, less current portion(a)		6,072			304		2,453			—			8,829
Due to affiliates(a)		13,053			148		5,299			(18,500	)		—
Other liabilities		16			—		3,864			—			3,880

Total liabilities		19,502			456		13,915			(18,500	)		15,373
Equity:
Stockholders’ equity		5,359			19,557		19,964			(39,521	)		5,359
Advances to affiliates		(5,299	)		—		(474	)		5,773			—
Noncontrolling interests		—			—		24			—			24

		60			19,557		19,514			(33,748	)		5,383

Total liabilities and equity	$	19,562		$	20,013	$	33,429		$	(52,248	)	$	20,756

(a)

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS (Continued)

December 31, 2015


	WM			WM Holdings		Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$	—		$	—	$	39		$	—		$	39
Other current assets		3			6		2,297			—			2,306

		3			6		2,336			—			2,345
Property and equipment, net		—			—		10,665			—			10,665
Investments in affiliates(b)		18,557			18,925		—			(37,482	)		—
Advances to affiliates		—			—		12,113			(12,113	)		—
Other assets		23			29		7,305			—			7,357

Total assets	$	18,583		$	18,960	$	32,419		$	(49,595	)	$	20,367


LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	$	41		$	—	$	212		$	—		$	253
Accounts payable and other current liabilities		83			9		2,165			—			2,257

		124			9		2,377			—			2,510
Long-term debt, less current portion		5,801			304		2,571			—			8,676
Due to affiliates(b)		12,588			76		5,299			(17,963	)		—
Other liabilities		24			—		3,790			—			3,814

Total liabilities		18,537			389		14,037			(17,963	)		15,000
Equity:
Stockholders’ equity		5,345			18,571		18,911			(37,482	)		5,345
Advances to affiliates(b)		(5,299	)		—		(551	)		5,850			—
Noncontrolling interests		—			—		22			—			22

		46			18,571		18,382			(31,632	)		5,367

Total liabilities and equity	$	18,583		$	18,960	$	32,419		$	(49,595	)	$	20,367

(b)

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

Three Months Ended September 30, 2016

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	3,548		$	—		$	3,548
Costs and expenses		—			—			2,988			—			2,988

Income from operations		—			—			560			—			560

Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net		(77	)		(5	)		(12	)		—			(94	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		349			352			—			(701	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(9	)		—			(9	)

		272			347			(21	)		(701	)		(103	)

Income (loss) before income taxes		272			347			539			(701	)		457
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(30	)		(2	)		185			—			153

Consolidated net income		302			349			354			(701	)		304
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			2			—			2

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	302		$	349		$	352		$	(701	)	$	302

Three Months Ended September 30, 2015

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	3,360		$	—		$	3,360
Costs and expenses		—			—			2,759			—			2,759

Income from operations		—			—			601			—			601

Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net		(72	)		(5	)		(18	)		—			(95	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		378			381			—			(759	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(10	)		—			(10	)

		306			376			(28	)		(759	)		(105	)

Income (loss) before income taxes		306			376			573			(759	)		496
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(29	)		(2	)		190			—			159

Consolidated net income		335			378			383			(759	)		337
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			2			—			2

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	335		$	378		$	381		$	(759	)	$	335

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Continued)

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016

(Unaudited)


	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	10,149		$	—		$	10,149
Costs and expenses		—			—			8,470			—			8,470

Income from operations		—			—			1,679			—			1,679

Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net		(227	)		(15	)		(40	)		—			(282	)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt		(1	)		—			(3	)		—			(4	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		986			995			—			(1,981	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(81	)		—			(81	)

		758			980			(124	)		(1,981	)		(367	)

Income (loss) before income taxes		758			980			1,555			(1,981	)		1,312
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(89	)		(6	)		561			—			466

Consolidated net income		847			986			994			(1,981	)		846
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			(1	)		—			(1	)

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	847		$	986		$	995		$	(1,981	)	$	847

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015 (Unaudited)
	WM			WM Holdings			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Operating revenues	$	—		$	—		$	9,715		$	—		$	9,715
Costs and expenses		—			—			8,172			—			8,172

Income from operations		—			—			1,543			—			1,543

Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net		(226	)		(17	)		(51	)		—			(294	)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt		(500	)		(52	)		—			—			(552	)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		929			971			—			(1,900	)		—
Other, net		—			—			(34	)		—			(34	)

		203			902			(85	)		(1,900	)		(880	)

Income (loss) before income taxes		203			902			1,458			(1,900	)		663
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes		(277	)		(27	)		488			—			184

Consolidated net income		480			929			970			(1,900	)		479
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—			—			(1	)		—			(1	)

Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	480		$	929		$	971		$	(1,900	)	$	480

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Comprehensive Income

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME

(Unaudited)


	WM		WM Holdings		Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Three Months Ended September 30, 2016
Comprehensive income	$	303	$	349	$	339		$	(701	)	$	290
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		2			—			2

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	303	$	349	$	337		$	(701	)	$	288

Three Months Ended September 30, 2015
Comprehensive income	$	336	$	378	$	325		$	(759	)	$	280
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		2			—			2

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	336	$	378	$	323		$	(759	)	$	278


	WM		WM Holdings		Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016
Comprehensive income	$	852	$	986	$	1,053		$	(1,981	)	$	910
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		(1	)		—			(1	)

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management Inc.	$	852	$	986	$	1,054		$	(1,981	)	$	911

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015
Comprehensive income	$	487	$	929	$	849		$	(1,900	)	$	365
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		—		—		(1	)		—			(1	)

Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$	487	$	929	$	850		$	(1,900	)	$	366

Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2016

(Unaudited)


	WM(c)			WM Holdings(c)			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$	847		$	986		$	994		$	(1,981	)	$	846
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		(986	)		(995	)		—			1,981			—
Other adjustments		139			9			1,213			—			1,361

Net cash provided by operating activities		—			—			2,207			—			2,207

Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired		—			—			(600	)		—			(600	)
Capital expenditures		—			—			(962	)		—			(962	)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses and other assets (net of cash divested)		—			—			32			—			32
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net		—			—			(20	)		—			(20	)

Net cash used in investing activities		—			—			(1,550	)		—			(1,550	)

Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings		—			—			2,536			—			2,536
Debt repayments		—			—			(2,210	)		—			(2,210	)
Premiums paid on early extinguishment of debt		—			—			(2	)		—			(2	)
Common stock repurchase program		—			—			(500	)		—			(500	)
Cash dividends		—			—			(546	)		—			(546	)
Exercise of common stock options		—			—			57			—			57
Other, net		—			—			(1	)		—			(1	)
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net		—			—			—			—			—

Net cash used in financing activities		—			—			(666	)		—			(666	)

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

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		—			—			(9	)		—			(9	)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		—			—			39			—			39

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	—		$	—		$	30		$	—		$	30

(c)	Cash receipts and payments of WM and WM Holdings are transacted by Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Continued)

Nine Months Ended September 30, 2015

(Unaudited)


	WM(d)			WM Holdings(d)			Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries			Eliminations			Consolidated
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$	480		$	929		$	970		$	(1,900	)	$	479
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes		(929	)		(971	)		—			1,900			—
Other adjustments		449			42			1,002			—			1,493

Net cash provided by operating activities		—			—			1,972			—			1,972

Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired		—			—			(473	)		—			(473	)
Capital expenditures		—			—			(864	)		—			(864	)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses and other assets (net of cash divested)		—			—			114			—			114
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net		—			—			42			—			42

Net cash used in investing activities		—			—			(1,181	)		—			(1,181	)

Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings		—			—			2,060			—			2,060
Debt repayments		—			—			(2,421	)		—			(2,421	)
Premiums paid on early extinguishment of debt		—			—			(555	)		—			(555	)
Common stock repurchase program		—			—			(600	)		—			(600	)
Cash dividends		—			—			(523	)		—			(523	)
Exercise of common stock options		—			—			53			—			53
Other, net		—			—			3			—			3
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net		(1,235	)		—			1,235			—			—

Net cash used in financing activities		(1,235	)		—			(748	)		—			(1,983	)

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

Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents		(1,235	)		—			41			—			(1,194	)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period		1,235			—			72			—			1,307

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$	—		$	—		$	113		$	—		$	113

(d)	Cash receipts and payments of WM and WM Holdings are transacted by Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries. We have revised the prior year presentation to reflect all relevant cash flow activities in the Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries column.

Basis of Presentation - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended	12 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016 Areas	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Number of geographical areas \| Areas	17
Accounting Standards Update 2015-03 [Member]
Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Reclassification of debt issuance costs \| $		$ 52

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities - Liabilities for Landfill and Environmental Remediation Costs (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Total, Environmental Remediation	$ 253
Current (in accrued liabilities)	146	$ 143
Long-term	1,683	1,584
Total	1,829	1,727
Landfill [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Current (in accrued liabilities), Landfill	115	112
Long-term, Landfill	1,461	1,406
Total, Landfill	1,576	1,518
Environmental Remediation Liabilities [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Current (in accrued liabilities), Environmental Remediation	31	31
Long-term, Environmental Remediation	222	178
Total, Environmental Remediation	$ 253	$ 209

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities - Changes to Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Environmental Exit Cost [Line Items]
Interest accretion	$ 67	$ 66
Ending balance, environmental remediation	253
Landfill [Member]
Environmental Exit Cost [Line Items]
Beginning balance, landfill	1,518
Obligations incurred and capitalized	45
Obligations settled	(66)
Interest accretion	67
Revisions in estimates and interest rate assumptions	9
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments	3
Ending balance, landfill	1,576
Environmental Remediation Liabilities [Member]
Environmental Exit Cost [Line Items]
Beginning balance, environmental remediation	209
Obligations settled	(16)
Interest accretion	2
Revisions in estimates and interest rate assumptions	58
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments	0
Ending balance, environmental remediation	$ 253

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities - Changes to Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Environmental Exit Cost [Line Items]
Risk-free discount rate of the obligations	1.50%	1.50%	2.25%
Increase (Decrease) to operating expenses due to change in discount rate used to estimate the present value of environmental remediation obligations		$ 9
San Jacinto Waste Pits [Member]
Environmental Exit Cost [Line Items]
Increase in cost estimate associated with environmental remediation liability	$ 42	42
Landfill [Member]
Environmental Exit Cost [Line Items]
Increase in landfill liabilities related to landfill impairment		$ 13

Debt - Components of Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt and capital lease obligations	$ 9,261	$ 8,929
Current portion of long-term debt	432	253
Long-term debt, less current portion	8,829	8,676
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt and capital lease obligations	295	20
Canadian Credit Facility and Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt and capital lease obligations	278	84
Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt and capital lease obligations	6,034	6,050
Tax-exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt and capital lease obligations	2,346	2,447
Capital Leases and Other [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt and capital lease obligations	$ 308	$ 328

Debt - Components of Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate	4.60%	4.70%
Interest rate lower range	2.40%
Interest rate upper range	7.75%
End period of maturity for debt instrument	Mar. 01, 2045
Tax-exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate	1.80%	1.90%
Interest rate lower range	0.70%
Interest rate upper range	5.70%
End period of maturity for debt instrument	Aug. 01, 2045
Capital Leases and Other [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate upper range	12.00%
End period of maturity for debt instrument	Dec. 31, 2055
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity	$ 2,250,000,000
Weighted average interest rate	1.50%
Maturity date of credit facility	Jul. 30, 2020
Letter of Credit Facilities [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity	$ 2,400,000,000
Maturity date of credit facility	Dec. 31, 2018
Canadian Credit Facility and Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate	2.00%	2.20%
Maturity date of credit facility	Mar. 31, 2019

Debt - Additional Information (Detail)	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended		6 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
Debt - Additional Information (Detail)	May 31, 2016 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2016 CAD ($)	Mar. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2016 CAD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 CAD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Current portion of long-term debt					$ 432,000,000		$ 432,000,000		$ 253,000,000
Outstanding borrowings under credit facility					295,000,000		295,000,000
Debt maturing within twelve months					137,000,000		137,000,000
Letters of credit outstanding under credit facility					967,000,000		967,000,000
Loss on early extinguishment of debt							(4,000,000)	$ (552,000,000)
Tax-exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturing within twelve months					83,000,000		83,000,000
Tax-exempt bonds subject to re-pricing within next 12 months					503,000,000		503,000,000
Repayment of tax exempt bonds	$ 143,000,000
Proceeds from tax-exempt bonds	143,000,000
Loss on early extinguishment of debt							(3,000,000)
Tax-exempt Bonds [Member] \| Variable Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Variable-rate tax-exempt bonds					491,000,000		491,000,000
2.4% Senior Notes Due May 2023 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt instrument face amount	$ 500,000,000
Interest rate	2.40%
Net proceeds from issuance of senior notes	$ 496,000,000
2.6% Senior Notes Mature in September 2016 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Net borrowings (repayments) of senior notes	$ (500,000,000)
Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Loss on early extinguishment of debt								(552,000,000)
Early extinguishment of high-coupon senior notes								$ 2,000,000,000
2016 Canadian Credit Agreement [Member] \| Intercompany Debt [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayment of debt		$ 370,000,000	$ 280,000,000	$ 370,000,000
Cash [Member] \| Tax-exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Repayment of tax exempt bonds							103,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Outstanding borrowings under credit facility					295,000,000		295,000,000
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity					2,250,000,000		2,250,000,000
Letters of credit outstanding under credit facility					817,000,000		$ 817,000,000
Maturity date of credit facility							Jul. 30, 2020
Credit Facility, remaining capacity					1,138,000,000		$ 1,138,000,000
Net borrowings (repayments)							275,000,000
Letter of Credit Facilities [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity					2,400,000,000		$ 2,400,000,000
Maturity date of credit facility							Dec. 31, 2018
Canadian Revolving Credit Facility [Member] \| 2016 Canadian Credit Agreement [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity		$ 50,000,000		50,000,000
Maturity date of credit facility		Mar. 31, 2019
Non Revolving Term Credit Facility [Member] \| 2016 Canadian Credit Agreement [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity		$ 460,000,000		460,000,000
Canadian Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity		500,000,000		500,000,000
Credit Facility, remaining capacity		$ 90,000,000		90,000,000
Net borrowings (repayments)			(20,000,000)	(27,000,000)	$ 72,000,000	$ 94,000,000
Canadian Term Loan [Member] \| 2016 Canadian Credit Agreement [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Net borrowings (repayments)			$ 347,000,000	$ 460,000,000

Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2016 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2015 CAD ($)
Currency Swaps [Member] \| Principal [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Notional amount of derivatives for intercompany debt				$ 370,000,000
Foreign Currency Derivatives [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Cash received in termination of foreign exchange cross currency swaps	$ 67
Expense associated with termination of foreign exchange cross currency swaps	$ 8
Foreign Currency Derivatives [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member] \| Long-term other assets [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Foreign currency derivatives, Assets			$ 63
Foreign Currency Derivatives [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member] \| Current Other Assets [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Foreign currency derivatives, Assets			15
Forward Starting Interest Rate Swap [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Deferred losses, net of taxes, related to cash flow hedges included in accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)		$ 38	$ 43
Term of senior notes to amortize deferred losses		10 years
Treasury Rate Locks [Member] \| Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Derivative Instruments, Gain (Loss) [Line Items]
Deferred losses scheduled to be reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive into interest expense over next 12 months, pre-tax		$ 10

Income Taxes - Additional information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Effective tax rate of income (loss) before income taxes	33.70%	32.30%	35.50%	27.80%
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities	$ 9	$ 9	$ 32	$ 32
Investments Qualifying for Federal Tax Credits [Member]
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities	7	7	22	21
Income tax benefit, including tax credits, from equity method investment	15	17	40	41
Low-Income Housing Properties [Member]
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Interest expense	$ 1	$ 1	$ 2	$ 3

Earnings Per Share - Common Share Data Used for Computing Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Detail) - shares shares in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Number of common shares outstanding at end of period	442.0	446.5	442.0	446.5
Effect of using weighted average common shares outstanding	0.9	3.1	2.3	8.0
Weighted average basic common shares outstanding	442.9	449.6	444.3	454.5
Dilutive effect of equity-based compensation awards and other contingently issuable shares	2.8	3.1	2.8	3.0
Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding	445.7	452.7	447.1	457.5
Potentially issuable shares	9.2	11.0	9.2	11.0
Number of anti-dilutive potentially issuable shares excluded from diluted common shares outstanding	0.5	2.0	0.5	2.0

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional information (Detail)	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($) site Landfill Property	Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2016 USD ($) site Landfill Property	Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($)
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Number of landfills adjacent to or near homeowners' properties with agreements guaranteeing market value \| Landfill	22		22
Approximate number of homeowners' properties adjacent to or near certain of our landfills with agreements guaranteeing market value \| Property	875		875
Environmental remediation reasonably possible additional losses high estimate	$ 143,000,000		$ 143,000,000
Environmental remediation liabilities	$ 253,000,000		$ 253,000,000
Number of sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP \| site	75		75
Number of owned sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP \| site	15		15
Number of non-owned sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP \| site	60		60
Approximate percentage of workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements	20.00%		20.00%
Withdrawal from Multiemployer Pension Plans [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Charge to "Operating" expenses		$ 55,000,000
2014 Audit [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Expected time of completion of IRS audits			9 months
2015 Audit [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Expected time of completion of IRS audits			12 months
2016 Audit [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Expected time of completion of IRS audits			21 months
Wheelabrator [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Maximum future payments regarding guarantees of unconsolidated entities financial obligations	$ 106,000,000		$ 106,000,000	$ 106,000,000
Financial and performance obligations, net liability	12,000,000		$ 12,000,000	$ 13,000,000
Term of financial and performance obligation			2038
San Jacinto Waste Pits [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Increase in cost estimate associated with environmental remediation liability	42,000,000		$ 42,000,000
Maximum [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Dollar threshold for environmental matters requiring disclosure under item 103 of the SEC's Regulation S-K	100,000		100,000
Domestic Line of Credit [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity	$ 2,250,000,000		$ 2,250,000,000

Segment and Related Information - Additional Information (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016 Areas
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of geographical areas	17
Solid Waste [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of geographical areas	17

Segment and Related Information - Reportable Segments (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	$ 3,548	$ 3,360	$ 10,149	$ 9,715
Income from operations	560	601	1,679	1,543
Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	4,239	3,981	12,112	11,490
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(691)	(621)	(1,963)	(1,775)
Corporate and Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Income from operations	(138)	(118)	(404)	(380)
Solid Waste: Tier 1 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	1,126	1,092	3,242	3,171
Income from operations	369	344	1,065	937
Solid Waste: Tier 1 [Member] \| Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	1,364	1,316	3,921	3,803
Solid Waste: Tier 1 [Member] \| Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(238)	(224)	(679)	(632)
Solid Waste: Tier 2 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	723	694	2,060	2,022
Income from operations	121	168	423	458
Solid Waste: Tier 2 [Member] \| Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	885	851	2,522	2,484
Solid Waste: Tier 2 [Member] \| Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(162)	(157)	(462)	(462)
Solid Waste: Tier 3 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	1,141	1,057	3,303	3,048
Income from operations	238	215	681	575
Solid Waste: Tier 3 [Member] \| Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	1,382	1,265	3,989	3,651
Solid Waste: Tier 3 [Member] \| Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(241)	(208)	(686)	(603)
Solid Waste [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	2,990	2,843	8,605	8,241
Income from operations	728	727	2,169	1,970
Solid Waste [Member] \| Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	3,631	3,432	10,432	9,938
Solid Waste [Member] \| Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(641)	(589)	(1,827)	(1,697)
Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	558	517	1,544	1,474
Income from operations	(30)	(8)	(86)	(48)
Other [Member] \| Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	608	549	1,680	1,552
Other [Member] \| Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(50)	(32)	(136)	(78)
Operating Group Total [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	3,548	3,360	10,149	9,715
Income from operations	698	719	2,083	1,923
Operating Group Total [Member] \| Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	4,239	3,981	12,112	11,490
Operating Group Total [Member] \| Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	$ (691)	$ (621)	$ (1,963)	(1,775)
Wheelabrator [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Income from operations				$ 1

Acquisitions - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($)			3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Jan. 08, 2016	Mar. 26, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Allocation of purchase price to goodwill			$ 6,227,000,000		$ 6,227,000,000		$ 5,984,000,000
Total operating revenues			3,548,000,000	$ 3,360,000,000	10,149,000,000	$ 9,715,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity			2,250,000,000		2,250,000,000
Southern Waste Systems [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total consideration, net of cash acquired, for business acquisitions closed during the year	$ 525,000,000
Allocation of purchase price to property and equipment	93,000,000
Allocation of purchase price to other intangible assets	182,000,000
Allocation of purchase price to goodwill	$ 250,000,000
Total operating revenues			$ 36,000,000		$ 112,000,000
Deffenbaugh Disposal, Inc. [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total consideration, net of cash acquired, for business acquisitions closed during the year		$ 400,000,000

Acquisitions - Schedule of Preliminary Allocation of Purchase Price (Detail) - Southern Waste Systems [Member] $ in Millions	Jan. 08, 2016 USD ($)
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Amount	$ 182
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted Average Amortization Periods	9 years 6 months
Customer Relationships [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Amount	$ 160
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted Average Amortization Periods	10 years
Noncompete Agreements [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Amount	$ 18
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted Average Amortization Periods	5 years
Trade Name [Member]
Finite-Lived Intangible Assets [Line Items]
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Amount	$ 4
Total other intangible assets subject to amortization, Weighted Average Amortization Periods	10 years

Acquisitions - ProForma Consolidated Results of Operations (Detail) - Deffenbaugh Disposal Inc And Southern Waste Systems [Member] - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Operating revenues	$ 3,395	$ 10,151	$ 9,856
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 335	$ 847	$ 479
Basic earnings per common share	$ 0.75	$ 1.91	$ 1.05
Diluted earnings per common share	$ 0.74	$ 1.90	$ 1.05

Asset Impairments and Unusual Items - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Jun. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Income Expense From Divestitures Asset Impairments And Unusual Items [Line Items]
Expense from divestitures, asset impairments and unusual items	$ 106		$ 2	$ 107	$ 17
Lamp Tracker Reporting Unit [Member]
Income Expense From Divestitures Asset Impairments And Unusual Items [Line Items]
Goodwill impairment charges				10
Investment in Majority Owned Organics Company [Member]
Income Expense From Divestitures Asset Impairments And Unusual Items [Line Items]
(Income) expense from divestitures				8
Oil and Gas Well [Member]
Income Expense From Divestitures Asset Impairments And Unusual Items [Line Items]
(Income) expense from divestitures					(6)
Investment in Waste Diversion Technology Company [Member] \| Other, net [Member]
Income Expense From Divestitures Asset Impairments And Unusual Items [Line Items]
Impairment charges		$ 41
Western Canada Area [Member] \| Landfill [Member]
Income Expense From Divestitures Asset Impairments And Unusual Items [Line Items]
Impairment charges					5
Western Pennsylvania [Member] \| Landfill [Member]
Income Expense From Divestitures Asset Impairments And Unusual Items [Line Items]
Impairment charges				43
San Jacinto Waste Pits [Member]
Income Expense From Divestitures Asset Impairments And Unusual Items [Line Items]
Increase in cost estimate associated with environmental remediation liability	$ 42			$ 42
Recycling Operations [Member]
Income Expense From Divestitures Asset Impairments And Unusual Items [Line Items]
Impairment charges					$ 18

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Beginning balance			$ (127)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax			46
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss net of tax			18
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes	$ (14)	$ (57)	64	$ (114)
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Ending balance	(63)		(63)
Derivative Instruments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Beginning balance			(52)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax			(7)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss net of tax			18
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes			11
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Ending balance	(41)		(41)
Available-for-Sale Securities [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Beginning balance			8
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax			2
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes			2
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Ending balance	10		10
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Beginning balance			(75)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax			51
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of taxes			51
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Ending balance	(24)		(24)
Post - Retirement Benefit Plans [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Beginning balance			(8)
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Ending balance	$ (8)		$ (8)

- Definition

Accumulated change in equity from transactions and other events and circumstances from non-owner sources, net of tax effect, at period end. Excludes Net Income (Loss), and accumulated changes in equity from transactions resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners. Includes foreign currency translation items, certain pension adjustments, unrealized gains and losses on certain investments in debt and equity securities, other than temporary impairment (OTTI) losses related to factors other than credit losses on available-for-sale and held-to-maturity debt securities that an entity does not intend to sell and it is not more likely than not that the entity will be required to sell before recovery of the amortized cost basis, as well as changes in the fair value of derivatives related to the effective portion of a designated cash flow hedge.

+ References + Details

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Derivative Instruments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income (loss), tax	$ 9	$ (4)	$ 17
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, tax		11
Available-for-Sale Securities [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income (loss), tax		1
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, tax		0
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income (loss), tax		0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, tax		0
Post - Retirement Benefit Plans [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income (loss), tax		0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, tax		$ 0

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Before Reclassifications Associated With the Effective Portion of Derivatives Designated as Cash Flow Hedges (Detail) - Derivative Instruments [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Tax (expense) benefit	$ (9)	$ 4	$ (17)
Net of tax	14	(7)	27
Foreign Currency Derivatives [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income (loss) on derivatives before tax	$ 23	$ (11)	$ 44

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) - Reclassification of Component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) Associated with Cash Flow Hedges (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Interest expense, net	$ (94)	$ (95)	$ (282)	$ (294)
Other, net		(1)	(49)	(2)
Income (loss) before income taxes	457	496	1,312	663
Tax (expense) benefit	(153)	(159)	(466)	(184)
Total reclassifications for the period, Net of tax	304	337	846	479
Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] \| Derivative Instruments [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Income (loss) before income taxes	(3)	15	(29)	28
Tax (expense) benefit	1	(6)	11	(11)
Total reclassifications for the period, Net of tax	(2)	9	(18)	17
Interest Rate Swaps [Member] \| Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] \| Derivative Instruments [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Interest expense, net	(2)	(4)	(8)	(9)
Treasury Rate Locks [Member] \| Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] \| Derivative Instruments [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Interest expense, net	$ (1)		(1)	(3)
Foreign Currency Derivatives [Member] \| Amount Reclassified from Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] \| Derivative Instruments [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Other, net		$ 19	$ (20)	$ 40

Common Stock Repurchase Program - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions		1 Months Ended						9 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2016	May 31, 2016	Apr. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Feb. 29, 2016	Jan. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Accelerated Share Repurchases [Line Items]
Common stock repurchases								$ 500
Cash paid for repurchase of common stock								500	$ 600
Authorization of future share repurchase								$ 650
Accelerated Share Repurchase Agreement (ASR) [Member]
Accelerated Share Repurchases [Line Items]
Common stock repurchases		$ 250		$ 100			$ 150
Shares of common stock received under ASR	0.5	3.3	0.5	1.2	0.9	2.0
Cash paid for repurchase of common stock		$ 250		$ 100		$ 150
Accelerated share repurchase, price per share		$ 60.49		$ 56.95		$ 53.37
Accelerated Share Repurchase Agreement (ASR) [Member] \| Weighted Average [Member]
Accelerated Share Repurchases [Line Items]
Final weighted average per share purchase price during the repurchase period	$ 64.67		$ 58.33		$ 53.15

Fair Value Measurements - Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis (Detail) - Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 169	$ 243
Money Market Funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Money market funds	35	35
Available-for-sale Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	46	43
Fixed-Income Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments	40	40
Redeemable Preferred Stock [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments	48	47
Foreign Currency Derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Foreign currency derivatives		78
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total assets	35	35
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] \| Money Market Funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Money market funds	35	35
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total assets	86	161
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] \| Available-for-sale Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	46	43
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] \| Fixed-Income Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments	40	40
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] \| Foreign Currency Derivatives [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Foreign currency derivatives		78
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total assets	48	47
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] \| Redeemable Preferred Stock [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments	$ 48	$ 47

Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying value of debt	$ 9,261	$ 8,929
Net borrowings	326
Reported Value Measurement [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying value of debt	9,300	8,900
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Fair value of debt	$ 10,100	$ 9,200

Variable Interest Entities - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Trust for Final Capping Closure Post Closure or Environmental Remediation Obligations [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Variable interest entities primary beneficiary trust fair value assets	$ 96	$ 94
Carrying value of trusts for which company is not the sole beneficiary	96	93
Investment in Refined Coal Facility and Low Income Housing Properties [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Aggregate investment balance	90	110
Investment in Low-Income Housing Properties [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Equity method investments debt balance	$ 63	$ 80

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 30	$ 39	$ 113	$ 1,307
Other current assets	2,263	2,306
Total current assets	2,293	2,345
Property and equipment, net	10,842	10,665
Other assets	7,621	7,357
Total assets	20,756	20,367
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	432	253
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	2,232	2,257
Total current liabilities	2,664	2,510
Long-term debt, less current portion	8,829	8,676
Other liabilities	3,880	3,814
Total liabilities	15,373	15,000
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	5,359	5,345
Noncontrolling interests	24	22
Total equity	5,383	5,367
Total liabilities and equity	20,756	20,367
Eliminations [Member]
Current assets:
Investments in affiliates	(39,521)	(37,482)
Advances to affiliates	(12,727)	(12,113)
Total assets	(52,248)	(49,595)
Current liabilities:
Due to affiliates	(18,500)	(17,963)
Total liabilities	(18,500)	(17,963)
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	(39,521)	(37,482)
Advances to affiliates	5,773	5,850
Total equity	(33,748)	(31,632)
Total liabilities and equity	(52,248)	(49,595)
WM [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents				1,235
Other current assets	5	3
Total current assets	5	3
Investments in affiliates	19,543	18,557
Other assets	14	23
Total assets	19,562	18,583
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	295	41
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	66	83
Total current liabilities	361	124
Long-term debt, less current portion	6,072	5,801
Due to affiliates	13,053	12,588
Other liabilities	16	24
Total liabilities	19,502	18,537
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	5,359	5,345
Advances to affiliates	(5,299)	(5,299)
Total equity	60	46
Total liabilities and equity	19,562	18,583
WM Holdings [Member]
Current assets:
Other current assets	5	6
Total current assets	5	6
Investments in affiliates	19,978	18,925
Other assets	30	29
Total assets	20,013	18,960
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	4	9
Total current liabilities	4	9
Long-term debt, less current portion	304	304
Due to affiliates	148	76
Total liabilities	456	389
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	19,557	18,571
Total equity	19,557	18,571
Total liabilities and equity	20,013	18,960
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	30	39	$ 113	$ 72
Other current assets	2,253	2,297
Total current assets	2,283	2,336
Property and equipment, net	10,842	10,665
Advances to affiliates	12,727	12,113
Other assets	7,577	7,305
Total assets	33,429	32,419
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	137	212
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	2,162	2,165
Total current liabilities	2,299	2,377
Long-term debt, less current portion	2,453	2,571
Due to affiliates	5,299	5,299
Other liabilities	3,864	3,790
Total liabilities	13,915	14,037
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	19,964	18,911
Advances to affiliates	(474)	(551)
Noncontrolling interests	24	22
Total equity	19,514	18,382
Total liabilities and equity	$ 33,429	$ 32,419

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Long-term debt, less current portion	$ 8,829	$ 8,676
Intercompany loans	5,900
WM [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Long-term debt, less current portion	6,072	$ 5,801
WM [Member] \| Immaterial Corrections from Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries to WM [Member] \| Tax-exempt Bonds [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Long-term debt, less current portion	$ 126

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Operating revenues	$ 3,548	$ 3,360	$ 10,149	$ 9,715
Costs and expenses	2,988	2,759	8,470	8,172
Income from operations	560	601	1,679	1,543
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net	(94)	(95)	(282)	(294)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt			(4)	(552)
Other, net	(9)	(10)	(81)	(34)
Total other income (expense)	(103)	(105)	(367)	(880)
Income (loss) before income taxes	457	496	1,312	663
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	153	159	466	184
Consolidated net income	304	337	846	479
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	2	2	(1)	(1)
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	302	335	847	480
Eliminations [Member]
Other income (expense):
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	(701)	(759)	(1,981)	(1,900)
Total other income (expense)	(701)	(759)	(1,981)	(1,900)
Income (loss) before income taxes	(701)	(759)	(1,981)	(1,900)
Consolidated net income	(701)	(759)	(1,981)	(1,900)
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	(701)	(759)	(1,981)	(1,900)
WM [Member]
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net	(77)	(72)	(227)	(226)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt			(1)	(500)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	349	378	986	929
Total other income (expense)	272	306	758	203
Income (loss) before income taxes	272	306	758	203
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	(30)	(29)	(89)	(277)
Consolidated net income	302	335	847	480
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	302	335	847	480
WM Holdings [Member]
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net	(5)	(5)	(15)	(17)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt				(52)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	352	381	995	971
Total other income (expense)	347	376	980	902
Income (loss) before income taxes	347	376	980	902
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	(2)	(2)	(6)	(27)
Consolidated net income	349	378	986	929
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	349	378	986	929
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Operating revenues	3,548	3,360	10,149	9,715
Costs and expenses	2,988	2,759	8,470	8,172
Income from operations	560	601	1,679	1,543
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net	(12)	(18)	(40)	(51)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt			(3)
Other, net	(9)	(10)	(81)	(34)
Total other income (expense)	(21)	(28)	(124)	(85)
Income (loss) before income taxes	539	573	1,555	1,458
Provision for (benefit from) income taxes	185	190	561	488
Consolidated net income	354	383	994	970
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	2	2	(1)	(1)
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 352	$ 381	$ 995	$ 971

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Statements of Comprehensive Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	$ 290	$ 280	$ 910	$ 365
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	2	2	(1)	(1)
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	288	278	911	366
Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	(701)	(759)	(1,981)	(1,900)
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	(701)	(759)	(1,981)	(1,900)
WM [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	303	336	852	487
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	303	336	852	487
WM Holdings [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	349	378	986	929
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	349	378	986	929
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	339	325	1,053	849
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests	2	2	(1)	(1)
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 337	$ 323	$ 1,054	$ 850

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015	Sep. 30, 2016	Sep. 30, 2015
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$ 304	$ 337	$ 846	$ 479
Other adjustments			1,361	1,493
Net cash provided by operating activities			2,207	1,972
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired			(600)	(473)
Capital expenditures			(962)	(864)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses and other assets (net of cash divested)			32	114
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net			(20)	42
Net cash used in investing activities			(1,550)	(1,181)
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings			2,536	2,060
Debt repayments			(2,210)	(2,421)
Premiums paid on early extinguishment of debt			(2)	(555)
Common stock repurchase program			(500)	(600)
Cash dividends			(546)	(523)
Exercise of common stock options			57	53
Other, net			(1)	3
Net cash used in financing activities			(666)	(1,983)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents				(2)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents			(9)	(1,194)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period			39	1,307
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	30	113	30	113
Eliminations [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	(701)	(759)	(1,981)	(1,900)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	701	759	1,981	1,900
WM [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	302	335	847	480
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	(349)	(378)	(986)	(929)
Other adjustments			139	449
Cash flows from financing activities:
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net				(1,235)
Net cash used in financing activities				(1,235)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents				(1,235)
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period				1,235
WM Holdings [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	349	378	986	929
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of taxes	(352)	(381)	(995)	(971)
Other adjustments			9	42
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	354	383	994	970
Other adjustments			1,213	1,002
Net cash provided by operating activities			2,207	1,972
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired			(600)	(473)
Capital expenditures			(962)	(864)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses and other assets (net of cash divested)			32	114
Net receipts from restricted trust and escrow accounts and other, net			(20)	42
Net cash used in investing activities			(1,550)	(1,181)
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings			2,536	2,060
Debt repayments			(2,210)	(2,421)
Premiums paid on early extinguishment of debt			(2)	(555)
Common stock repurchase program			(500)	(600)
Cash dividends			(546)	(523)
Exercise of common stock options			57	53
Other, net			(1)	3
(Increase) decrease in intercompany and investments, net				1,235
Net cash used in financing activities			(666)	(748)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents				(2)
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents			(9)	41
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period			39	72
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 30	$ 113	$ 30	$ 113