Office Relocations - Additional Information (Detail) (USD $) In Thousands, unless otherwise specified	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2013	Sep. 30, 2013
Restructuring Cost and Reserve [Line Items]
Loss (gain) on prior office leases	$ (596)	$ 9,902

Amount of expense (income) related to estimated loss (gain) to be realized from lease transactions.

No definition available.

Name:	wcn_GainLossOnPriorOfficeLeases
Namespace Prefix:	wcn_
Data Type:	xbrli:monetaryItemType
Balance Type:	credit
Period Type:	duration