Summary of Significant Accounting Policies (Narrative) (Details) $ in Thousands			3 Months Ended	6 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			24 Months Ended
	Sep. 28, 2020 USD ($) item	Jul. 01, 2020 segment	Dec. 31, 2021 USD ($) agreement site	Jun. 30, 2020 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2021 USD ($) segment agreement site	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($) segment item	Dec. 31, 2019 USD ($) segment	Dec. 31, 2020 USD ($) segment	Dec. 31, 2018 USD ($)
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Deferred sales incentives			$ 18,954		$ 18,954	$ 19,669		$ 19,669
Sales incentives amortization expense					$ 23,671	17,138	$ 19,673
Life of Company's owned landfills and landfills operated under life of site operating agreements min range					1 year
Life of Company's owned landfills and landfills operated under life of site operating agreements max range					282 years
Threshold period used for measurement of projected annual disposal volume from landfills					70 years
Restricted cash			72,174		$ 72,174	97,095		97,095
Restricted investments			59,014		59,014	57,516		57,516
Cell processing reserve, current			$ 3,364		$ 3,364	3,344		3,344
Perpetual revenue growth rate					4.50%
Weighted average cost of capital			6.10%		6.10%
Goodwill			$ 6,187,643		$ 6,187,643	5,726,650	5,510,851	5,726,650
Number of operating segments | segment					5
Number of operating segments aggregated | segment		2
Intangible assets			1,350,597		$ 1,350,597	1,155,079		$ 1,155,079
Adjustments to contingent consideration					2,954	18,418	1,498
Liability adjustments					(1,081)	$ 2,490
Carrying of liability-classified contingent consideration			$ 31,616		$ 31,616		$ 14,038
Number of geographic operating segments | segment					5	5	5	5
Forecasts period used for discounted cash flow analyses					10 years
Number of interest rate swap agreements | agreement			6		6
Percentage of projected annual disposal volume from landfills with remaining lives within threshold period			90.00%		90.00%
Contractual life of warrants					5 years
Share-based compensation expense					$ 58,221	$ 45,751	$ 42,671
Share-based compensation expense, net of taxes					43,495	34,197	31,926
Advertising costs					7,155	4,870	5,410
Accrual for self insured liabilities			$ 147,757		147,757	140,182		$ 140,182
Self-insurance expense					$ 179,250	$ 164,099	$ 155,748
Statutory income tax rate					21.00%	21.00%	21.00%
Cumulative effect adjustment from adoption of new accounting pronouncement			6,993,545		$ 6,993,545	$ 6,863,438	$ 6,938,354	6,863,438	$ 6,460,188
Deferred income taxes			850,921		850,921	760,044		760,044
Operating lease liability			167,645		167,645
Lease right-of-use assets			160,567		$ 160,567	170,923		170,923
Minimum [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated life of relevant customer relationship					1 year
Expected term of related agreements					1 year
Maximum [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Estimated life of relevant customer relationship					5 years
Expected term of related agreements					40 years
Interest Rate Swap [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of derivatives terminated | item	4
Payments to terminate derivative	$ 853
Interest Rate Swap Terminated One [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Notional amount	150,000
Interest Rate Swap Terminated Two [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Notional amount	150,000
Interest Rate Swap Terminated Three [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Notional amount	50,000
Interest Rate Swap Terminated Four [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Notional amount	$ 50,000
Interest Rate Swap One [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Notional amount			100,000		$ 100,000
Interest Rate Swap Two [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Notional amount			200,000		200,000
Interest Rate Swap Three [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Notional amount			150,000		150,000
Interest Rate Swap Four [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Notional amount			200,000		200,000
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested awards			57,822		$ 57,822
Restricted stock unit awards, vesting final year					2026
Weighted average remaining vesting period					1 year 4 months 24 days
Restricted Stock Units (RSUs) [Member] | Progressive Waste Plans [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Share-based compensation liability			9,008		$ 9,008	7,237	$ 7,178	7,237
Performance Shares [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Unrecognized compensation cost related to unvested awards			20,621		$ 20,621
Restricted stock unit awards, vesting final year					2024
Weighted average remaining vesting period					1 year 1 month 6 days
Employee Stock Option [Member] | Progressive Waste Plans [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Contractual life of warrants					1 year		1 year 6 months
Share-based compensation liability			4,088		$ 4,088	$ 3,556	$ 8,559	3,556
Employee Stock Option [Member] | Minimum [Member] | Progressive Waste Plans [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Contractual life of warrants						6 months
Employee Stock Option [Member] | Maximum [Member] | Progressive Waste Plans [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Contractual life of warrants						1 year
Western [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Goodwill			539,732		539,732	$ 442,862	400,037	442,862
Central [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Goodwill			892,209		892,209	824,204	729,470	824,204
Eastern [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Goodwill			1,607,723		1,607,723	1,374,577	1,331,180	1,374,577
Southern [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Goodwill			1,588,467		1,588,467	1,532,215	1,528,225	1,532,215
Canada Segment [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Goodwill			$ 1,559,512		1,559,512	1,552,792	1,521,939	1,552,792
Exploration and Production [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Goodwill						0	0	$ 0
Adjustments to contingent consideration						$ 4,145
Impairment charges							8,000
Exploration and Production [Member] | Certain Basins [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Percentage decline in revenue from prior year period						56.00%
Exploration and Production [Member] | Four Landfill [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Impairment of property and equipment						$ 417,384
Impairment of intangible assets				$ 0
Intangible assets				$ 0
Exploration and Production [Member] | Valuation Technique, Discounted Cash Flow [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of landfills impaired | item						4
Impairment of property and equipment						$ 417,384
Exploration and Production [Member] | Valuation Technique, Discounted Cash Flow [Member] | Four Landfill [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Impairment charge if estimated annual cash flows was changed by ten percent						3,000
Exploration and Production and Sothern [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of sites impaired | site			2
Impairment of property and equipment					16,379
Indefinite-lived intangible asset write-down			$ 2,277
Geographic Operating Segments [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Impairment loss					$ 0	0	0
Indefinite-lived intangible asset write-down						$ 0	$ 0
Landfill and Transfer Station [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Standard customer service agreement period					1 year
Landfill and Transfer Station [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Standard customer service agreement period					10 years
Solid Waste Collection | Minimum [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Standard customer service agreement period					1 year
Solid Waste Collection | Maximum [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Standard customer service agreement period					3 years
Landfill Site Costs [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Inflation rate for purposes of computing layers for final capping, closure and post-closure obligations					2.25%	2.50%
E&P Waste Treatment, Recovery and Disposal [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Change in revenue						$ 112,114
E&P Waste Treatment, Recovery and Disposal [Member] | Southern [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Number of sites impaired | site					3
Measurement Input, Expected Term [Member] | Exploration and Production [Member] | Valuation Technique, Discounted Cash Flow [Member] | Four Landfill [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Useful life						40 years
Measurement Input, Discount Rate [Member] | Exploration and Production [Member] | Valuation Technique, Discounted Cash Flow [Member] | Four Landfill [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Derivative Asset (Liability) Net, Measurement Input						0.12		0.12
Measurement Input, Discount Rate [Member] | Landfill Site Costs [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Discount rate			3.25%		3.25%	4.75%		4.75%
Employee Share Purchase Plan 2020 [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Exercise price percentage of closing price of common share					85.00%
Employee Share Purchase Plan 2020 [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Organization And Summary Of Significant Accounting Policies [Line Items]
Exercise price percentage of closing price of common share					95.00%