Business Development (Details) (USD $) In Millions, unless otherwise specified	12 Months Ended				3 Months Ended	12 Months Ended			3 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2010	Dec. 31, 2011 Durham York Energy From Waste Facility [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Alexandria EFW Facility [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Bristol EFW Facility [Member]	Mar. 31, 2013 Covanta Huntington Limited Partnership [Member]	Dec. 31, 2010 Covanta Huntington Limited Partnership [Member]	Jan. 31, 2013 Covanta Huntington Limited Partnership [Member]	Dec. 31, 2011 Union EFW Facility [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Minimum [Member] Essex EFW Facility [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Maximum [Member] Essex EFW Facility [Member]	Dec. 31, 2012 Organic Growth Investments [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Contract Duration		20 years
Percentage Of Production Capacity			15.00%	50.00%				80.00%
Expected investment in capital expenditure									$ 75	$ 100
Equity Method Investment, Ownership Percentage							100.00%
Acquisition Of Noncontrolling Interests In Subsidiaries	2				14	2
Capital Invested In Project											$ 27