ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION (Notes)	9 Months Ended
Sep. 30, 2016
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements Disclosure [Text Block]	NOTE 1. ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION The terms “we,” “our,” “ours,” “us” and “Company” refer to Covanta Holding Corporation and its subsidiaries; the term “Covanta Energy” refers to our subsidiary Covanta Energy, LLC and its subsidiaries. Organization Covanta is one of the world’s largest owners and operators of infrastructure for the conversion of waste to energy (known as “energy-from-waste” or “EfW”), and also owns and operates related waste transport and disposal and other renewable energy production businesses. EfW serves two key markets as both a sustainable waste management solution that is environmentally superior to landfilling and as a source of clean energy that reduces overall greenhouse gas emissions and is considered renewable under the laws of many states and under federal law. Our facilities are critical infrastructure assets that allow our customers, which are principally municipal entities, to provide an essential public service. Our EfW facilities earn revenue from both the disposal of waste and the generation of electricity and/or steam, generally under contracts, as well as from the sale of metal recovered during the EfW process. We process approximately 20 million tons of solid waste annually. We operate and/or have ownership positions in 42 energy-from-waste facilities, which are primarily located in North America. In total, these assets produce approximately 10 million megawatt hours (“MWh”) of baseload electricity annually. We also operate a waste management infrastructure that is complementary to our core EfW business. We have one reportable segment, North America, which is comprised of waste and energy services operations located primarily in the United States and Canada. We are currently constructing an energy-from-waste facility in Dublin, Ireland, which we own and will operate upon completion. We hold equity interests in China and Italy. Basis of Presentation The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all information and notes thereto required by GAAP for complete consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (including normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for fair presentation have been included in our condensed consolidated financial statements. All intra-entity accounts and transactions have been eliminated. Operating results for the interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016. This Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying Notes in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 (“Form 10-K”). Reclassification During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, certain amounts have been reclassified in our prior period balance sheet and cash flows to conform to current year presentation and such amounts were not material to current and prior periods. We concluded that it was appropriate to include Net interest expense on project debt within Interest expense, net on our consolidated statement of operations. Previously, Net interest expense on project debt was reported separately, as a component of Operating expense. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, Net interest expense on project debt of $3 million and $10 million, respectively, was included in Interest expense, net on our condensed consolidated statement of operations and as a result, Operating income increased accordingly for those periods. Change in Accounting Principle Effective January 1, 2016, we adopted guidance concerning the presentation of debt issuance costs, which are required to be presented as a direct reduction from the carrying amount of the related debt liability. We adopted this guidance retrospectively, which resulted in a reduction in our December 31, 2015 current and non-current asset balances of $8 million and $40 million, respectively, along with a corresponding reduction in current and long-term debt balances. For additional information, see Note 6. Consolidated Debt.

NOTE 1. ORGANIZATION AND BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The terms “we,” “our,” “ours,” “us” and “Company” refer to Covanta Holding Corporation and its subsidiaries; the term “Covanta Energy” refers to our subsidiary Covanta Energy, LLC and its subsidiaries.

Organization

Covanta is one of the world’s largest owners and operators of infrastructure for the conversion of waste to energy (known as “energy-from-waste” or “EfW”), and also owns and operates related waste transport and disposal and other renewable energy production businesses. EfW serves two key markets as both a sustainable waste management solution that is environmentally superior to landfilling and as a source of clean energy that reduces overall greenhouse gas emissions and is considered renewable under the laws of many states and under federal law. Our facilities are critical infrastructure assets that allow our customers, which are principally municipal entities, to provide an essential public service.

Our EfW facilities earn revenue from both the disposal of waste and the generation of electricity and/or steam, generally under contracts, as well as from the sale of metal recovered during the EfW process. We process approximately 20 million tons of solid waste annually. We operate and/or have ownership positions in 42 energy-from-waste facilities, which are primarily located in North America. In total, these assets produce approximately 10 million megawatt hours (“MWh”) of baseload electricity annually. We also operate a waste management infrastructure that is complementary to our core EfW business.

We have one reportable segment, North America, which is comprised of waste and energy services operations located primarily in the United States and Canada. We are currently constructing an energy-from-waste facility in Dublin, Ireland, which we own and will operate upon completion. We hold equity interests in China and Italy.

Basis of Presentation

The accompanying unaudited condensed consolidated financial statements have been prepared in accordance with United States Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (“GAAP”) and with the instructions to Form 10-Q and Article 10 of Regulation S-X. Accordingly, they do not include all information and notes thereto required by GAAP for complete consolidated financial statements. In the opinion of management, all adjustments (including normal recurring accruals) considered necessary for fair presentation have been included in our condensed consolidated financial statements. All intra-entity accounts and transactions have been eliminated. Operating results for the interim period are not necessarily indicative of the results that may be expected for the fiscal year ending December 31, 2016. This Form 10-Q should be read in conjunction with the Audited Consolidated Financial Statements and accompanying Notes in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2015 (“Form 10-K”).

Reclassification

During the nine months ended September 30, 2016, certain amounts have been reclassified in our prior period balance sheet and cash flows to conform to current year presentation and such amounts were not material to current and prior periods. We concluded that it was appropriate to include Net interest expense on project debt within Interest expense, net on our consolidated statement of operations. Previously, Net interest expense on project debt was reported separately, as a component of Operating expense. For the three and nine months ended September 30, 2015, Net interest expense on project debt of $3 million and $10 million, respectively, was included in Interest expense, net on our condensed consolidated statement of operations and as a result, Operating income increased accordingly for those periods.

Change in Accounting Principle

Effective January 1, 2016, we adopted guidance concerning the presentation of debt issuance costs, which are required to be presented as a direct reduction from the carrying amount of the related debt liability. We adopted this guidance retrospectively, which resulted in a reduction in our December 31, 2015 current and non-current asset balances of $8 million and $40 million, respectively, along with a corresponding reduction in current and long-term debt balances. For additional information, see Note 6. Consolidated Debt.