GUARANTOR AND NON-GUARANTOR SUBSIDIARIES (Income Statement) (Details) - USD ($) $ in Thousands	3 Months Ended								12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2015	Sep. 30, 2015	Jun. 30, 2015	Mar. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Sep. 30, 2014	Jun. 30, 2014	Mar. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014	Dec. 31, 2013
Revenues
Service revenues									$ 2,744,272	$ 2,639,796	$ 2,729,205
Product revenues									530,865	761,840	780,451
Total revenues	$ 713,044	$ 893,366	$ 936,228	$ 732,499	$ 845,024	$ 851,465	$ 858,480	$ 846,667	3,275,137	3,401,636	3,509,656
Cost of revenues (exclusive of items shown separately below)
Service cost of revenues									1,898,907	1,790,377	1,874,448
Product cost of revenues									457,899	651,419	668,185
Total cost of revenues	522,965	634,646	652,688	546,507	610,720	598,407	606,950	625,719	2,356,806	2,441,796	2,542,633
Selling, general and administrative expenses									414,164	437,921	470,477
Accretion of environmental liabilities									10,402	10,612	11,541
Depreciation and amortization									274,194	276,083	264,449
Goodwill impairment charge									31,992	123,414	0
(Loss) income from operations	25,549	93,970	60,758	7,302	57,537	(42,748)	67,115	29,906	187,579	111,810	220,556
Other (expense) income	(990)	(139)	(660)	409	244	613	(655)	4,178	(1,380)	4,380	1,705
Loss on early extinguishment of debt											0
Interest (expense) income, net									(76,553)	(77,668)	(78,376)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax									0	0	0
Intercompany dividend income										0	0
Intercompany interest income (expense)									0	0	0
Income before provision for income taxes									109,646	38,522	143,885
(Benefit) provision for income taxes									65,544	66,850	48,319
Net income (loss)	$ 568	$ 40,228	$ 10,395	$ (7,089)	$ 27,377	$ (93,337)	$ 28,672	$ 8,960	44,102	(28,328)	95,566
Other comprehensive loss									(144,050)	(91,286)	(69,188)
Comprehensive (loss) income									(99,948)	(119,614)	26,378
Clean Harbors, Inc.
Revenues
Service revenues									0	0	0
Product revenues									0	0	0
Total revenues									0	0	0
Cost of revenues (exclusive of items shown separately below)
Service cost of revenues									5	0	0
Product cost of revenues									0	0	0
Total cost of revenues									5	0	0
Selling, general and administrative expenses									101	114	109
Accretion of environmental liabilities									0	0	0
Depreciation and amortization									0	0	0
Goodwill impairment charge									0	0
(Loss) income from operations									(106)	(114)	(109)
Other (expense) income									0	0	0
Loss on early extinguishment of debt											0
Interest (expense) income, net									(78,621)	(78,570)	(79,017)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax									91,339	18,882	143,042
Intercompany dividend income										0	0
Intercompany interest income (expense)									0	0	0
Income before provision for income taxes									12,612	(59,802)	63,916
(Benefit) provision for income taxes									(31,490)	(31,474)	(31,650)
Net income (loss)									44,102	(28,328)	95,566
Other comprehensive loss									(144,050)	(91,286)	(69,188)
Comprehensive (loss) income									(99,948)	(119,614)	26,378
U.S. Guarantor Subsidiaries
Revenues
Service revenues									2,111,086	1,786,695	1,757,663
Product revenues									458,314	619,802	611,548
Total revenues									2,569,400	2,406,497	2,369,211
Cost of revenues (exclusive of items shown separately below)
Service cost of revenues									1,415,435	1,172,181	1,190,419
Product cost of revenues									410,128	538,671	524,318
Total cost of revenues									1,825,563	1,710,852	1,714,737
Selling, general and administrative expenses									329,069	321,069	353,215
Accretion of environmental liabilities									9,209	9,240	9,935
Depreciation and amortization									184,017	173,447	170,041
Goodwill impairment charge									4,164	105,466
(Loss) income from operations									217,378	86,423	121,283
Other (expense) income									491	3,369	1,655
Loss on early extinguishment of debt											0
Interest (expense) income, net									1,860	800	236
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax									(47,141)	(9,031)	42,741
Intercompany dividend income										0	0
Intercompany interest income (expense)									23,156	28,596	41,695
Income before provision for income taxes									195,744	110,157	207,610
(Benefit) provision for income taxes									104,405	91,275	64,568
Net income (loss)									91,339	18,882	143,042
Other comprehensive loss									(144,050)	(91,286)	(69,188)
Comprehensive (loss) income									(52,711)	(72,404)	73,854
Foreign Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries
Revenues
Service revenues									692,216	876,085	984,122
Product revenues									83,970	148,671	172,500
Total revenues									776,186	1,024,756	1,156,622
Cost of revenues (exclusive of items shown separately below)
Service cost of revenues									542,497	641,180	696,609
Product cost of revenues									59,190	119,381	147,464
Total cost of revenues									601,687	760,561	844,073
Selling, general and administrative expenses									84,994	116,738	117,153
Accretion of environmental liabilities									1,193	1,372	1,606
Depreciation and amortization									90,177	102,636	94,408
Goodwill impairment charge									27,828	17,948
(Loss) income from operations									(29,693)	25,501	99,382
Other (expense) income									(1,871)	1,011	50
Loss on early extinguishment of debt											0
Interest (expense) income, net									208	102	405
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax									0	0	0
Intercompany dividend income										6,238	13,292
Intercompany interest income (expense)									(23,156)	(28,596)	(41,695)
Income before provision for income taxes									(54,512)	4,256	71,434
(Benefit) provision for income taxes									(7,371)	7,049	15,401
Net income (loss)									(47,141)	(2,793)	56,033
Other comprehensive loss									(93,983)	(37,157)	39,519
Comprehensive (loss) income									(141,124)	(39,950)	95,552
Consolidating Adjustments
Revenues
Service revenues									(59,030)	(22,984)	(12,580)
Product revenues									(11,419)	(6,633)	(3,597)
Total revenues									(70,449)	(29,617)	(16,177)
Cost of revenues (exclusive of items shown separately below)
Service cost of revenues									(59,030)	(22,984)	(12,580)
Product cost of revenues									(11,419)	(6,633)	(3,597)
Total cost of revenues									(70,449)	(29,617)	(16,177)
Selling, general and administrative expenses									0	0	0
Accretion of environmental liabilities									0	0	0
Depreciation and amortization									0	0	0
Goodwill impairment charge									0	0
(Loss) income from operations									0	0	0
Other (expense) income									0	0	0
Loss on early extinguishment of debt											0
Interest (expense) income, net									0	0	0
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax									(44,198)	(9,851)	(185,783)
Intercompany dividend income										(6,238)	(13,292)
Intercompany interest income (expense)									0	0	0
Income before provision for income taxes									(44,198)	(16,089)	(199,075)
(Benefit) provision for income taxes									0	0	0
Net income (loss)									(44,198)	(16,089)	(199,075)
Other comprehensive loss									238,033	128,443	29,669
Comprehensive (loss) income									$ 193,835	$ 112,354	$ (169,406)