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Commitments and Contingencies - Additional information (Detail) (USD $)
0 Months Ended 12 Months Ended
Nov. 12, 2014
Dec. 31, 2014
Homeowners
site
Landfill
Dec. 31, 2013
Dec. 31, 2012
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]        
Maximum self insurance exposures per incident under general liability insurance program   $ 2,500,000wm_MaximumSelfInsuranceExposuresPerIncidentUnderGeneralLiabilityInsuranceProgram    
Maximum self insurance exposures per incident under workers' compensation insurance program   5,000,000wm_MaximumSelfInsuranceExposuresPerIncidentUnderWorkersCompensationInsuranceProgram    
Per incident base deductible under auto liability insurance program   5,000,000wm_PerIncidentBaseDeductibleUnderAutoLiabilityInsuranceProgram    
Per incident additional deductible under auto liability insurance   4,800,000wm_AutoLiabilitySelfInsuranceExposuresAdditionalDeductiblePerIncident    
Low end of layer subject to additional deductibles of auto liability insurance   5,000,000wm_LowEndOfLayerSubjectToAdditionalDeductiblesOfAutoLiabilityInsurance    
High end of layer subject to additional deductibles of auto liability insurance   10,000,000wm_HighEndOfLayerSubjectToAdditionalDeductiblesOfAutoLiabilityInsurance    
Rental expense   159,000,000us-gaap_LeaseAndRentalExpense 170,000,000us-gaap_LeaseAndRentalExpense 180,000,000us-gaap_LeaseAndRentalExpense
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2015   103,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLeasesFutureMinimumPaymentsDueCurrent    
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2016   83,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLeasesFutureMinimumPaymentsDueInTwoYears    
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2017   70,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLeasesFutureMinimumPaymentsDueInThreeYears    
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2018   57,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLeasesFutureMinimumPaymentsDueInFourYears    
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2019   47,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLeasesFutureMinimumPaymentsDueInFiveYears    
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases thereafter   308,000,000us-gaap_OperatingLeasesFutureMinimumPaymentsDueThereafter    
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2015   189,000,000us-gaap_UnrecordedUnconditionalPurchaseObligationBalanceOnFirstAnniversary    
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2016   172,000,000us-gaap_UnrecordedUnconditionalPurchaseObligationBalanceOnSecondAnniversary    
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2017   156,000,000us-gaap_UnrecordedUnconditionalPurchaseObligationBalanceOnThirdAnniversary    
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2018   116,000,000us-gaap_UnrecordedUnconditionalPurchaseObligationBalanceOnFourthAnniversary    
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2019   91,000,000us-gaap_UnrecordedUnconditionalPurchaseObligationBalanceOnFifthAnniversary    
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in thereafter   430,000,000us-gaap_UnrecordedUnconditionalPurchaseObligationDueAfterFiveYears    
Financial and performance obligations, net liability   18,000,000us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsCurrentCarryingValue    
Maximum future payments guaranteed   8,000,000us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsMaximumExposure    
Approximate number of homeowners' properties adjacent to or near certain of our landfills with agreements guaranteeing market value   800wm_ApproximateNumberOfHomeownersPropertiesAdjacentToOrNearCertainOfOurLandfillsWithAgreementsGuaranteeingMarketValue    
Number of landfills adjacent to or near homeowners' properties with agreements guaranteeing market value   20wm_NumberOfLandfillsAdjacentToOrNearHomeownersPropertiesWithAgreementsGuaranteeingMarketValue    
Number of sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP   75wm_NumberOfSitesListedOnEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyNationalPrioritiesListForWhichWeHaveBeenNotifiedWeArePrp    
Number of owned sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP   14wm_NumberOfOwnedSitesListedOnEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyNationalPrioritiesListForWhichWeHaveBeenNotifiedWeArePrp    
Number of non-owned sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP   61wm_NumberOfNonOwnedSitesListedOnEnvironmentalProtectionAgencyNationalPrioritiesListForWhichWeHaveBeenNotifiedWeArePrp    
Payment against settlement of claims 29,200,000us-gaap_LitigationSettlementAmount      
Approximate percentage of workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements   20.00%us-gaap_MultiemployerPlansCollectiveBargainingArrangementPercentageOfParticipants    
WM's Senior Indebtedness [Member]        
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]        
Maturity date of senior indebtedness   2039    
WM Holdings Senior Indebtedness [Member]        
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]        
Maturity date of senior indebtedness   2026    
Disposal [Member]        
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]        
Purchase agreements expiring through the period   2052    
Waste Paper [Member]        
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]        
Purchase agreements expiring through the period   2018    
WM Holdings [Member]        
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]        
Discount rate of Self-insurance claim reserve acquired as part of acquisition of WM Holdings   2.00%wm_SelfInsuranceReserveDiscountRate
/ us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis
= wm_WmHoldingsMember
3.00%wm_SelfInsuranceReserveDiscountRate
/ us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis
= wm_WmHoldingsMember
1.75%wm_SelfInsuranceReserveDiscountRate
/ us-gaap_RelatedPartyTransactionsByRelatedPartyAxis
= wm_WmHoldingsMember
2013 Audit [Member]        
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]        
Number of months expected for IRS audit(s) to be completed   3 months    
2014 Audit [Member]        
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]        
Number of months expected for IRS audit(s) to be completed   15 months    
2015 Audit [Member]        
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]        
Number of months expected for IRS audit(s) to be completed   27 months    
Wheelabrator [Member]        
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]        
Period of agreement   7 years    
Maximum future payments guaranteed   176,000,000us-gaap_GuaranteeObligationsMaximumExposure
/ us-gaap_StatementBusinessSegmentsAxis
= wm_WheelabratorMember
   
Domestic Line of Credit [Member]        
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]        
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity   2,250,000,000us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_ShortTermDebtTypeAxis
= us-gaap_DomesticLineOfCreditMember
2,250,000,000us-gaap_LineOfCreditFacilityMaximumBorrowingCapacity
/ us-gaap_ShortTermDebtTypeAxis
= us-gaap_DomesticLineOfCreditMember
 
Central States, Southeast and Southwest Areas Pension Plan [Member]        
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]        
Estimate of possible loss   $ 40,000,000us-gaap_LossContingencyEstimateOfPossibleLoss
/ us-gaap_MultiemployerPlanNameAxis
= wm_CentralStatesSoutheastAndSouthwestAreasPensionPlanMember