Commitments and Contingencies - Additional information (Detail)	12 Months Ended												3 Months Ended		12 Months Ended
	Dec. 31, 2013 USD ($) site Landfill Homeowners	Dec. 31, 2012 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2011 USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 Fuel Supply [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Disposal [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Waste Paper [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 WM's Senior Indebtedness [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 WM Holdings Senior Indebtedness [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 2012 Audit [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 2013 Audit [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Central States Pension Plan [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 U.S. Revolving Credit Facility [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 Investment in Recycling and Waste-to-Energy [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 Investment in Recycling and Waste-to-Energy [Member] GBP (£)	Dec. 31, 2013 Investment in Recycling and Waste-to-Energy [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 Investment in Recycling and Waste-to-Energy [Member] GBP (£)	Dec. 31, 2013 Investment In Recycling And Waste To Energy With Electric Utility Company [Member] USD ($)	Dec. 31, 2013 Investment In Recycling And Waste To Energy With Electric Utility Company [Member] GBP (£)	Dec. 31, 2013 Equity Method Bio Fuels Investment [Member] Secured Debt [Member]	Dec. 31, 2013 Equity Method Bio Fuels Investment [Member] Maximum [Member] USD ($)
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity												$ 2,250,000,000
Maximum self insurance exposures per incident under general liability insurance program	2,500,000
Maximum self insurance exposures per incident under workers' compensation insurance program	5,000,000
Per incident base deductible under auto liability insurance program	5,000,000
Per incident additional deductible under auto liability insurance	4,800,000
Low end of layer subject to additional deductibles of auto liability insurance	5,000,000
High end of layer subject to additional deductibles of auto liability insurance	10,000,000
Discount rate of Self-insurance claim reserve acquired as part of acquisition of WM Holdings	3.00%	1.75%	2.00%
Rental expense	170,000,000	180,000,000	138,000,000
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2014	100,000,000
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2015	86,000,000
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2016	64,000,000
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2017	55,000,000
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2018	46,000,000
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases thereafter	393,000,000
Purchase agreements expiring through the period				2025	2052	2017
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2014	76,000,000
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2015	44,000,000
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2016	25,000,000
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2017	17,000,000
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2018	9,000,000
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in thereafter	231,000,000
Maximum amount of fund provided based on the exchange rate													94,000,000	57,000,000	94,000,000	57,000,000	258,000,000	156,000,000
Note receivables balance from the LLC															18,000,000	11,000,000	135,000,000	81,000,000
Equity contributions	437,000,000	443,000,000											1,000,000		1,000,000		9,000,000	6,000,000
Maximum amount of fund provided under secured loan facility																				70,000,000
Period by which the borrowing amount can be withdrawn																			November 2014
Repayment of loan not to exceed the term																			12 years
Maturity date of senior indebtedness"							2039	2026
Maximum future payments regarding guarantees of unconsolidated entities financial obligations	9,000,000
Approximate number of homeowners' properties adjacent to or near certain of our landfills with agreements guaranteeing market value	850
Number of landfills adjacent to or near homeowners' properties with agreements guaranteeing market value	21
Number of sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP	77
Number of owned sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP	14
Number of non-owned sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP	63
Dollar threshold for environmental matters requiring disclosure under item 103 of the SEC's Regulation S-K	100,000
Approximate percentage of workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements	20.00%
Estimate of possible loss											$ 40,000,000
Number of months expected for IRS audit(s) to be completed									15 months	27 months