Acquisitions (Summary of Consideration Transferred to Acquire Businesses and Amounts of Identifiable Assets Acquired, Liabilities Assumed and Noncontrolling Interests) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Thousands		12 Months Ended
	Jun. 02, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015	Dec. 31, 2014
Fair value of consideration transferred:
Cash			$ 230,517	$ 126,181
Notes issued to sellers			6,091
Consideration transferred			347,932	126,181
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Accounts receivable			12,571	3,785
Prepaid expenses and other current assets			1,440	111
Property and equipment			208,363	140,412
Indefinite-lived intangibles			1,256
Other noncurrent assets			2,738
Deferred revenue			(5,056)	(427)
Other long-term liabilities			(19,998)	(1,980)
Deferred income taxes			(50,089)
Total identifiable net assets			207,110	107,403
Goodwill		$ 3,015,066	140,822	18,778
Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities [Member]
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities			(9,337)	(1,749)
Debt [Member]
Fair value of consideration transferred:
Liabilities incurred			111,324
Contingent Consideration [Member]
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Other long-term liabilities			(815)	(42,538)
Other Acquisition [Member]
Fair value of consideration transferred:
Cash		17,131
Consideration transferred		17,131
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Accounts receivable		833
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		477
Property and equipment		4,735
Other noncurrent assets		261
Deferred revenue		(659)
Total identifiable net assets		10,311
Goodwill		6,820
Other Acquisition [Member] | Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities [Member]
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		(2,867)
Other Acquisition [Member] | Contingent Consideration [Member]
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Other long-term liabilities		(977)
Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. [Member]
Fair value of consideration transferred:
Shares issued		3,503,162
Less: cash acquired		(65,768)
Consideration transferred		5,232,436
Net fair value of consideration transferred		5,166,668
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Accounts receivable		231,709
Prepaid expenses and other current assets		28,623
Property and equipment		2,078,350
Other noncurrent assets		4,491
Deferred revenue		(35,635)
Other long-term liabilities		(185,774)
Deferred income taxes		(329,552)
Total identifiable net assets		2,158,422
Goodwill		3,008,246
Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. [Member] | Restricted Assets [Member]
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Other noncurrent assets		16,551
Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. [Member] | Accounts Payable and Accrued Liabilities [Member]
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities		(264,992)
Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. [Member] | Debt [Member]
Fair value of consideration transferred:
Liabilities incurred	$ 1,729,274	1,729,274
Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. [Member] | Contingent Consideration [Member]
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Other long-term liabilities		(19,412)
Long-Term Franchise Agreements and Contracts [Member]
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Intangibles			16,462	369
Contracts [Member] | Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. [Member]
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Intangibles		223,885
Customer Lists [Member]
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Intangibles			12,504	$ 9,420
Customer Lists [Member] | Other Acquisition [Member]
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Intangibles		8,508
Customer Lists [Member] | Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. [Member]
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Intangibles		191,679
Permits and Other [Member]
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Intangibles			$ 37,071
Other Intangibles | Progressive Waste Solutions Ltd. [Member]
Recognized amounts of identifiable assets acquired and liabilities assumed associated with businesses acquired:
Intangibles		$ 218,499