Document and Entity Information	6 Months Ended
	Jun. 15, 2013	Jul. 22, 2013
Document Information [Line Items]
Entity Registrant Name	Heritage-Crystal Clean, Inc.
Entity Central Index Key	0001403431
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-28
Entity Filer Category	Accelerated Filer
Document Type	10-Q
Document Period End Date	Jun. 15, 2013
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2013
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q2
Amendment Flag	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		18,412,364