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COMMITMENTS AND CONTINGENCIES (Details)
1 Months Ended 3 Months Ended 12 Months Ended 3 Months Ended 12 Months Ended 3 Months Ended
Oct. 31, 2010
customer
Mar. 31, 2015
USD ($)
claims
Proceedings
Dec. 31, 2014
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2015
Legal and Administrative Proceedings
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
Legal and Administrative Proceedings
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2012
Ville Mercier
CAD
Dec. 31, 1999
Ville Mercier
Municipalities
Dec. 31, 1968
Ville Mercier
Permits
Mar. 31, 2015
Ville Mercier
USD ($)
Dec. 31, 2014
Ville Mercier
USD ($)
Mar. 31, 2015
Superfund Proceedings
sites
facilties
Dec. 31, 2002
Wichita Property
acre
Mar. 31, 2015
Certain Other Third Party Sites
sites
Mar. 31, 2015
Safety-Kleen
sites
Mar. 31, 2015
Federal and State Enforcement Actions
USD ($)
Proceedings
Dec. 31, 2014
Federal and State Enforcement Actions
USD ($)
Proceedings
Contingencies [Line Items]                                
Recorded reserves for actual or probable liabilities   $ 29,800,000us-gaap_LossContingencyAccrualAtCarryingValue $ 33,600,000us-gaap_LossContingencyAccrualAtCarryingValue $ 24,100,000us-gaap_LossContingencyAccrualAtCarryingValue
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_LegalAndAdministrativeProceedingsMember
$ 27,700,000us-gaap_LossContingencyAccrualAtCarryingValue
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_LegalAndAdministrativeProceedingsMember
                  $ 5,700,000us-gaap_LossContingencyAccrualAtCarryingValue
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_FederalAndStateEnforcementActionsMember
$ 5,900,000us-gaap_LossContingencyAccrualAtCarryingValue
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_FederalAndStateEnforcementActionsMember
Possible increase in legal and administrative proceedings       2,500,000clh_LossContingencyAccrualAtCarryingValuePotentialAdditionalLiability
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_LegalAndAdministrativeProceedingsMember
2,900,000clh_LossContingencyAccrualAtCarryingValuePotentialAdditionalLiability
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_LegalAndAdministrativeProceedingsMember
                     
Number of permits issued by government, for dumping organic liquid               2clh_NumberOfPermitsIssuedByGovernmentToDumpOrganicLiquid
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_VilleMercierMember
               
Number of neighboring municipalities filing separate legal proceedings against the Mercier Subsidiary and the Government of Quebec             3clh_NumberOfNeighboringMunicipalitiesFilingSeparateLegalProceedings
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_VilleMercierMember
                 
General damages sought           2,900,000clh_LossContingencyGeneralDamagesSoughtValue
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_VilleMercierMember
                   
Punitive damages sought           10,000,000clh_LossContingencyPunitiveDamagesSoughtValue
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_VilleMercierMember
                   
Accrued remedial liabilities   149,745,000us-gaap_AccrualForEnvironmentalLossContingencies 155,121,000us-gaap_AccrualForEnvironmentalLossContingencies           11,600,000us-gaap_AccrualForEnvironmentalLossContingencies
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_VilleMercierMember
12,700,000us-gaap_AccrualForEnvironmentalLossContingencies
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_VilleMercierMember
           
Number of pending personal injury claims allegedly resulting from the used of Safety-Kleen's products   54us-gaap_LossContingencyPendingClaimsNumber                         3us-gaap_LossContingencyPendingClaimsNumber
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_FederalAndStateEnforcementActionsMember
4us-gaap_LossContingencyPendingClaimsNumber
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_FederalAndStateEnforcementActionsMember
Number of product liability claims settled or dismissed   11us-gaap_LossContingencyClaimsSettledAndDismissedNumber                            
Number of customers filing a complaint 2clh_LossContingencyNumberofCustomersFilingComplaint                              
Number of sites owned by third party excluded from cleanup or related liabilities                     127clh_SiteContingencyNumberOfSites
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_SuperfundProceedingsMember
         
Number of sites owned by the entity subject to proceedings under federal or state superfund laws                     2clh_SiteContingencyNumberOfSitesOwnedByEntity
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_SuperfundProceedingsMember
         
Notices received from owners of third party sites seeking indemnification from the company                     125clh_SiteContingencyNumberOfSitesOwnedByThirdParty
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_SuperfundProceedingsMember
         
Number of sites for which environmental remediation expense is settled                     29clh_SiteContingencyEnvironmentalRemediationExpenseSettledNumberOfSitesOwnedByThirdParty
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_SuperfundProceedingsMember
         
Third party sites requiring expenditure on remediation                     22clh_SiteContingencyEnvironmentalRemediationExpenseNumberOfSitesOwnedByThirdParty
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_SuperfundProceedingsMember
         
Number of sites not currently requiring expenditures on remediation                     74clh_SiteContingencyNotRequiringEnvironmentalRemediationExpenseNumberOfSitesOwnedByThirdParty
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_SuperfundProceedingsMember
         
Minimum potential liability                             $ 100,000us-gaap_LossContingencyRangeOfPossibleLossMinimum
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_FederalAndStateEnforcementActionsMember
$ 100,000us-gaap_LossContingencyRangeOfPossibleLossMinimum
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_FederalAndStateEnforcementActionsMember
Number of sites which potential liability could exceed $100,000                     12clh_NumberofSitesPotentialLiabilityExceedsSubstantialQuota
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_SuperfundProceedingsMember
         
State-designated superfund site acquired, total acres                       1,400clh_SiteContingencyAreaAcquiredbyEntity
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_WichitaPropertyMember
       
Indemnification agreement with third party sites                         11clh_SiteContingencyIndemnificationAgreementNumberOfSitesOwnedByThirdParty
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_CertainOtherThirdPartySitesMember
     
Notices received from owners of third party sites seeking indemnification from the company                     5clh_SiteContingencyNoticeReceivedNumberOfSitesOwnedByThirdParty
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_SuperfundProceedingsMember
    16clh_SiteContingencyNoticeReceivedNumberOfSitesOwnedByThirdParty
/ clh_ContingenciesByNatureOfContingencyAxis
= clh_SafetyKleenMember