Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Statements of Comprehensive Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	$ 311	$ 325
Less: Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	(1)	(2)
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	312	327
Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	(689)	(611)
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	(689)	(611)
WM [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	300	260
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	300	260
WM Holdings [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	343	304
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	343	304
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	357	372
Less: Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	(1)	(2)
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 358	$ 374

Amount after tax of increase (decrease) in equity from transactions and other events and circumstances from net income and other comprehensive income, attributable to parent entity. Excludes changes in equity resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners.

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Other Comprehensive Income
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51831270

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Comprehensive Income
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51831223

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 220
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 5
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=66004124&loc=d3e557-108580

Reference 4: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Glossary Net Income
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=51831255

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Amount after tax of increase (decrease) in equity from transactions and other events and circumstances from net income (loss) and other comprehensive income (loss), attributable to noncontrolling interests. Excludes changes in equity resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 21
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=68079674&loc=SL4613674-111683

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 20
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=68079674&loc=SL4569643-111683

Reference 3: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
-Section 55
-Paragraph 4K
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65897068&loc=SL4591552-111686

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Amount after tax of increase (decrease) in equity from transactions and other events and circumstances from net income and other comprehensive income. Excludes changes in equity resulting from investments by owners and distributions to owners.

+ References

Reference 1: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
-Topic 810
-SubTopic 10
-Section 45
-Paragraph 19
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=68079674&loc=SL4569616-111683

Reference 2: http://www.xbrl.org/2003/role/presentationRef
-Publisher FASB
-Name Accounting Standards Codification
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-Section 55
-Paragraph 4K
-URI http://asc.fasb.org/extlink&oid=65897068&loc=SL4591552-111686

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