Waste Management (WM) 10-Q 26 Apr 17 2017 Q1 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - shares	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Apr. 20, 2017
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Amendment Flag	false
Document Period End Date	Mar. 31, 2017
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2,017
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q1
Trading Symbol	WM
Entity Registrant Name	WASTE MANAGEMENT INC
Entity Central Index Key	823,768
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		441,940,757

Condensed Consolidated Balance

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 30	$ 32
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $24 and $24, respectively	1,634	1,700
Other receivables	338	432
Parts and supplies	95	90
Other assets	126	122
Total current assets	2,223	2,376
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization of $17,284 and $17,152, respectively	10,929	10,950
Goodwill	6,223	6,215
Other intangible assets, net	572	591
Investments in unconsolidated entities	295	320
Other assets	408	407
Total assets	20,650	20,859
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	720	799
Accrued liabilities	963	1,085
Deferred revenues	479	493
Current portion of long-term debt	396	417
Total current liabilities	2,558	2,794
Long-term debt, less current portion	8,646	8,893
Deferred income taxes	1,521	1,482
Landfill and environmental remediation liabilities	1,692	1,675
Other liabilities	695	695
Total liabilities	15,112	15,539
Commitments and contingencies
Waste Management, Inc. stockholders' equity:
Common stock, $0.01 par value; 1,500,000,000 shares authorized; 630,282,461 shares issued	6	6
Additional paid-in capital	4,885	4,850
Retained earnings	7,497	7,388
Accumulated other comprehensive loss	(66)	(80)
Treasury stock at cost, 188,376,546 and 190,966,584 shares, respectively	(6,805)	(6,867)
Total Waste Management, Inc. stockholders' equity	5,517	5,297
Noncontrolling interests	21	23
Total equity	5,538	5,320
Total liabilities and equity	$ 20,650	$ 20,859

Condensed Consolidated Balance3

Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheets (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Statement of Financial Position [Abstract]
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 24	$ 24
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	$ 17,284	$ 17,152
Common stock, par value	$ 0.01	$ 0.01
Common stock, shares authorized	1,500,000,000	1,500,000,000
Common stock, shares issued	630,282,461	630,282,461
Treasury stock, shares	188,376,546	190,966,584

Condensed Consolidated Statemen

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Income Statement [Abstract]
Operating revenues	$ 3,440	$ 3,176
Costs and expenses:
Operating	2,166	1,993
Selling, general and administrative	390	362
Depreciation and amortization	328	312
Restructuring	1	2
Income from divestitures	(3)	(1)
Total costs and expenses	2,882	2,668
Income from operations	558	508
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net	(92)	(95)
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities	(32)	(7)
Other, net		(10)
Total other income (expense)	(124)	(112)
Income (loss) before income taxes	434	396
Income tax expense	137	140
Consolidated net income	297	256
Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	(1)	(2)
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 298	$ 258
Basic earnings per common share	$ 0.68	$ 0.58
Diluted earnings per common share	0.67	0.58
Cash dividends declared per common share	$ 0.425	$ 0.410

Condensed Consolidated Stateme5

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Comprehensive Income (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Statement of Comprehensive Income [Abstract]
Consolidated net income	$ 297	$ 256
Derivative instruments, net	2	7
Available-for-sale securities, net	1	1
Foreign currency translation adjustments	10	61
Post-retirement benefit obligation, net	1
Other comprehensive income, net of tax expense	14	69
Comprehensive income	311	325
Less: Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	(1)	(2)
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 312	$ 327

Condensed Consolidated Stateme6

Condensed Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows (Unaudited) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$ 297	$ 256
Adjustments to reconcile consolidated net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	328	312
Deferred income tax expense	36	32
Interest accretion on landfill liabilities	22	22
Interest accretion on and discount rate adjustments to environmental remediation liabilities and recovery assets	1	1
Provision for bad debts	11	11
Equity-based compensation expense	36	30
Net gain from disposal of assets	(3)	(5)
(Income) expense from divestitures, asset impairments and other, net	22	(1)
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities, net of dividends	7	7
Change in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions and divestitures:
Receivables	151	111
Other current assets	(8)	(11)
Other assets	(7)	75
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	(144)	(89)
Deferred revenues and other liabilities	(28)	(19)
Net cash provided by operating activities	721	732
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired	(10)	(537)
Capital expenditures	(332)	(317)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses and other assets (net of cash divested)	7	13
Other, net	(5)	(6)
Net cash used in investing activities	(340)	(847)
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings	54	1,301
Debt repayments	(541)	(647)
Net commercial paper borrowings	210
Common stock repurchase program		(250)
Cash dividends	(194)	(183)
Exercise of common stock options	77	18
Tax payments associated with equity-based compensation transactions	(32)	(19)
Other, net	43	(40)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(383)	180
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(2)	65
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	32	39
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 30	$ 104

Condensed Consolidated Stateme7

Condensed Consolidated Statement of Changes in Equity (Unaudited) - 3 months ended Mar. 31, 2017 - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	Total	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-In Capital [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss [Member]	Treasury Stock [Member]	Noncontrolling Interests [Member]
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2016	$ 5,320	$ 6	$ 4,850	$ 7,388	$ (80)	$ (6,867)	$ 23
Beginning balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2016		630,282				(190,967)
Consolidated net income	297			298			(1)
Other comprehensive income, net of tax expense	14				14
Cash dividends	(194)			(194)
Equity-based compensation transactions, net	103		(9)	5		$ 107
Equity-based compensation transaction, shares						2,991
Common stock repurchase program			45			$ (45)
Common stock repurchase program, shares						(402)
Other, net	(2)		(1)				(1)
Other, net, shares						1
Ending balance at Mar. 31, 2017	$ 5,538	$ 6	$ 4,885	$ 7,497	$ (66)	$ (6,805)	$ 21
Ending balance, shares at Mar. 31, 2017		630,282				(188,377)

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	1. Basis of Presentation The financial statements presented in this report represent the consolidation of Waste Management, Inc., a Delaware corporation; its wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries; and certain variable interest entities for which Waste Management, Inc. or its subsidiaries are the primary beneficiaries as described in Note 13. Waste Management is a holding company and all operations are conducted by its subsidiaries. When the terms “the Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” are used in this document, those terms refer to Waste Management, Inc., its consolidated subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities. When we use the term “WM,” we are referring only to Waste Management, Inc., the parent holding company. We are North America’s leading provider of comprehensive waste management environmental services. We partner with our residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers and the communities we serve to manage and reduce waste at each stage from collection to disposal, while recovering valuable resources and creating clean, renewable energy. Our “Solid Waste” business is operated and managed locally by our subsidiaries that focus on distinct geographic areas and provides collection, transfer, disposal, and recycling and resource recovery services. Through our subsidiaries, we are also a leading developer, operator and owner of landfill gas-to-energy We evaluate, oversee and manage the financial performance of our Solid Waste business subsidiaries through our 17 Areas. We also provide additional services that are not managed through our Solid Waste business, which are presented in this report as “Other.” Additional information related to our segments is included in Note 7. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of March 31, 2017 and for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 are unaudited. In the opinion of management, these financial statements include all adjustments, which, unless otherwise disclosed, are of a normal recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows, and changes in equity for the periods presented. The results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. The financial statements presented herein should be read in conjunction with the financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K In preparing our financial statements, we make numerous estimates and assumptions that affect the accounting for and recognition and disclosure of assets, liabilities, equity, revenues and expenses. We must make these estimates and assumptions because certain information that we use is dependent on future events, cannot be calculated with precision from available data or simply cannot be calculated. In some cases, these estimates are difficult to determine, and we must exercise significant judgment. In preparing our financial statements, the most difficult, subjective and complex estimates and the assumptions that present the greatest amount of uncertainty relate to our accounting for landfills, environmental remediation liabilities, long-lived asset impairments and reserves associated with our insured and self-insured claims. Actual results could differ materially from the estimates and assumptions that we use in the preparation of our financial statements. Adoption of New Accounting Standards Equity-Based Compensation — 2016-09 • Excess tax benefits or deficiencies for share-based payments are now recorded as a discrete item in the period shares vest or stock options are exercised as an adjustment to income tax expense or benefit rather than additional paid-in • As of January 1, 2017, the calculation of diluted weighted average shares outstanding was changed prospectively to no longer include excess tax benefits as assumed proceeds. This change did not have a material impact on our current year diluted earnings per share; • Cash flows related to excess tax benefits or deficiencies are included in net cash provided by operating activities rather than as a financing activity. The Company adopted this change retrospectively, which resulted in an increase to net cash provided by operating activities and a corresponding decrease to net cash provided by financing activities of $7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016; • Cash paid to taxing authorities when withholding shares from an employee’s vesting or exercise of equity-based compensation awards for tax-withholding • The Company has elected to continue to estimate forfeitures rather than account for forfeitures as they occur. Goodwill Impairment Testing — 2017-04 Reclassifications When necessary, reclassifications have been made to our prior period financial information to conform to the current year presentation.

Landfill and Environmental Reme

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Text Block [Abstract]
Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities	2. Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities Liabilities for landfill and environmental remediation costs are presented in the table below (in millions): March 31, 2017 December 31, 2016 Landfill Environmental Remediation Total Landfill Environmental Remediation Total Current (in accrued liabilities) $ 133 $ 26 $ 159 $ 119 $ 28 $ 147 Long-term 1,475 217 1,692 1,457 218 1,675 $ 1,608 $ 243 $ 1,851 $ 1,576 $ 246 $ 1,822 The changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities for the three months ended March 31, 2017 are reflected in the table below (in millions): Landfill Environmental Remediation December 31, 2016 $ 1,576 $ 246 Obligations incurred and capitalized 15 — Obligations settled (14 ) (4 ) Interest accretion 22 1 Revisions in estimates and interest rate assumptions 8 1 Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments 1 (1 ) March 31, 2017 $ 1,608 $ 243 At several of our landfills, we provide financial assurance by depositing cash into restricted trust funds or escrow accounts for purposes of settling final capping, closure, post-closure and environmental remediation obligations. Generally, these trust funds are established to comply with statutory requirements and operating agreements. See Note 13 for additional information related to these trusts.

Debt

Debt	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Debt	3. Debt The following table summarizes the major components of debt at each balance sheet date (in millions) and provides the maturities and interest rate ranges of each major category as of March 31, 2017: March 31, 2017 December 31, 2016 $2.25 billion revolving credit facility, maturing July 2020 (weighted average interest rate of 1.9% as of December 31, 2016) $ — $ 426 Commercial paper program (weighted average interest rate of 1.2% as of March 31, 2017) 210 — Other letter of credit facilities, maturing through December 2018 — — Canadian term loan and revolving credit facility, maturing March 2019 (weighted average effective interest rate of 2.1% as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016) 205 239 Senior notes maturing through 2045, interest rates ranging from 2.4% to 7.75% (weighted average interest rate of 4.6% as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016) 6,033 6,033 Tax-exempt 2,304 2,304 Capital leases and other, maturing through 2055, interest rates up to 12% 290 308 9,042 9,310 Current portion of long-term debt 396 417 $ 8,646 $ 8,893 Debt Classification As of March 31, 2017, the current portion of our long-term debt balance of $396 million includes (i) $210 million of short-term borrowings under our commercial paper program and (ii) $186 million of other debt with scheduled maturities within the next 12 months, including $126 million of tax-exempt As of March 31, 2017, we have classified $590 million of 6.1% senior notes that mature in March 2018 as long-term because we have the intent and ability to refinance these senior notes on a long-term basis as supported by the forecasted available capacity under our long-term U.S. revolving credit facility (“$2.25 billion revolving credit facility”), as discussed below. In addition, we have $490 million of tax-exempt tax-exempt tax-exempt tax-exempt Access to and Utilization of Credit Facilities and Commercial Paper Program $2.25 Billion Revolving Credit Facility Commercial Paper Program Canadian Term Loan and Revolving Credit Facility non-revolving Other Letter of Credit Facilities Debt Borrowings and Repayments $2.25 Billion Revolving Credit Facility Canadian Term Loan Cross-Currency Swaps In March 2016, our Canadian subsidiaries repaid C$370 million of intercompany debt to WM Holdings with proceeds from our Canadian term loan. Concurrent with the repayment of the intercompany debt, we terminated the related cross-currency swaps and received $67 million in cash. The cash received from our termination of these swaps was classified as a change in other current assets and other assets within net cash provided by operating activities in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Cash Flows. In addition, we recognized $8 million of expense associated with the termination of these swaps during the three months ended March 31, 2016, which was included in other, net in the Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Income Tax Disclosure [Abstract]
Income Taxes	4. Income Taxes Our effective income tax rate for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 was 31.7% and 35.4%, respectively. We evaluate our effective income tax rate at each interim period and adjust it as facts and circumstances warrant. The difference between federal income taxes computed at the federal statutory rate and reported income taxes for the three months ended March 31, 2017 was primarily due to the favorable impact of excess tax benefits related to equity-based compensation and federal tax credits offset, in part, by the unfavorable impact of state and local income taxes and the tax implications of impairments. The difference between federal income taxes computed at the federal statutory rate and reported income taxes for the three months ended March 31, 2016 was primarily due to the unfavorable impact of state and local income taxes offset by the favorable impact of federal tax credits. Equity-Based Compensation 2016-09. Investments Qualifying for Federal Tax Credits low-income pro-rata low-income We account for our investments in these entities using the equity method of accounting, recognizing our share of each entity’s results of operations and other reductions in the value of our investments in equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities, within our Condensed Consolidated Statements of Operations. During both the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, we recognized $6 million of net losses and a reduction in our income tax expense of $11 million, primarily because of tax credits realized from these investments. In addition, during both the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016, we recognized interest expense of $1 million associated with our investment in low-income

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Earnings Per Share	5. Earnings Per Share Basic and diluted earnings per share were computed using the following common share data (shares in millions): Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 2016 Number of common shares outstanding at end of period 441.9 444.7 Effect of using weighted average common shares outstanding (0.6 ) 1.4 Weighted average basic common shares outstanding 441.3 446.1 Dilutive effect of equity-based compensation awards and other contingently issuable shares(a) 2.8 2.5 Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding 444.1 448.6 Potentially issuable shares 9.2 11.2 Number of anti-dilutive potentially issuable shares excluded from diluted common shares outstanding 3.0 2.5 (a) As of January 1, 2017, we adopted ASU 2016-09

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Commitments and Contingencies Disclosure [Abstract]
Commitments and Contingencies	6. Commitments and Contingencies Financial Instruments tax-exempt Management does not expect that any claims against or draws on these instruments would have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. We have not experienced any unmanageable difficulty in obtaining the required financial assurance instruments for our current operations. In an ongoing effort to mitigate risks of future cost increases and reductions in available capacity, we continue to evaluate various options to access cost-effective sources of financial assurance. Insurance We have retained a significant portion of the risks related to our general liability, automobile liability and workers’ compensation claims programs. “General liability” refers to the self-insured portion of specific third-party claims made against us that may be covered under our commercial General Liability Insurance Policy. For our self-insured retentions, the exposure for unpaid claims and associated expenses, including incurred but not reported losses, is based on an actuarial valuation or internal estimates. The accruals for these liabilities could be revised if future occurrences or loss development significantly differ from such valuations and estimates. We do not expect the impact of any known casualty, property, environmental or other contingency to have a material impact on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. Guarantees We have also guaranteed the obligations and certain performance requirements of, and provided indemnification to, third parties as of March 31, 2017 in connection with both consolidated and unconsolidated entities, including agreements guaranteeing certain market value losses for approximately 850 homeowners’ properties adjacent to or near 22 of our landfills. Our indemnification obligations generally arise from divestitures and provide that we will be responsible for liabilities associated with our operations for events that occurred prior to the sale of the operations. Additionally, under certain of our acquisition agreements, we have provided for additional consideration to be paid to the sellers if established financial targets or other market conditions are achieved post-closing, and we have recognized liabilities for these contingent obligations based on an estimate of the fair value of these contingencies at the time of acquisition. We do not currently believe that contingent obligations to provide indemnification or pay additional post-closing consideration in connection with our divestitures or acquisitions will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. In December 2014, we sold our Wheelabrator business, which provides waste-to-energy waste-to-energy non-compliance Environmental Matters clean-up. Estimating our degree of responsibility for remediation is inherently difficult. We recognize and accrue for an estimated remediation liability when we determine that such liability is both probable and reasonably estimable. Determining the method and ultimate cost of remediation requires that a number of assumptions be made. There can sometimes be a range of reasonable estimates of the costs associated with the likely site remediation alternatives identified in the environmental impact investigation. In these cases, we use the amount within the range that is our best estimate. If no amount within a range appears to be a better estimate than any other, we use the amount that is the low end of such range. If we used the high ends of such ranges, our aggregate potential liability would be approximately $118 million higher than the $243 million recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of March 31, 2017. Our ultimate responsibility may differ materially from current estimates. It is possible that technological, regulatory or enforcement developments, the results of environmental studies, the inability to identify other PRPs, the inability of other PRPs to contribute to the settlements of such liabilities, or other factors could require us to record additional liabilities. Our ongoing review of our remediation liabilities, in light of relevant internal and external facts and circumstances, could result in revisions to our accruals that could cause upward or downward adjustments to our balance sheet or income from operations. These adjustments could be material in any given period. As of March 31, 2017, we had been notified by the government that we are a PRP in connection with 76 locations listed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA’s”) Superfund National Priorities List (“NPL”). Of the 76 sites at which claims have been made against us, 15 are sites we own. Each of the NPL sites we own was initially developed by others as a landfill disposal facility. At each of these facilities, we are working in conjunction with the government to evaluate or remediate identified site problems, and we have either agreed with other legally liable parties on an arrangement for sharing the costs of remediation or are working toward a cost-sharing agreement. We generally expect to receive any amounts due from other participating parties at or near the time that we make the remedial expenditures. The other 61 NPL sites, which we do not own, are at various procedural stages under the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended, known as CERCLA or Superfund. The majority of proceedings involving NPL sites that we do not own are based on allegations that certain of our subsidiaries (or their predecessors) transported hazardous substances to the sites, often prior to our acquisition of these subsidiaries. CERCLA generally provides for liability for those parties owning, operating, transporting to or disposing at the sites. Proceedings arising under Superfund typically involve numerous waste generators and other waste transportation and disposal companies and seek to allocate or recover costs associated with site investigation and remediation, which costs could be substantial and could have a material adverse effect on our consolidated financial statements. At some of the sites at which we have been identified as a PRP, our liability is well defined as a consequence of a governmental decision and an agreement among liable parties as to the share each will pay for implementing that remedy. At other sites, where no remedy has been selected or the liable parties have been unable to agree on an appropriate allocation, our future costs are uncertain. In September 2016, the EPA announced a proposed remediation plan for the San Jacinto waste pits in Harris County, Texas, naming McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corporation (“MIMC”), a subsidiary of WM, as a PRP. MIMC operated the waste pits from 1965 to 1966. In 1998, WM acquired the stock of the parent entity of MIMC. The remedy and remedial design plan for the site are not yet final. A notice and comment period with respect to the remedy closed on January 12, 2017. MIMC filed comments, detailing its disagreement with the proposed remedy put forth by the EPA and is continuing to focus on a solution that it believes best protects the environment and public health. MIMC’s ultimate liability could be materially different from current estimates. We remain an active participant in the EPA’s process established to evaluate and determine the appropriate remedy and remedial design plan for this site. As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, our recorded liability for MIMC’s estimated share of the EPA’s proposed remedy was $45 million and $46 million, respectively. Item 103 of the SEC’s Regulation S-K On January 10, 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (“DEP”) solid waste program advised us that it intends to seek civil penalties against the Grows North and Tullytown Landfills (“Grows/Tullytown”), located in southeast Pennsylvania and owned by indirect wholly-owned subsidiaries of WM, related to operational issues, including litter and leachate discharges. Additionally, we received notice on March 15, 2017 that the DEP clean water program also intends to seek civil penalties related to similar underlying events and operational issues at Grows/Tullytown. Our internal review of these matters is in process. Waste Management of Hawaii, Inc. (“WMHI”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of WM, may face civil claims from the Hawaii Department of Health and/or the EPA based upon water discharges at the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill, which WMHI operates for the city and county of Honolulu, following three major rainstorms in December 2010 and January 2011. On July 10, 2013, the EPA issued a Notice of Violation (“NOV”) to Waste Management of Wisconsin, Inc., an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of WM, alleging violations of the Resource Conservation Recovery Act concerning acceptance of certain waste that was not permitted to be disposed of at the Metro Recycling & Disposal Facility in Franklin, Wisconsin. The parties are exchanging information and working to resolve the NOV. From time to time, we are also named as defendants in personal injury and property damage lawsuits, including purported class actions, on the basis of having owned, operated or transported waste to a disposal facility that is alleged to have contaminated the environment or, in certain cases, on the basis of having conducted environmental remediation activities at sites. Some of the lawsuits may seek to have us pay the costs of monitoring of allegedly affected sites and health care examinations of allegedly affected persons for a substantial period of time even where no actual damage is proven. While we believe we have meritorious defenses to these lawsuits, the ultimate resolution is often substantially uncertain due to the difficulty of determining the cause, extent and impact of alleged contamination (which may have occurred over a long period of time), the potential for successive groups of complainants to emerge, the diversity of the individual plaintiffs’ circumstances, and the potential contribution or indemnification obligations of co-defendants Litigation WM’s charter and bylaws provide that WM shall indemnify against all liabilities and expenses, and upon request shall advance expenses to any person, who is subject to a pending or threatened proceeding because such person is or was a director or officer of the Company. Such indemnification is required to the maximum extent permitted under Delaware law. Accordingly, the director or officer must execute an undertaking to reimburse the Company for any fees advanced if it is later determined that the director or officer was not permitted to have such fees advanced under Delaware law. Additionally, the Company has direct contractual obligations to provide indemnification to each of the members of WM’s Board of Directors, our President and Chief Executive Officer, our Chief Operating Officer, our Chief Financial Officer and certain other senior vice presidents. The Company may incur substantial expenses in connection with the fulfillment of its advancement of costs and indemnification obligations in connection with actions or proceedings that may be brought against its former or current officers, directors and employees. Multiemployer Defined Benefit Pension Plans We do not believe that any future liability relating to our past or current participation in, or withdrawals from, the Multiemployer Pension Plans to which we contribute will have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or liquidity. However, liabilities for future withdrawals could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations or cash flows for a particular reporting period, depending on the number of employees withdrawn and the financial condition of the Multiemployer Pension Plan(s) at the time of such withdrawal(s). Tax Matters

Segment and Related Information

Segment and Related Information	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Segment and Related Information	7. Segment and Related Information We evaluate, oversee and manage the financial performance of our Solid Waste subsidiaries through our 17 Areas. The 17 Areas constitute our operating segments and none of the Areas individually meet the quantitative criteria to be a separate reportable segment. We have evaluated the aggregation criteria and concluded that, based on the similarities between our Areas, including the fact that our Solid Waste business is homogenous across geographies with the same services offered across the Areas, aggregation of our Areas is appropriate for purposes of presenting our reportable segments. Accordingly, we have aggregated our 17 Areas into three tiers that we believe have similar economic characteristics and future prospects based in large part on a review of the Areas’ income from operations margins. The economic variations experienced by our Areas are attributable to a variety of factors, including regulatory environment of the Area; economic environment of the Area, including level of commercial and industrial activity; population density; service offering mix and disposal logistics, with no one factor being singularly determinative of an Area’s current or future economic performance. Tier 1 is comprised of our operations across the Southern United States, with the exception of Southern California and the Florida peninsula and also includes the New England states, the tri-state Mid-Atlantic Mid-Atlantic The operating segments not evaluated and overseen through the 17 Areas are presented herein as “Other” as these operating segments do not meet the criteria to be aggregated with other operating segments and do not meet the quantitative criteria to be separately reported. Summarized financial information concerning our reportable segments for the three months ended March 31 is shown in the following table (in millions): Gross Operating Revenues Intercompany Operating Revenues Net Operating Revenues Income from Operations 2017 Solid Waste: Tier 1 $ 1,340 $ (238 ) $ 1,102 $ 366 Tier 2 842 (153 ) 689 157 Tier 3 1,327 (233 ) 1,094 227 Solid Waste 3,509 (624 ) 2,885 750 Other 603 (48 ) 555 (32 ) 4,112 (672 ) 3,440 718 Corporate and Other — — — (160 ) Total $ 4,112 $ (672 ) $ 3,440 $ 558 2016 Solid Waste: Tier 1 $ 1,241 $ (212 ) $ 1,029 $ 334 Tier 2 781 (142 ) 639 145 Tier 3 1,260 (212 ) 1,048 208 Solid Waste 3,282 (566 ) 2,716 687 Other 500 (40 ) 460 (36 ) 3,782 (606 ) 3,176 651 Corporate and Other — — — (143 ) Total $ 3,782 $ (606 ) $ 3,176 $ 508 Fluctuations in our operating results may be caused by many factors, including period-to-period Service disruptions caused by severe storms, extended periods of inclement weather or climate extremes resulting from climate change can significantly affect the operating results of the Areas affected. On the other hand, certain destructive weather conditions that tend to occur during the second half of the year, such as the hurricanes that most often impact our operations in the Southern and Eastern United States, can increase our revenues in the Areas affected. While weather conditions and other event driven special projects can boost revenues through additional work for a limited time, as a result of significant start-up

Acquisitions

Acquisitions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Business Combinations [Abstract]
Acquisitions	8. Acquisitions Southern Waste Systems/Sun Recyclin (“SWS”) Total consideration for SWS was allocated as follows: $93 million of property and equipment, $182 million of other intangible assets and $250 million of goodwill. The acquisition accounting for this transaction was finalized in the third quarter of 2016. There were no significant measurement period adjustments recorded in 2016. The goodwill has been assigned to our Florida Area, in Tier 3, and is tax deductible.

Asset Impairments and Unusual I

Asset Impairments and Unusual Items	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Unusual or Infrequent Items, or Both [Abstract]
Asset Impairments and Unusual Items	9. Asset Impairments and Unusual Items Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities During the three months ended March 31, 2017, we recognized a $25 million charge to write down an equity method investment in a waste diversion technology company to its fair value.

Accumulated Other Comprehensive

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Equity [Abstract]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	10. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss The changes in the balances of each component of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax benefit, which is included as a component of Waste Management, Inc. stockholders’ equity, are as follows (in millions, with amounts in parentheses representing increases to accumulated other comprehensive loss): Derivative Instruments Available- for-Sale Securities Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments Post- Retirement Benefit Obligation Total Balance, December 31, 2016 $ (40 ) $ 13 $ (47 ) $ (6 ) $ (80 ) Other comprehensive income before reclassifications, net of tax expense of $0, $1, $0 and $0, respectively — 1 10 1 12 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax benefit of $1, $0, $0 and $0, respectively 2 — — — 2 Net current period other comprehensive income 2 1 10 1 14 Balance, March 31, 2017 $ (38 ) $ 14 $ (37 ) $ (5 ) $ (66 ) There were no derivatives outstanding as of March 31, 2017. The amounts of other comprehensive loss before reclassifications associated with the effective portion of derivatives designated as cash flow hedges for the three months ended March 31, 2016 were as follows (in millions): Foreign currency derivatives $ (11 ) Tax benefit 4 Net of tax $ (7 ) The significant amounts reclassified out of each component of accumulated other comprehensive loss associated with our cash flow hedges for the three months ended March 31 are as follows (in millions, with amounts in parentheses representing debits to the statement of operations classification): 2017 2016 Statement of Forward-starting interest rate swaps $ (3 ) $ (3 ) Interest expense, net Foreign currency derivatives — (20 ) Other, net (3 ) (23 ) Total before tax 1 9 Tax benefit Total reclassifications for the period $ (2 ) $ (14 ) Net of tax

Common Stock Repurchase Program

Common Stock Repurchase Program	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Equity [Abstract]
Common Stock Repurchase Program	11. Common Stock Repurchase Program Our share repurchases have been authorized by our Board of Directors. The Company entered into an accelerated share repurchase (“ASR”) agreement in November 2016 to repurchase $225 million of our common stock. At the beginning of the repurchase period, we delivered $225 million in cash and received 2.8 million shares based on a stock price of $63.41. The ASR agreement completed in February 2017, at which time we received 0.4 million additional shares based on a final weighted average per share purchase price during the repurchase period of $69.43. We account for ASR agreements as two separate transactions: (i) as shares of reacquired common stock for the shares delivered to us upon effectiveness of the ASR agreement and (ii) as a forward contract indexed to our own common stock for the undelivered shares. The initial delivery of shares is included in treasury stock at cost, and results in an immediate reduction of the outstanding shares used to calculate the weighted average common shares outstanding for basic and diluted earnings per share. The forward contracts indexed to our own common stock meet the criteria for equity classification, and these amounts are initially recorded in additional paid-in The Company has authorization for $750 million of future share repurchases. Any future share repurchases pursuant to the authorization of our Board of Directors will be made at the discretion of management and will depend on factors similar to those considered by the Board of Directors in making dividend declarations, including our net earnings, financial condition and cash required for future business plans.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value Measurements	12. Fair Value Measurements Assets and Liabilities Accounted for at Fair Value Our assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis include the following (in millions): Fair Value Measurements as of March 31, 2017 Using Total Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)(a) Assets: Money market funds $ 36 $ 36 $ — $ — Available-for-sale 49 — 49 — Fixed-income securities 40 — 40 — Redeemable preferred stock 54 — — 54 Total assets $ 179 $ 36 $ 89 $ 54 Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2016 Using Total Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)(a) Assets: Money market funds $ 35 $ 35 $ — $ — Available-for-sale 46 — 46 — Fixed-income securities 39 — 39 — Redeemable preferred stock 54 — — 54 Total assets $ 174 $ 35 $ 85 $ 54 (a) When available, Level 3 investments have been measured based on third-party investors’ recent or pending transactions in these securities, which are considered the best evidence of fair value. When this evidence is not available, we use other valuation techniques as appropriate and available. These valuation methodologies may include transactions in similar instruments, discounted cash flow analysis, third-party appraisals or industry multiples and public comparables. There has not been any significant change in the fair value of the redeemable preferred stock since our assessment as of December 31, 2016. Fair Value of Debt As of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, the carrying value of our debt was approximately $9.0 billion and $9.3 billion, respectively. The estimated fair value of our debt was approximately $9.5 billion and $9.7 billion as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016, respectively. The fair value of our fixed-rate debt is estimated by using a discounted cash flow approach and current market rates for similar types of instruments. The carrying value of our variable-rate debt approximates fair value due to the short-term nature of the interest rates. The decrease in the fair value of our debt when comparing March 31, 2017 with December 31, 2016 is primarily related to net repayments of $277 million during 2017. Although we have determined the estimated fair value amounts using available market information and commonly accepted valuation methodologies, considerable judgment is required in interpreting market data to develop the estimates of fair value. Accordingly, our estimates are not necessarily indicative of the amounts that we, or holders of the instruments, could realize in a current market exchange. The use of different assumptions or estimation methodologies could have a material effect on the estimated fair values. The fair value estimates are based on Level 2 inputs of the fair value hierarchy available as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016. These amounts have not been revalued since those dates, and current estimates of fair value could differ significantly from the amounts presented.

Variable Interest Entities

Variable Interest Entities	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Variable Interest Entities	13. Variable Interest Entities Following is a description of our financial interests in both unconsolidated and consolidated variable interest entities that we consider significant: Unconsolidated Variable Interest Entities Low-Income low-income pro-rata low-income Trust Funds for Final Capping, Closure, Post-Closure or Environmental Remediation Obligations — As the party with primary responsibility to fund the related final capping, closure, post-closure or environmental remediation activities for these trust funds, we are exposed to risk of loss if there are declines in the fair value of the assets of the trust. We currently expect the trust funds to continue to meet the statutory requirements for which they were established. Consolidated Variable Interest Entities Trust Funds for Final Capping, Closure, Post-Closure or Environmental Remediation Obligations — available-for-sale We also have primary responsibility to fund the related final capping, closure, post-closure or environmental remediation activities for these trust funds, and we are exposed to risk of loss if there are declines in the fair value of the assets of the trust. We currently expect the trust funds to continue to meet the statutory requirements for which they were established.

Condensed Consolidating Financi

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements	14. Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements WM Holdings has fully and unconditionally guaranteed all of WM’s senior indebtedness. WM has fully and unconditionally guaranteed all of WM Holdings’ senior indebtedness. None of WM’s other subsidiaries have guaranteed any of WM’s or WM Holdings’ debt. As a result of these guarantee arrangements, we are required to present the following condensed consolidating financial information (in millions): CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS March 31, 2017 (Unaudited) WM WM Holdings Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ — $ — $ 30 $ — $ 30 Other current assets 4 5 2,184 — 2,193 4 5 2,214 — 2,223 Property and equipment, net — — 10,929 — 10,929 Investments in affiliates 20,267 20,686 — (40,953 ) — Advances to affiliates — — 13,389 (13,389 ) — Other assets 14 36 7,448 — 7,498 Total assets $ 20,285 $ 20,727 $ 33,980 $ (54,342 ) $ 20,650 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current liabilities: Current portion of long-term debt $ 255 $ — $ 141 $ — $ 396 Accounts payable and other current liabilities 61 4 2,097 — 2,162 316 4 2,238 — 2,558 Long-term debt, less current portion 6,027 304 2,315 — 8,646 Due to affiliates 13,712 153 5,299 (19,164 ) — Other liabilities 12 — 3,896 — 3,908 Total liabilities 20,067 461 13,748 (19,164 ) 15,112 Equity: Stockholders’ equity 5,517 20,266 20,687 (40,953 ) 5,517 Advances to affiliates (5,299 ) — (476 ) 5,775 — Noncontrolling interests — — 21 — 21 218 20,266 20,232 (35,178 ) 5,538 Total liabilities and equity $ 20,285 $ 20,727 $ 33,980 $ (54,342 ) $ 20,650 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS (Continued) December 31, 2016 WM WM Holdings Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ — $ — $ 32 $ — $ 32 Other current assets 5 5 2,334 — 2,344 5 5 2,366 — 2,376 Property and equipment, net — — 10,950 — 10,950 Investments in affiliates 19,924 20,331 — (40,255 ) — Investments to affiliates — — 13,000 (13,000 ) — Other assets 14 30 7,489 — 7,533 Total assets $ 19,943 $ 20,366 $ 33,805 $ (53,255 ) $ 20,859 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current liabilities: Current portion of long-term debt $ 269 $ — $ 148 $ — $ 417 Accounts payable and other current liabilities 81 9 2,287 — 2,377 350 9 2,435 — 2,794 Long-term debt, less current portion 6,229 304 2,360 — 8,893 Due to affiliates 13,350 128 5,299 (18,777 ) — Other liabilities 16 — 3,836 — 3,852 Total liabilities 19,945 441 13,930 (18,777 ) 15,539 Equity: Stockholders’ equity 5,297 19,925 20,330 (40,255 ) 5,297 Advances to affiliates (5,299 ) — (478 ) 5,777 — Noncontrolling interests — — 23 — 23 (2 ) 19,925 19,875 (34,478 ) 5,320 Total liabilities and equity $ 19,943 $ 20,366 $ 33,805 $ (53,255 ) $ 20,859 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 (Unaudited) WM WM Non-Guarantor Eliminations Consolidated Operating revenues $ — $ — $ 3,440 $ — $ 3,440 Costs and expenses — — 2,882 — 2,882 Income from operations — — 558 — 558 Other income (expense): Interest expense, net (74 ) (5 ) (13 ) — (92 ) Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax expense 343 346 — (689 ) — Other, net — — (32 ) — (32 ) 269 341 (45 ) (689 ) (124 ) Income before income taxes 269 341 513 (689 ) 434 Income tax expense (benefit) (29 ) (2 ) 168 — 137 Consolidated net income 298 343 345 (689 ) 297 Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests — — (1 ) — (1 ) Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. $ 298 $ 343 $ 346 $ (689 ) $ 298 Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 (Unaudited) WM WM Non-Guarantor Eliminations Consolidated Operating revenues $ — $ — $ 3,176 $ — $ 3,176 Costs and expenses — — 2,668 — 2,668 Income from operations — — 508 — 508 Other income (expense): Interest expense, net (74 ) (5 ) (16 ) — (95 ) Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax expense 304 307 — (611 ) — Other, net (1 ) — (16 ) — (17 ) 229 302 (32 ) (611 ) (112 ) Income before income taxes 229 302 476 (611 ) 396 Income tax expense (benefit) (29 ) (2 ) 171 — 140 Consolidated net income 258 304 305 (611 ) 256 Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests — — (2 ) — (2 ) Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. $ 258 $ 304 $ 307 $ (611 ) $ 258 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Unaudited) WM WM Non-Guarantor Eliminations Consolidated Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 Comprehensive income $ 300 $ 343 $ 357 $ (689 ) $ 311 Less: Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests — — (1 ) — (1 ) Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. $ 300 $ 343 $ 358 $ (689 ) $ 312 Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 Comprehensive income $ 260 $ 304 $ 372 $ (611 ) $ 325 Less: Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests — — (2 ) — (2 ) Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. $ 260 $ 304 $ 374 $ (611 ) $ 327 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 (Unaudited) WM(a) WM Non-Guarantor Eliminations Consolidated Cash flows provided by (used in): Operating activities $ — $ — $ 721 $ — $ 721 Investing activities — — (340 ) — (340 ) Financing activities — — (383 ) — (383 ) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents — — — — — Intercompany activity — — — — — Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents — — (2 ) — (2 ) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period — — 32 — 32 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ — $ — $ 30 $ — $ 30 (a) Cash receipts and payments of WM and WM Holdings are transacted by Non-Guarantor Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 (Unaudited) WM(b) WM Non-Guarantor Eliminations Consolidated Cash flows provided by (used in): Operating activities $ — $ — $ 732 $ — $ 732 Investing activities — — (847 ) — (847 ) Financing activities — — 180 — 180 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents — — — — — Intercompany activity — — — — — Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents — — 65 — 65 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period — — 39 — 39 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ — $ — $ 104 $ — $ 104 (b) Cash receipts and payments of WM and WM Holdings are transacted by Non-Guarantor Non-Guarantor

New Accounting Standards Pendin

New Accounting Standards Pending Adoption	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Accounting Changes and Error Corrections [Abstract]
New Accounting Standards Pending Adoption	15. New Accounting Standards Pending Adoption Income Taxes 2016-16 Statement of Cash Flows — 2016-15 2016-18 Financial Instrument Credit Losses — 2016-13 Leases 2016-02 Financial Instruments 2016-01 Revenue Recognition 2014-09 To assess the impact of the standard, we utilized internal resources to lead the implementation effort and supplemented them with external resources. Our internal resources read the amended guidance, attended trainings and consulted with other accounting professionals to assist with interpretation of the amended guidance. Surveys were sent to and returned by all operating segments to assess the potential impact of the amended guidance and to tailor specific procedures to evaluate the potential impact. Based on the results of these surveys, we judgmentally selected a sample of contracts based on size and specifically identified contract traits that could be accounted for differently under the amended guidance. We also selected a representative sample of contracts to corroborate the survey results. We have completed our preliminary review and analysis of all contracts selected for testing and we are in the process of performing additional analysis on certain contractual provisions, including provisions that could impact the classification of certain revenue streams and costs that are currently reported on a gross basis. Based on our work to date, we believe we have identified all material contract types and costs that may be impacted by this amended guidance. We expect to quantify and disclose the expected impact, if any, of adopting this amended guidance in the Quarterly Report on Form 10-Q Upon adoption of the amended guidance, we anticipate recognizing an asset from the capitalization of sales incentives as contract acquisitions costs. Under the amended guidance, sales incentives will be capitalized and amortized over the expected life of the customer relationship. Currently, the Company expenses approximately $65 million in sales incentives annually. As noted above, we are still evaluating the possible impacts on our consolidated financial statements, including potential changes in the classification of certain revenue streams and costs currently reported on a gross basis, the amount of sales incentives that will be capitalized and on our disclosures. The Company is currently planning to adopt the amended guidance using the modified retrospective method as of January 1, 2018.

Basis of Presentation (Policies

Basis of Presentation (Policies)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	The financial statements presented in this report represent the consolidation of Waste Management, Inc., a Delaware corporation; its wholly-owned and majority-owned subsidiaries; and certain variable interest entities for which Waste Management, Inc. or its subsidiaries are the primary beneficiaries as described in Note 13. Waste Management is a holding company and all operations are conducted by its subsidiaries. When the terms “the Company,” “we,” “us” or “our” are used in this document, those terms refer to Waste Management, Inc., its consolidated subsidiaries and consolidated variable interest entities. When we use the term “WM,” we are referring only to Waste Management, Inc., the parent holding company. We are North America’s leading provider of comprehensive waste management environmental services. We partner with our residential, commercial, industrial and municipal customers and the communities we serve to manage and reduce waste at each stage from collection to disposal, while recovering valuable resources and creating clean, renewable energy. Our “Solid Waste” business is operated and managed locally by our subsidiaries that focus on distinct geographic areas and provides collection, transfer, disposal, and recycling and resource recovery services. Through our subsidiaries, we are also a leading developer, operator and owner of landfill gas-to-energy facilities in the United States. We evaluate, oversee and manage the financial performance of our Solid Waste business subsidiaries through our 17 Areas. We also provide additional services that are not managed through our Solid Waste business, which are presented in this report as “Other.” Additional information related to our segments is included in Note 7. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of March 31, 2017 and for the three months ended March 31, 2017 and 2016 are unaudited. In the opinion of management, these financial statements include all adjustments, which, unless otherwise disclosed, are of a normal recurring nature, necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations, comprehensive income, cash flows, and changes in equity for the periods presented. The results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of results for the entire year. The financial statements presented herein should be read in conjunction with the financial statements included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2016. In preparing our financial statements, we make numerous estimates and assumptions that affect the accounting for and recognition and disclosure of assets, liabilities, equity, revenues and expenses. We must make these estimates and assumptions because certain information that we use is dependent on future events, cannot be calculated with precision from available data or simply cannot be calculated. In some cases, these estimates are difficult to determine, and we must exercise significant judgment. In preparing our financial statements, the most difficult, subjective and complex estimates and the assumptions that present the greatest amount of uncertainty relate to our accounting for landfills, environmental remediation liabilities, long-lived asset impairments and reserves associated with our insured and self-insured claims. Actual results could differ materially from the estimates and assumptions that we use in the preparation of our financial statements.
Adoption of New Accounting Standards	Adoption of New Accounting Standards Equity-Based Compensation — 2016-09 • Excess tax benefits or deficiencies for share-based payments are now recorded as a discrete item in the period shares vest or stock options are exercised as an adjustment to income tax expense or benefit rather than additional paid-in • As of January 1, 2017, the calculation of diluted weighted average shares outstanding was changed prospectively to no longer include excess tax benefits as assumed proceeds. This change did not have a material impact on our current year diluted earnings per share; • Cash flows related to excess tax benefits or deficiencies are included in net cash provided by operating activities rather than as a financing activity. The Company adopted this change retrospectively, which resulted in an increase to net cash provided by operating activities and a corresponding decrease to net cash provided by financing activities of $7 million for the three months ended March 31, 2016; • Cash paid to taxing authorities when withholding shares from an employee’s vesting or exercise of equity-based compensation awards for tax-withholding • The Company has elected to continue to estimate forfeitures rather than account for forfeitures as they occur. Goodwill Impairment Testing — 2017-04
Reclassifications	Reclassifications When necessary, reclassifications have been made to our prior period financial information to conform to the current year presentation.

Landfill and Environmental Re24

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Text Block [Abstract]
Liabilities for Landfill and Environmental Remediation Costs	Liabilities for landfill and environmental remediation costs are presented in the table below (in millions): March 31, 2017 December 31, 2016 Landfill Environmental Remediation Total Landfill Environmental Remediation Total Current (in accrued liabilities) $ 133 $ 26 $ 159 $ 119 $ 28 $ 147 Long-term 1,475 217 1,692 1,457 218 1,675 $ 1,608 $ 243 $ 1,851 $ 1,576 $ 246 $ 1,822
Changes to Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities	The changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities for the three months ended March 31, 2017 are reflected in the table below (in millions): Landfill Environmental Remediation December 31, 2016 $ 1,576 $ 246 Obligations incurred and capitalized 15 — Obligations settled (14 ) (4 ) Interest accretion 22 1 Revisions in estimates and interest rate assumptions 8 1 Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments 1 (1 ) March 31, 2017 $ 1,608 $ 243

Debt (Tables)

Debt (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Debt Disclosure [Abstract]
Components of Debt	The following table summarizes the major components of debt at each balance sheet date (in millions) and provides the maturities and interest rate ranges of each major category as of March 31, 2017: March 31, 2017 December 31, 2016 $2.25 billion revolving credit facility, maturing July 2020 (weighted average interest rate of 1.9% as of December 31, 2016) $ — $ 426 Commercial paper program (weighted average interest rate of 1.2% as of March 31, 2017) 210 — Other letter of credit facilities, maturing through December 2018 — — Canadian term loan and revolving credit facility, maturing March 2019 (weighted average effective interest rate of 2.1% as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016) 205 239 Senior notes maturing through 2045, interest rates ranging from 2.4% to 7.75% (weighted average interest rate of 4.6% as of March 31, 2017 and December 31, 2016) 6,033 6,033 Tax-exempt 2,304 2,304 Capital leases and other, maturing through 2055, interest rates up to 12% 290 308 9,042 9,310 Current portion of long-term debt 396 417 $ 8,646 $ 8,893

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Common Share Data Used for Computing Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share	Basic and diluted earnings per share were computed using the following common share data (shares in millions): Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 2016 Number of common shares outstanding at end of period 441.9 444.7 Effect of using weighted average common shares outstanding (0.6 ) 1.4 Weighted average basic common shares outstanding 441.3 446.1 Dilutive effect of equity-based compensation awards and other contingently issuable shares(a) 2.8 2.5 Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding 444.1 448.6 Potentially issuable shares 9.2 11.2 Number of anti-dilutive potentially issuable shares excluded from diluted common shares outstanding 3.0 2.5 (a) As of January 1, 2017, we adopted ASU 2016-09

Segment and Related Informati27

Segment and Related Information (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Segment Reporting [Abstract]
Reportable Segments	Summarized financial information concerning our reportable segments for the three months ended March 31 is shown in the following table (in millions): Gross Operating Revenues Intercompany Operating Revenues Net Operating Revenues Income from Operations 2017 Solid Waste: Tier 1 $ 1,340 $ (238 ) $ 1,102 $ 366 Tier 2 842 (153 ) 689 157 Tier 3 1,327 (233 ) 1,094 227 Solid Waste 3,509 (624 ) 2,885 750 Other 603 (48 ) 555 (32 ) 4,112 (672 ) 3,440 718 Corporate and Other — — — (160 ) Total $ 4,112 $ (672 ) $ 3,440 $ 558 2016 Solid Waste: Tier 1 $ 1,241 $ (212 ) $ 1,029 $ 334 Tier 2 781 (142 ) 639 145 Tier 3 1,260 (212 ) 1,048 208 Solid Waste 3,282 (566 ) 2,716 687 Other 500 (40 ) 460 (36 ) 3,782 (606 ) 3,176 651 Corporate and Other — — — (143 ) Total $ 3,782 $ (606 ) $ 3,176 $ 508

Accumulated Other Comprehensi28

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Equity [Abstract]
Components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss	The changes in the balances of each component of accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax benefit, which is included as a component of Waste Management, Inc. stockholders’ equity, are as follows (in millions, with amounts in parentheses representing increases to accumulated other comprehensive loss): Derivative Instruments Available- for-Sale Securities Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments Post- Retirement Benefit Obligation Total Balance, December 31, 2016 $ (40 ) $ 13 $ (47 ) $ (6 ) $ (80 ) Other comprehensive income before reclassifications, net of tax expense of $0, $1, $0 and $0, respectively — 1 10 1 12 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss, net of tax benefit of $1, $0, $0 and $0, respectively 2 — — — 2 Net current period other comprehensive income 2 1 10 1 14 Balance, March 31, 2017 $ (38 ) $ 14 $ (37 ) $ (5 ) $ (66 )
Other Comprehensive Loss Before Reclassifications Associated with the Effective Portion of Derivatives Designated as Cash Flow Hedges	The amounts of other comprehensive loss before reclassifications associated with the effective portion of derivatives designated as cash flow hedges for the three months ended March 31, 2016 were as follows (in millions): Foreign currency derivatives $ (11 ) Tax benefit 4 Net of tax $ (7 )
Reclassification of Component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Associated with Cash Flow Hedges	The significant amounts reclassified out of each component of accumulated other comprehensive loss associated with our cash flow hedges for the three months ended March 31 are as follows (in millions, with amounts in parentheses representing debits to the statement of operations classification): 2017 2016 Statement of Forward-starting interest rate swaps $ (3 ) $ (3 ) Interest expense, net Foreign currency derivatives — (20 ) Other, net (3 ) (23 ) Total before tax 1 9 Tax benefit Total reclassifications for the period $ (2 ) $ (14 ) Net of tax

Fair Value Measurements (Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Fair Value Disclosures [Abstract]
Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis	Our assets and liabilities that are measured at fair value on a recurring basis include the following (in millions): Fair Value Measurements as of March 31, 2017 Using Total Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)(a) Assets: Money market funds $ 36 $ 36 $ — $ — Available-for-sale 49 — 49 — Fixed-income securities 40 — 40 — Redeemable preferred stock 54 — — 54 Total assets $ 179 $ 36 $ 89 $ 54 Fair Value Measurements as of December 31, 2016 Using Total Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3)(a) Assets: Money market funds $ 35 $ 35 $ — $ — Available-for-sale 46 — 46 — Fixed-income securities 39 — 39 — Redeemable preferred stock 54 — — 54 Total assets $ 174 $ 35 $ 85 $ 54 (a) When available, Level 3 investments have been measured based on third-party investors’ recent or pending transactions in these securities, which are considered the best evidence of fair value. When this evidence is not available, we use other valuation techniques as appropriate and available. These valuation methodologies may include transactions in similar instruments, discounted cash flow analysis, third-party appraisals or industry multiples and public comparables. There has not been any significant change in the fair value of the redeemable preferred stock since our assessment as of December 31, 2016.

Condensed Consolidating Finan30

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Tables)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017
Organization, Consolidation and Presentation of Financial Statements [Abstract]
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS March 31, 2017 (Unaudited) WM WM Holdings Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ — $ — $ 30 $ — $ 30 Other current assets 4 5 2,184 — 2,193 4 5 2,214 — 2,223 Property and equipment, net — — 10,929 — 10,929 Investments in affiliates 20,267 20,686 — (40,953 ) — Advances to affiliates — — 13,389 (13,389 ) — Other assets 14 36 7,448 — 7,498 Total assets $ 20,285 $ 20,727 $ 33,980 $ (54,342 ) $ 20,650 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current liabilities: Current portion of long-term debt $ 255 $ — $ 141 $ — $ 396 Accounts payable and other current liabilities 61 4 2,097 — 2,162 316 4 2,238 — 2,558 Long-term debt, less current portion 6,027 304 2,315 — 8,646 Due to affiliates 13,712 153 5,299 (19,164 ) — Other liabilities 12 — 3,896 — 3,908 Total liabilities 20,067 461 13,748 (19,164 ) 15,112 Equity: Stockholders’ equity 5,517 20,266 20,687 (40,953 ) 5,517 Advances to affiliates (5,299 ) — (476 ) 5,775 — Noncontrolling interests — — 21 — 21 218 20,266 20,232 (35,178 ) 5,538 Total liabilities and equity $ 20,285 $ 20,727 $ 33,980 $ (54,342 ) $ 20,650 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS (Continued) December 31, 2016 WM WM Holdings Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated ASSETS Current assets: Cash and cash equivalents $ — $ — $ 32 $ — $ 32 Other current assets 5 5 2,334 — 2,344 5 5 2,366 — 2,376 Property and equipment, net — — 10,950 — 10,950 Investments in affiliates 19,924 20,331 — (40,255 ) — Investments to affiliates — — 13,000 (13,000 ) — Other assets 14 30 7,489 — 7,533 Total assets $ 19,943 $ 20,366 $ 33,805 $ (53,255 ) $ 20,859 LIABILITIES AND EQUITY Current liabilities: Current portion of long-term debt $ 269 $ — $ 148 $ — $ 417 Accounts payable and other current liabilities 81 9 2,287 — 2,377 350 9 2,435 — 2,794 Long-term debt, less current portion 6,229 304 2,360 — 8,893 Due to affiliates 13,350 128 5,299 (18,777 ) — Other liabilities 16 — 3,836 — 3,852 Total liabilities 19,945 441 13,930 (18,777 ) 15,539 Equity: Stockholders’ equity 5,297 19,925 20,330 (40,255 ) 5,297 Advances to affiliates (5,299 ) — (478 ) 5,777 — Noncontrolling interests — — 23 — 23 (2 ) 19,925 19,875 (34,478 ) 5,320 Total liabilities and equity $ 19,943 $ 20,366 $ 33,805 $ (53,255 ) $ 20,859
Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 (Unaudited) WM WM Non-Guarantor Eliminations Consolidated Operating revenues $ — $ — $ 3,440 $ — $ 3,440 Costs and expenses — — 2,882 — 2,882 Income from operations — — 558 — 558 Other income (expense): Interest expense, net (74 ) (5 ) (13 ) — (92 ) Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax expense 343 346 — (689 ) — Other, net — — (32 ) — (32 ) 269 341 (45 ) (689 ) (124 ) Income before income taxes 269 341 513 (689 ) 434 Income tax expense (benefit) (29 ) (2 ) 168 — 137 Consolidated net income 298 343 345 (689 ) 297 Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests — — (1 ) — (1 ) Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. $ 298 $ 343 $ 346 $ (689 ) $ 298 Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 (Unaudited) WM WM Non-Guarantor Eliminations Consolidated Operating revenues $ — $ — $ 3,176 $ — $ 3,176 Costs and expenses — — 2,668 — 2,668 Income from operations — — 508 — 508 Other income (expense): Interest expense, net (74 ) (5 ) (16 ) — (95 ) Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax expense 304 307 — (611 ) — Other, net (1 ) — (16 ) — (17 ) 229 302 (32 ) (611 ) (112 ) Income before income taxes 229 302 476 (611 ) 396 Income tax expense (benefit) (29 ) (2 ) 171 — 140 Consolidated net income 258 304 305 (611 ) 256 Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests — — (2 ) — (2 ) Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. $ 258 $ 304 $ 307 $ (611 ) $ 258
Condensed Consolidating Statements of Comprehensive Income	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Unaudited) WM WM Non-Guarantor Eliminations Consolidated Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 Comprehensive income $ 300 $ 343 $ 357 $ (689 ) $ 311 Less: Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests — — (1 ) — (1 ) Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. $ 300 $ 343 $ 358 $ (689 ) $ 312 Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 Comprehensive income $ 260 $ 304 $ 372 $ (611 ) $ 325 Less: Comprehensive loss attributable to noncontrolling interests — — (2 ) — (2 ) Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. $ 260 $ 304 $ 374 $ (611 ) $ 327
Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS Three Months Ended March 31, 2017 (Unaudited) WM(a) WM Non-Guarantor Eliminations Consolidated Cash flows provided by (used in): Operating activities $ — $ — $ 721 $ — $ 721 Investing activities — — (340 ) — (340 ) Financing activities — — (383 ) — (383 ) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents — — — — — Intercompany activity — — — — — Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents — — (2 ) — (2 ) Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period — — 32 — 32 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ — $ — $ 30 $ — $ 30 (a) Cash receipts and payments of WM and WM Holdings are transacted by Non-Guarantor Three Months Ended March 31, 2016 (Unaudited) WM(b) WM Non-Guarantor Eliminations Consolidated Cash flows provided by (used in): Operating activities $ — $ — $ 732 $ — $ 732 Investing activities — — (847 ) — (847 ) Financing activities — — 180 — 180 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents — — — — — Intercompany activity — — — — — Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents — — 65 — 65 Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period — — 39 — 39 Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ — $ — $ 104 $ — $ 104 (b) Cash receipts and payments of WM and WM Holdings are transacted by Non-Guarantor Non-Guarantor

Basis of Presentation - Additio

Basis of Presentation - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)Areas
Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Number of areas | Areas	17
Accounting Standards Update 2016-09 [Member] | Excess Tax Benefits Or Deficiencies [Member]
Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Increase to net cash provided by operating activities	$ 7
Decrease to net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	(7)
Accounting Standards Update 2016-09 [Member] | Tax Payments Associated with Equity Based Compensation Transactions [Member]
Basis Of Presentation [Line Items]
Increase to net cash provided by operating activities	19
Decrease to net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	$ (19)

Landfill and Environmental Re32

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities - Liabilities for Landfill and Environmental Remediation Costs (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Total, Environmental Remediation	$ 243
Current (in accrued liabilities)	159	$ 147
Long-term	1,692	1,675
Total	1,851	1,822
Landfill [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Current (in accrued liabilities), Landfill	133	119
Long-term, Landfill	1,475	1,457
Total, Landfill	1,608	1,576
Environmental Remediation Liabilities [Member]
Site Contingency [Line Items]
Current (in accrued liabilities), Environmental Remediation	26	28
Long-term, Environmental Remediation	217	218
Total, Environmental Remediation	$ 243	$ 246

Landfill and Environmental Re33

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities - Changes to Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Environmental Exit Cost [Line Items]
Interest accretion	$ 22	$ 22
Ending balance, environmental remediation	243
Landfill [Member]
Environmental Exit Cost [Line Items]
Beginning balance, landfill	1,576
Obligations incurred and capitalized	15
Obligations settled	(14)
Interest accretion	22
Revisions in estimates and interest rate assumptions	8
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments	1
Ending balance, landfill	1,608
Environmental Remediation Liabilities [Member]
Environmental Exit Cost [Line Items]
Beginning balance, environmental remediation	246
Obligations settled	(4)
Interest accretion	1
Revisions in estimates and interest rate assumptions	1
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments	(1)
Ending balance, environmental remediation	$ 243

Debt - Components of Debt (Deta

Debt - Components of Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commercial paper, short-term borrowings	$ 210
Debt and capital lease obligations	9,042	$ 9,310
Current portion of long-term debt	396	417
Long-term debt, less current portion	8,646	8,893
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt and capital lease obligations		426
Canadian Term Loan and Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt and capital lease obligations	205	239
Commercial Paper [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commercial paper, short-term borrowings	210
Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt and capital lease obligations	6,033	6,033
Tax-exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt and capital lease obligations	2,304	2,304
Capital Leases and Other [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt and capital lease obligations	$ 290	$ 308

Debt - Components of Debt (Pare

Debt - Components of Debt (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Capital Leases and Other [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
End period of maturity for debt instrument	Dec. 31, 2055
Commercial Paper [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate	1.20%
Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate	4.60%	4.60%
End period of maturity for debt instrument	Mar. 1, 2045
Tax-exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate	1.90%	1.80%
End period of maturity for debt instrument	Aug. 1, 2045
Minimum [Member] | Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	2.40%
Minimum [Member] | Tax-exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	0.90%
Maximum [Member] | Capital Leases and Other [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	12.00%
Maximum [Member] | Senior Notes [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	7.75%
Maximum [Member] | Tax-exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate	5.70%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity	$ 2,250,000,000	$ 2,250,000,000
Weighted average interest rate		1.90%
Maturity date of credit facility	Jul. 30, 2020
Other Letter of Credit Facilities [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Maturity date of credit facility	Dec. 31, 2018
Canadian Term Loan and Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Weighted average interest rate	2.10%	2.10%
Maturity date of credit facility	Mar. 31, 2019

Debt - Additional Information (

Debt - Additional Information (Detail)	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
	Aug. 31, 2016USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2016CAD	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017CAD	Mar. 31, 2016USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2017CAD	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Current portion of long-term debt			$ 396,000,000				$ 417,000,000
Commercial paper, borrowings			210,000,000
Debt maturing within twelve months			186,000,000
Net borrowings (repayments)			210,000,000
Foreign Currency Derivatives [Member] | Cash Flow Hedging [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Cash received in termination of foreign exchange cross currency swaps					$ 67,000,000
Expense associated with termination of foreign exchange cross currency swaps					$ 8,000,000
Canadian Term Loan and Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity | CAD		CAD 50,000,000
Outstanding borrowings under credit facility | CAD						CAD 0
Letters of credit outstanding revolving credit facility | CAD						CAD 0
Maturity date of credit facility		Mar. 31, 2019
Tax-exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt maturing within twelve months			126,000,000
Tax-exempt bonds subject to re-pricing within the next 12 months			490,000,000
Tax-exempt Bonds [Member] | Variable Rate [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Variable-rate tax-exempt bonds			471,000,000
6.10% Senior Notes Mature in March 2018 [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Senior note amount intended to refinance on a long-term basis			$ 590,000,000
Interest rate			6.10%			6.10%
Maximum [Member] | Tax-exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Interest rate			5.70%			5.70%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity			$ 2,250,000,000				$ 2,250,000,000
Outstanding borrowings under credit facility			0
Letters of credit outstanding revolving credit facility			783,000,000
Unused and available credit capacity			$ 1,257,000,000
Maturity date of credit facility			Jul. 30, 2020	Jul. 30, 2020
Net borrowings (repayments)			$ 426,000,000
Non Revolving Term Credit Facility [Member] | 2016 Canadian Credit Agreement [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity | CAD		CAD 460,000,000
Committed and Uncommitted [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Letters of credit outstanding revolving credit facility			457,000,000
Canadian Term Loan [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Net borrowings (repayments)			36,000,000	CAD 48,000,000
Canadian Term Loan [Member] | Currency Swaps [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Net amount of derivatives for intercompany debt CAD | CAD		CAD 370,000,000
Commercial Paper [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Commercial Paper Program [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Commercial paper, borrowings			$ 210,000,000
Credit Facility, Borrowing Capacity	$ 1,500,000,000
Commercial Paper [Member] | Revolving Credit Facility [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Debt term	397 days

Income Taxes - Additional infor

Income Taxes - Additional information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Effective tax rate of income (loss) before income taxes	31.70%	35.40%
Reduction in income tax expense	$ 32
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities	32	$ 7
Interest expense	92	95
Investments Qualifying for Federal Tax Credits [Member]
Income Taxes [Line Items]
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities	6	6
Interest expense	1	1
Income tax benefit, including tax credits, from equity method investment	$ 11	$ 11

Earnings Per Share - Common Sha

Earnings Per Share - Common Share Data Used for Computing Basic and Diluted Earnings Per Share (Detail) - shares shares in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Earnings Per Share [Abstract]
Number of common shares outstanding at end of period	441.9	444.7
Effect of using weighted average common shares outstanding	(0.6)	1.4
Weighted average basic common shares outstanding	441.3	446.1
Dilutive effect of equity-based compensation awards and other contingently issuable shares	2.8	2.5
Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding	444.1	448.6
Potentially issuable shares	9.2	11.2
Number of anti-dilutive potentially issuable shares excluded from diluted common shares outstanding	3	2.5

Commitments and Contingencies -

Commitments and Contingencies - Additional information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)siteLandfillHomeowners	Dec. 31, 2016USD ($)
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Approximate number of homeowners' properties adjacent to or near certain of our landfills with agreements guaranteeing market value | Homeowners	850
Number of landfills adjacent to or near homeowners' properties with agreements guaranteeing market value | Landfill	22
Environmental remediation reasonably possible additional losses high estimate	$ 118,000,000
Environmental remediation liabilities	$ 243,000,000
Number of sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP | site	76
Number of owned sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP | site	15
Number of non-owned sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP | site	61
Approximate percentage of workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements	20.00%
2014 Audit [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Expected time of completion of IRS audits	9 months
2015 Audit [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Expected time of completion of IRS audits	12 months
2016 Audit [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Expected time of completion of IRS audits	18 months
2017 Audit [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Expected time of completion of IRS audits	30 months
Wheelabrator [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Maximum future payments regarding guarantees of unconsolidated entities financial obligations	$ 96,000,000	$ 96,000,000
Operational and financial performance obligations, net liability	10,000,000	11,000,000
San Jacinto Waste Pits [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Cost estimate associated with environmental remediation liability	45,000,000	$ 46,000,000
Maximum [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Dollar threshold for environmental matters requiring disclosure under item 103 of the SEC's Regulation S-K	100,000
Domestic Line of Credit [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity	$ 2,250,000,000

Segment and Related Informati40

Segment and Related Information - Additional Information (Detail)	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017Areas
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of geographical areas	17
Solid Waste [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of geographical areas	17

Segment and Related Informati41

Segment and Related Information - Reportable Segments (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	$ 3,440	$ 3,176
Income from operations	558	508
Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	4,112	3,782
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	(672)	(606)
Corporate and Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Income from operations	(160)	(143)
Solid Waste: Tier 1 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	1,102	1,029
Income from operations	366	334
Solid Waste: Tier 1 [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	1,340	1,241
Solid Waste: Tier 1 [Member] | Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	(238)	(212)
Solid Waste: Tier 2 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	689	639
Income from operations	157	145
Solid Waste: Tier 2 [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	842	781
Solid Waste: Tier 2 [Member] | Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	(153)	(142)
Solid Waste: Tier 3 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	1,094	1,048
Income from operations	227	208
Solid Waste: Tier 3 [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	1,327	1,260
Solid Waste: Tier 3 [Member] | Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	(233)	(212)
Solid Waste [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	2,885	2,716
Income from operations	750	687
Solid Waste [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	3,509	3,282
Solid Waste [Member] | Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	(624)	(566)
Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	555	460
Income from operations	(32)	(36)
Other [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	603	500
Other [Member] | Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	(48)	(40)
Operating Group Total [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	3,440	3,176
Income from operations	718	651
Operating Group Total [Member] | Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	4,112	3,782
Operating Group Total [Member] | Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Net operating revenues	$ (672)	$ (606)

Acquisitions - Additional Infor

Acquisitions - Additional Information (Detail) - Southern Waste Systems [Member] $ in Millions	Jan. 08, 2016USD ($)
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Total consideration, net of cash acquired, for business acquisitions closed during the year	$ 525
Allocation of consideration to property and equipment	93
Allocation of consideration to other intangible assets	182
Allocation of consideration to goodwill	$ 250

Asset Impairments and Unusual43

Asset Impairments and Unusual Items - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)
Waste Diversion Technology Company [Member]
Income Expense From Divestitures Asset Impairments And Unusual Items [Line Items]
Impairment charges	$ 25

Accumulated Other Comprehensi44

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss - Components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Beginning balance	$ (80)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications, net of tax	12
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss net of tax	2
Other comprehensive income, net of tax expense	14	$ 69
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Ending balance	(66)
Derivative Instruments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Beginning balance	(40)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss net of tax	2
Other comprehensive income, net of tax expense	2
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Ending balance	(38)
Available-for-Sale Securities [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Beginning balance	13
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications, net of tax	1
Other comprehensive income, net of tax expense	1
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Ending balance	14
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Beginning balance	(47)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications, net of tax	10
Other comprehensive income, net of tax expense	10
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Ending balance	(37)
Post - Retirement Benefit Obligation [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Beginning balance	(6)
Other comprehensive income before reclassifications, net of tax	1
Other comprehensive income, net of tax expense	1
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), Ending balance	$ (5)

Accumulated Other Comprehensi45

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss - Components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss (Parenthetical) (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Derivative Instruments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income, tax	$ 0	$ (4)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss, tax	1
Available-for-Sale Securities [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income, tax	1
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss, tax	0
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income, tax	0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss, tax	0
Post - Retirement Benefit Obligation [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income, tax	0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive loss, tax	$ 0

Accumulated Other Comprehensi46

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss - Additional Information (Detail)	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)
Derivative Instruments and Hedging Activities Disclosure [Abstract]
Outstanding derivatives	$ 0

Accumulated Other Comprehensi47

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss - Other Comprehensive Loss Before Reclassifications Associated With the Effective Portion of Derivatives Designated as Cash Flow Hedges (Detail) - Derivative Instruments [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Tax benefit	$ 0	$ 4
Net of tax		(7)
Foreign Currency Derivatives [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other comprehensive loss on derivatives before tax		$ (11)

Accumulated Other Comprehensi48

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss - Reclassification of Component of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss Associated with Cash Flow Hedges (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Other, net		$ (10)
Income (loss) before income taxes	$ 434	396
Tax (expense) benefit	(137)	(140)
Total reclassifications for the period, Net of tax	297	256
Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] | Derivative Instruments [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Income (loss) before income taxes	(3)	(23)
Tax (expense) benefit	1	9
Total reclassifications for the period, Net of tax	(2)	(14)
Interest Rate Swaps [Member] | Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] | Derivative Instruments [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Interest expense, net	$ (3)	(3)
Foreign Currency Derivatives [Member] | Reclassification out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Member] | Derivative Instruments [Member]
Reclassification Adjustment out of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income [Line Items]
Other, net		$ (20)

Common Stock Repurchase Progr49

Common Stock Repurchase Program - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions	1 Months Ended		3 Months Ended
	Feb. 28, 2017	Nov. 30, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2016
Stock Repurchase Program [Line Items]
Cash paid for repurchase of common stock			$ 250,000,000
Maximum capital allocated for repurchases of shares				$ 750,000,000
Accelerated Share Repurchase Agreement (ASR) [Member]
Stock Repurchase Program [Line Items]
Common stock repurchases		$ 225,000,000
Shares of common stock received under ASR	0.4	2.8
Cash paid for repurchase of common stock		$ 225,000,000
Accelerated share repurchase, price per share		$ 63.41
Accelerated Share Repurchase Agreement (ASR) [Member] | Weighted Average [Member]
Stock Repurchase Program [Line Items]
Final weighted average per share purchase price during the repurchase period	$ 69.43

Fair Value Measurements - Fair

Fair Value Measurements - Fair Value of Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring Basis (Detail) - Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 179	$ 174
Money Market Funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Money market funds	36	35
Available-for-sale Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	49	46
Fixed-Income Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments	40	39
Redeemable Preferred Stock [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments	54	54
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total assets	89	85
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Available-for-sale Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Available-for-sale securities	49	46
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Fixed-Income Securities [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments	40	39
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total assets	54	54
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Redeemable Preferred Stock [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments	54	54
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total assets	36	35
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member] | Money Market Funds [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Money market funds	$ 36	$ 35

Fair Value Measurements - Addit

Fair Value Measurements - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying value of debt	$ 9,042	$ 9,310
Net repayments	277
Reported Value Measurement [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Carrying value of debt	9,000	9,300
Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member]
Debt Instrument [Line Items]
Fair value of debt	$ 9,500	$ 9,700

Variable Interest Entities - Ad

Variable Interest Entities - Additional Information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016
Trust Funds for Final Capping Closure Post Closure or Environmental Remediation Obligations [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Carrying value of trusts for which company is not the sole beneficiary	$ 95	$ 93
Variable interest entities primary beneficiary trust fair value assets	97	95
Investment in Refined Coal Facility and Low Income Housing Properties [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Aggregate investment balance	81	84
Investment in Low-Income Housing Properties [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Equity method investments debt balance	$ 51	$ 57

Condensed Consolidating Finan53

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Mar. 31, 2017	Dec. 31, 2016	Mar. 31, 2016	Dec. 31, 2015
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 30	$ 32	$ 104	$ 39
Other current assets	2,193	2,344
Total current assets	2,223	2,376
Property and equipment, net	10,929	10,950
Other assets	7,498	7,533
Total assets	20,650	20,859
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	396	417
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	2,162	2,377
Total current liabilities	2,558	2,794
Long-term debt, less current portion	8,646	8,893
Other liabilities	3,908	3,852
Total liabilities	15,112	15,539
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	5,517	5,297
Noncontrolling interests	21	23
Total equity	5,538	5,320
Total liabilities and equity	20,650	20,859
Eliminations [Member]
Current assets:
Investments in affiliates	(40,953)	(40,255)
Advances to affiliates	(13,389)	(13,000)
Total assets	(54,342)	(53,255)
Current liabilities:
Due to affiliates	(19,164)	(18,777)
Total liabilities	(19,164)	(18,777)
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	(40,953)	(40,255)
Advances to affiliates	5,775	5,777
Total equity	(35,178)	(34,478)
Total liabilities and equity	(54,342)	(53,255)
WM [Member]
Current assets:
Other current assets	4	5
Total current assets	4	5
Investments in affiliates	20,267	19,924
Other assets	14	14
Total assets	20,285	19,943
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	255	269
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	61	81
Total current liabilities	316	350
Long-term debt, less current portion	6,027	6,229
Due to affiliates	13,712	13,350
Other liabilities	12	16
Total liabilities	20,067	19,945
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	5,517	5,297
Advances to affiliates	(5,299)	(5,299)
Total equity	218	(2)
Total liabilities and equity	20,285	19,943
WM Holdings [Member]
Current assets:
Other current assets	5	5
Total current assets	5	5
Investments in affiliates	20,686	20,331
Other assets	36	30
Total assets	20,727	20,366
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	4	9
Total current liabilities	4	9
Long-term debt, less current portion	304	304
Due to affiliates	153	128
Total liabilities	461	441
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	20,266	19,925
Total equity	20,266	19,925
Total liabilities and equity	20,727	20,366
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	30	32	$ 104	$ 39
Other current assets	2,184	2,334
Total current assets	2,214	2,366
Property and equipment, net	10,929	10,950
Advances to affiliates	13,389	13,000
Other assets	7,448	7,489
Total assets	33,980	33,805
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	141	148
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	2,097	2,287
Total current liabilities	2,238	2,435
Long-term debt, less current portion	2,315	2,360
Due to affiliates	5,299	5,299
Other liabilities	3,896	3,836
Total liabilities	13,748	13,930
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	20,687	20,330
Advances to affiliates	(476)	(478)
Noncontrolling interests	21	23
Total equity	20,232	19,875
Total liabilities and equity	$ 33,980	$ 33,805

Condensed Consolidating Finan54

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Operating revenues	$ 3,440	$ 3,176
Costs and expenses	2,882	2,668
Income from operations	558	508
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net	(92)	(95)
Other, net	(32)	(17)
Total other income (expense)	(124)	(112)
Income before income taxes	434	396
Income tax expense (benefit)	137	140
Consolidated net income	297	256
Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	(1)	(2)
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	298	258
Eliminations [Member]
Other income (expense):
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax expense	(689)	(611)
Total other income (expense)	(689)	(611)
Income before income taxes	(689)	(611)
Consolidated net income	(689)	(611)
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	(689)	(611)
WM [Member]
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net	(74)	(74)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax expense	343	304
Other, net		(1)
Total other income (expense)	269	229
Income before income taxes	269	229
Income tax expense (benefit)	(29)	(29)
Consolidated net income	298	258
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	298	258
WM Holdings [Member]
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net	(5)	(5)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax expense	346	307
Total other income (expense)	341	302
Income before income taxes	341	302
Income tax expense (benefit)	(2)	(2)
Consolidated net income	343	304
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	343	304
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Operating revenues	3,440	3,176
Costs and expenses	2,882	2,668
Income from operations	558	508
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net	(13)	(16)
Other, net	(32)	(16)
Total other income (expense)	(45)	(32)
Income before income taxes	513	476
Income tax expense (benefit)	168	171
Consolidated net income	345	305
Less: Net loss attributable to noncontrolling interests	(1)	(2)
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 346	$ 307

Condensed Consolidating Finan55

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

Condensed Consolidating Finan56

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017	Mar. 31, 2016
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Operating activities	$ 721	$ 732
Investing activities	(340)	(847)
Financing activities	(383)	180
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Intercompany activity	0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(2)	65
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	32	39
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	30	104
Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Intercompany activity	0	0
WM [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Intercompany activity	0	0
WM Holdings [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Intercompany activity	0	0
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member]
Condensed Financial Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Operating activities	721	732
Investing activities	(340)	(847)
Financing activities	(383)	180
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents	0	0
Intercompany activity	0	0
Increase (decrease) in cash and cash equivalents	(2)	65
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	32	39
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 30	$ 104

New Accounting Standards Pend57

New Accounting Standards Pending Adoption - Additional Information (Detail) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended
	Mar. 31, 2017USD ($)
New Accounting Pronouncements and Changes in Accounting Principles [Abstract]
Annual Sales incentive expenses	$ 65