Waste Management (WM) 10-Q 23 Oct 19 2019 Q3 Quarterly report Financial data

Document and Entity Information

Document and Entity Information - shares	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Oct. 18, 2019
Document And Entity Information [Abstract]
Document Type	10-Q
Document Quarterly Report	true
Document Transition Report	false
Document Period End Date	Sep. 30, 2019
Entity File Number	1-12154
Entity Registrant Name	Waste Management, Inc
Entity Incorporation, State or Country Code	DE
Entity Tax Identification Number	73-1309529
Entity Address, Address Line One	1001 Fannin Street
Entity Address, City or Town	Houston
Entity Address, State or Province	TX
Entity Address, Postal Zip Code	77002
City Area Code	713
Local Phone Number	512-6200
Title of 12(b) Security	Common Stock
Trading Symbol	WM
Security Exchange Name	NYSE
Entity Current Reporting Status	Yes
Entity Interactive Data Current	Yes
Entity Filer Category	Large Accelerated Filer
Entity Small Business	false
Entity Emerging Growth Company	false
Entity Shell Company	false
Entity Common Stock, Shares Outstanding		424,241,200
Current Fiscal Year End Date	--12-31
Document Fiscal Year Focus	2019
Document Fiscal Period Focus	Q3
Entity Central Index Key	0000823768
Amendment Flag	false

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 2,915	$ 61
Accounts receivable, net of allowance for doubtful accounts of $27 and $29, respectively	2,010	1,931
Other receivables	270	344
Parts and supplies	109	102
Other assets	256	207
Total current assets	5,560	2,645
Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization of $18,499 and $18,264, respectively	12,805	11,942
Goodwill	6,550	6,430
Other intangible assets, net	543	572
Restricted trust and escrow accounts	336	296
Investments in unconsolidated entities	494	406
Other assets	821	359
Total assets	27,109	22,650
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable	903	1,037
Accrued liabilities	1,358	1,117
Deferred revenues	517	522
Current portion of long-term debt	211	432
Total current liabilities	2,989	3,108
Long-term debt, less current portion	13,147	9,594
Deferred income taxes	1,331	1,291
Landfill and environmental remediation liabilities	1,917	1,828
Other liabilities	938	553
Total liabilities	20,322	16,374
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	5,026	4,993
Retained earnings	10,364	9,797
Accumulated other comprehensive income (loss)	(33)	(87)
Treasury stock at cost, 206,122,185 and 206,299,352 shares, respectively	(8,578)	(8,434)
Total Waste Management, Inc. stockholders' equity	6,785	6,275
Noncontrolling interests	2	1
Total equity	6,787	6,276
Total liabilities and equity	$ 27,109	$ 22,650

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANC_2

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS
Allowance for doubtful accounts	$ 27	$ 29
Accumulated depreciation and amortization	$ 18,499	$ 18,264
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	206,122,185	206,299,352

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMEN

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS
Operating revenues	$ 3,967	$ 3,822	$ 11,609	$ 11,072
Costs and expenses:
Operating	2,441	2,373	7,182	6,870
Selling, general and administrative	386	345	1,186	1,083
Depreciation and amortization	404	376	1,179	1,107
Restructuring	1	1	3	4
(Gain) loss from divestitures, asset impairments and unusual items, net	1	28	8	(14)
Total costs and expenses	3,233	3,123	9,558	9,050
Income from operations	734	699	2,051	2,022
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net	(105)	(93)	(301)	(277)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	(1)		(85)
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities	(14)	(9)	(39)	(29)
Other, net	1		(52)	1
Total other income (expense)	(119)	(102)	(477)	(305)
Income before income taxes	615	597	1,574	1,717
Income tax expense	120	99	350	325
Consolidated net income	495	498	1,224	1,392
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		(1)	1	(2)
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 495	$ 499	$ 1,223	$ 1,394
Basic earnings per common share	$ 1.17	$ 1.16	$ 2.88	$ 3.24
Diluted earnings per common share	$ 1.16	$ 1.16	$ 2.86	$ 3.22

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_2

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME
Consolidated net income	$ 495	$ 498	$ 1,224	$ 1,392
Derivative instruments, net	2	2	6	6
Available-for-sale securities, net	4	9	13	8
Foreign currency translation adjustments	(17)	22	36	(33)
Post-retirement benefit obligations, net			(1)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(11)	33	54	(19)
Comprehensive income	484	531	1,278	1,373
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		(1)	1	(2)
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 484	$ 532	$ 1,277	$ 1,375

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_3

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Cash flows from operating activities:
Consolidated net income	$ 1,224	$ 1,392
Adjustments to reconcile consolidated net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization	1,179	1,107
Deferred income tax expense (benefit)	29	(32)
Interest accretion on landfill liabilities	72	71
Provision for bad debts	27	35
Equity-based compensation expense	62	63
Net gain on disposal of assets	(19)	(21)
(Gain) loss from divestitures, asset impairments and other, net	79	(14)
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities, net of dividends	39	29
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	85
Change in operating assets and liabilities, net of effects of acquisitions and divestitures:
Receivables	(2)	43
Other current assets	(52)	(22)
Other assets	7	(3)
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities	213	177
Deferred revenues and other liabilities	(91)	(167)
Net cash provided by operating activities	2,852	2,658
Cash flows from investing activities:
Acquisitions of businesses, net of cash acquired	(513)	(342)
Capital expenditures	(1,532)	(1,240)
Proceeds from divestitures of businesses and other assets (net of cash divested)	29	106
Other, net	(80)	(30)
Net cash used in investing activities	(2,096)	(1,506)
Cash flows from financing activities:
New borrowings	4,558	174
Debt repayments	(502)	(338)
Premiums paid on early extinguishment of debt	(84)
Net commercial paper borrowings (repayments)	(1,001)	523
Common stock repurchase program	(248)	(750)
Cash dividends	(658)	(605)
Exercise of common stock options	60	45
Tax payments associated with equity-based compensation transactions	(32)	(28)
Other, net	(13)	(36)
Net cash provided by (used in) financing activities	2,080	(1,015)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents	1
Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents	2,837	137
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	183	293
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 3,020	$ 430

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_4

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS (Parenthetical) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Reconciliation of cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 2,915	$ 83
Restricted cash and cash equivalents included in other current assets	31	70
Restricted cash and cash equivalents included in restricted trust and escrow accounts	74	277
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 3,020	$ 430

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_5

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY - USD ($) shares in Thousands, $ in Millions	Common Stock [Member]	Additional Paid-In Capital [Member]	Retained Earnings [Member]	Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss [Member]	Treasury Stock [Member]	Noncontrolling Interests [Member]	Total
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2017	$ 6	$ 4,933	$ 8,588	$ 8	$ (7,516)	$ 23	$ 6,042
Beginning balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2017	630,282				(196,964)
Equity roll forward
Adoption of new accounting standards			85	(5)			80
Consolidated net income			1,394			(2)	1,392
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax				(19)			(19)
Cash dividends declared			(605)				(605)
Equity-based compensation transactions, net		34	2		$ 84		120
Equity-based compensation transaction, shares					2,181
Common stock repurchase program		(40)			$ (710)		(750)
Common stock repurchase program, shares					(8,375)
Divestiture of noncontrolling interest						(19)	(19)
Other, net, shares					1
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2018	$ 6	4,927	9,464	(16)	$ (8,142)	2	6,241
Ending balance, shares at Sep. 30, 2018	630,282				(203,157)
Beginning balance at Jun. 30, 2018	$ 6	4,935	9,166	(49)	$ (8,004)	2	6,056
Beginning balance, shares at Jun. 30, 2018	630,282				(201,906)
Equity roll forward
Consolidated net income			499			(1)	498
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax				33			33
Cash dividends declared			(199)				(199)
Equity-based compensation transactions, net		32	(2)		$ 22		52
Equity-based compensation transaction, shares					557
Common stock repurchase program		(40)			$ (160)		(200)
Common stock repurchase program, shares					(1,807)
Other, net						1	1
Other, net, shares					(1)
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2018	$ 6	4,927	9,464	(16)	$ (8,142)	2	6,241
Ending balance, shares at Sep. 30, 2018	630,282				(203,157)
Beginning balance at Dec. 31, 2018	$ 6	4,993	9,797	(87)	$ (8,434)	1	6,276
Beginning balance, shares at Dec. 31, 2018	630,282				(206,299)
Equity roll forward
Consolidated net income			1,223			1	1,224
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax				54			54
Cash dividends declared			(658)				(658)
Equity-based compensation transactions, net		33	2		$ 100		135
Equity-based compensation transaction, shares					2,421
Common stock repurchase program					$ (244)		(244)
Common stock repurchase program, shares					(2,247)
Other, net, shares					3
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2019	$ 6	5,026	10,364	(33)	$ (8,578)	2	6,787
Ending balance, shares at Sep. 30, 2019	630,282				(206,122)
Beginning balance at Jun. 30, 2019	$ 6	4,962	10,088	(22)	$ (8,568)	1	6,467
Beginning balance, shares at Jun. 30, 2019	630,282				(206,482)
Equity roll forward
Consolidated net income			495				495
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax				(11)			(11)
Cash dividends declared			(218)				(218)
Equity-based compensation transactions, net		28	(1)		$ 26		53
Equity-based compensation transaction, shares					613
Common stock repurchase program		36			$ (36)
Common stock repurchase program, shares					(254)
Other, net						1	1
Other, net, shares					1
Ending balance at Sep. 30, 2019	$ 6	$ 5,026	$ 10,364	$ (33)	$ (8,578)	$ 2	$ 6,787
Ending balance, shares at Sep. 30, 2019	630,282				(206,122)

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEM_6

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY (Parenthetical) - $ / shares	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENT OF CHANGES IN EQUITY
Cash dividends declared per common share	$ 0.5125	$ 0.465	$ 1.5375	$ 1.395

Basis of Presentation

Basis of Presentation	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Basis of Presentation
Basis of Presentation	​ 1. 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 14. Waste Management, Inc. 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 provide 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 (“U.S.”). 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 8. The Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements as of September 30, 2019 and for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 and 2018 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, 2018. 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. Revenue Recognition We generally recognize revenue as services are performed or products are delivered. For example, revenue typically is recognized as waste is collected, tons are received at our landfills or transfer stations, or recycling commodities are collected or delivered as product. We bill for certain services prior to performance. Such services include, among others, certain commercial and residential contracts and equipment rentals. These advance billings are included in deferred revenues and recognized as revenue in the period service is provided. Substantially all our deferred revenues during the reported periods are realized as revenues within one to three months when the related services are performed. Contract Acquisition Costs Our incremental direct costs of obtaining a contract, which consist primarily of sales incentives, are generally deferred and amortized to selling, general and administrative expense over the estimated life of the relevant customer relationship, ranging from 5 to 13 years. Contract acquisition costs that are paid to the customer are deferred and amortized as a reduction in revenue over the contract life. Our contract acquisition costs are classified as current or noncurrent based on the timing of when we expect to recognize amortization and are included in other assets in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, we had $150 million and $145 million, respectively, of deferred contract costs, of which $115 million and $109 million, respectively, was related to deferred sales incentives. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, we amortized $6 million and $17 million of sales incentives to selling, general and administrative expense, and $4 million and $15 million of other contract acquisition costs as a reduction in revenue, respectively. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, we amortized $6 million and $17 million of sales incentives to selling, general and administrative expense, and $8 million and $27 million of other contract acquisition costs as a reduction in revenue, respectively. Adoption of New Accounting Standard Leases — We elected to apply the following package of practical expedients on a consistent basis permitting entities not to reassess: (i) whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain a lease; (ii) lease classification for any expired or existing leases and (iii) whether initial direct costs for any expired or existing leases qualify for capitalization under the amended guidance. In addition, we applied (i) the practical expedient for land easements, which allows the Company to not apply the lease standard to certain existing land easements at transition and (ii) the practical expedient to include both the lease and non-lease components as a single component and account for it as a lease. The impact of adopting the amended guidance primarily relates to the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet for all leases previously classified as operating leases. We recognized $385 million of right-of-use assets and $385 million of related lease liabilities as of January 1, 2019 for our contracts that are classified as operating leases. Leases with an initial term of 12 months, which are not expected to be renewed beyond one year, are not recorded on the balance sheet and are recognized as lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Our accounting for financing leases, which were formerly referred to as capital leases, remained substantially unchanged. There were no other material impacts on our consolidated financial statements. See Note 4 for additional information and disclosures related to our adoption of this amended guidance. New Accounting Standard Pending Adoption Financial Instrument Credit Losses — The amended guidance is effective for the Company on January 1, 2020. We are assessing the provisions of this amended guidance and evaluating the impact on our consolidated financial statements. Reclassifications When necessary, reclassifications have been made to our prior period financial information to conform to the current year presentation and are not material to our consolidated financial statements.

Landfill and Environmental Reme

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities
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): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ September 30, 2019 ​ December 31, 2018 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Environmental ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Environmental ​ ​ ​ ​ Landfill Remediation Total Landfill Remediation Total Current (in accrued liabilities) $ 114 ​ $ 28 ​ $ 142 ​ $ 143 ​ $ 26 ​ $ 169 Long-term ​ 1,706 ​ 211 ​ 1,917 1,617 ​ 211 ​ 1,828 ​ $ 1,820 ​ $ 239 ​ $ 2,059 ​ $ 1,760 ​ $ 237 ​ $ 1,997 ​ The changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 are reflected in the table below (in millions): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Environmental ​ Landfill Remediation December 31, 2018 ​ $ 1,760 ​ $ 237 Obligations incurred and capitalized ​ 54 — Obligations settled ​ (80) (16) Interest accretion ​ 72 4 Revisions in estimates and interest rate assumptions (a) ​ 10 14 Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments ​ 4 — September 30, 2019 ​ $ 1,820 ​ $ 239 (a) The amount reported for our environmental remediation liabilities includes an increase of $8 million due to a decrease in the risk-free discount rate used to measure our liabilities from 2.75% at December 31, 2018 to 2.0% at September 30, 2019. At several of our landfills, we provide financial assurance by depositing cash into restricted trust funds or escrow accounts for purposes of settling our 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 14 for additional information related to these trusts.

Debt

Debt	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Debt
Debt	3. Debt The following table summarizes the major components of debt as of each balance sheet date (in millions) and provides the maturities and interest rate ranges of each major category as of September 30, 2019: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ September 30, ​ December 31, ​ 2019 2018 $2.75 billion revolving credit facility, maturing June 2023 (weighted average interest rate of 3.1% as of December 31, 2018) ​ $ — ​ $ 11 Commercial paper program (weighted average interest rate of 2.9% as of December 31, 2018) ​ ​ — ​ ​ 990 Senior notes, maturing through 2049, interest rates ranging from 2.4% to 7.75% (weighted average interest rate of 3.9% as of September 30, 2019 and 4.3% as of December 31, 2018) ​ 9,965 ​ 6,222 Canadian senior notes, maturing September 2026, interest rate of 2.6% ​ 377 ​ — Tax-exempt bonds, maturing through 2048, fixed and variable interest rates ranging from 1.35% to 4.3% (weighted average interest rate of 2.3% as of September 30, 2019 and 2.35% as of December 31, 2018) ​ 2,409 ​ 2,388 Financing leases and other, maturing through 2071, interest rates up to 9% ​ 692 ​ 467 Debt issuance costs, discounts and other ​ (85) ​ (52) ​ ​ 13,358 ​ 10,026 Current portion of long-term debt ​ 211 ​ 432 ​ ​ $ 13,147 ​ $ 9,594 ​ Debt Classification As of September 30, 2019, we had $1.3 billion of debt maturing within the next 12 months, including (i) $600 million of 4.75% senior notes that mature in June 2020; (ii) $529 million of tax-exempt bonds with term interest rate periods that expire within the next 12 months, which is prior to their scheduled maturities, and (iii) $211 million of other debt with scheduled maturities within the next 12 months, including $124 million of tax-exempt bonds. As of September 30, 2019, we have classified $1.1 billion of debt maturing in the next 12 months as long-term because we have the intent and ability to refinance these borrowings on a long-term basis as supported by the forecasted available capacity under our $2.75 billion long-term U.S. and Canadian revolving credit facility (“$2.75 billion revolving credit facility”), as discussed below. The remaining $211 million is classified as current obligations. As of September 30, 2019, we also have $154 million of variable-rate tax-exempt bonds that are supported by letters of credit under our $2.75 billion revolving credit facility. The interest rates on our variable-rate tax-exempt bonds are generally reset on either a daily or weekly basis through a remarketing process. All recent tax-exempt bond remarketings have successfully placed Company bonds with investors at market-driven rates and we currently expect future remarketings to be successful. However, if the remarketing agent is unable to remarket our bonds, the remarketing agent can put the bonds to us. In the event of a failed remarketing, we have the availability under our $2.75 billion revolving credit facility to fund these bonds until they are remarketed successfully. Accordingly, we have also classified these borrowings as long-term in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of September 30, 2019. Access to and Utilization of Credit Facilities and Commercial Paper Program $2.75 Billion Revolving Credit Facility — outstanding borrowings under this facility. We had $412 million of letters of credit issued which were supported by this facility, leaving unused and available credit capacity of $2.3 billion as of September 30, 2019. WM Holdings, a wholly-owned subsidiary of WM, guarantees all of the obligations under the $2.75 billion revolving credit facility. Commercial Paper Program Other Letter of Credit Facilities — Debt Borrowings and Repayments $2.75 Billion Revolving Credit Facility Senior Notes ​ ● $750 million of 2.95% senior notes due June 15, 2024; ● $750 million of 3.20% senior notes due June 15, 2026; ● $1.0 billion of 3.45% senior notes due June 15, 2029; ● $500 million of 4.00% senior notes due July 15, 2039; and ● $1.0 billion of 4.15% senior notes due July 15, 2049. ​ The net proceeds from these debt issuances were $3.97 billion. Concurrently, we used $344 million of the net proceeds from the newly issued senior notes to retire $257 million of certain high-coupon senior notes. The cash paid includes the principal amount of the debt retired, $84 million of related premiums, which are classified as loss on early extinguishment of debt in our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations, and $3 million of accrued interest. The principal amount of senior notes redeemed within each series was as follows: ​ ● $304 million of WM Holdings 7.10% senior notes due 2026, of which $56 million were tendered; ● $395 million of WM 7.00% senior notes due 2028, of which $64 million were tendered; ● $139 million of WM 7.375% senior notes due 2029, of which $58 million were tendered; ● $210 million of WM 7.75% senior notes due 2032, of which $57 million were tendered; and ● $274 million of WM 6.125% senior notes due 2039, of which $22 million were tendered. ​ We used a portion of the proceeds to repay our commercial paper borrowings as discussed further below. We intend to use the remaining net proceeds to pay a portion of the consideration related to our pending acquisition of Advanced Disposal Services, Inc. (“Advanced Disposal”), pursuant to an Agreement and Plan of Merger (the “Merger Agreement”) which is discussed further in Note 9, and for general corporate purposes. The newly-issued senior notes due 2024, 2026, 2029 and 2039 include a special mandatory redemption feature, which provides that if the acquisition of Advanced Disposal is not completed on or prior to July 14, 2020, or if, prior to such date, the Merger Agreement is terminated for any reason, we will be required to redeem all of the outstanding notes equal to 101% of the aggregate principal amounts of such notes, plus accrued but unpaid interest on the principal amount of such notes. ​ Canadian Senior Notes Commercial Paper Program Tax-Exempt Bonds Financing Leases and Other

Leases

Leases	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Leases
Leases	4. Leases Our operating lease activities primarily consist of leases for real estate, landfills and operating equipment. Our financing lease activities primarily consist of leases for operating equipment, railcars and landfill assets. Leases with an initial term of 12 months or less, which are not expected to be renewed beyond one year, are not recorded on the balance sheet and are recognized as lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Most leases include one or more options to renew, with renewal terms generally ranging from one to 10 years. The exercise of lease renewal options is at our sole discretion. Certain leases also include options to purchase the leased property. The depreciable life of assets and leasehold improvements is limited by the expected lease term, unless there is a transfer of title or purchase option reasonably certain of exercise. Certain of our lease agreements include rental payments based on usage and other lease agreements include rental payments adjusted periodically for inflation; these payments are treated as variable lease payments. Our lease agreements do not contain any material residual value guarantees or material restrictive covenants. ​ When the implicit interest rate is not readily available for our operating leases, we discount future cash flows of the remaining lease payments using the current interest rate that would be paid to borrow on collateralized debt over a similar term, or incremental borrowing rate, at the commencement date. Supplemental balance sheet information for our leases is as follows (in millions): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Leases Classification ​ September 30, 2019 Assets ​ ​ ​ ​ Long-term: ​ ​ ​ ​ Operating ​ Other assets ​ $ 461 Financing ​ Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization ​ ​ 345 Total lease assets ​ ​ ​ $ 806 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Liabilities ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Current: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Operating ​ Accrued liabilities ​ $ 91 Financing ​ Current portion of long-term debt ​ ​ 33 Long-term: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Operating ​ Other liabilities ​ ​ 387 Financing ​ Long-term debt, less current portion ​ ​ 293 Total lease liabilities ​ ​ ​ $ 804 ​ Our operating lease expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 was $32 million and $104 million, respectively, and is included in operating and selling, general and administrative expenses in our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations. Our financing lease expense for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019 was $11 million and $36 million, respectively, and is included in depreciation and amortization expense and interest expense, net in our Condensed Consolidated Statement of Operations. Minimum contractual obligations for our leases (undiscounted) as of September 30, 2019 are as follows (in millions): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Operating ​ Financing 2019 (excluding nine months ended September 30, 2019) $ 22 ​ $ 12 2020 ​ 65 ​ ​ 42 2021 ​ 59 ​ ​ 40 2022 ​ 59 ​ ​ 39 2023 ​ ​ 51 ​ ​ 38 Thereafter ​ ​ 416 ​ ​ 273 Total lease payments ​ $ 672 ​ $ 444 Less: interest ​ ​ (194) ​ ​ (118) Discounted lease liabilities ​ $ 478 ​ $ 326 ​ Cash paid for our operating and financing leases was $66 million and $27 million, respectively, for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for lease obligations for our operating and financing leases were $146 million and $114 million, respectively, for the nine months ended September 30, 2019. ​ As of September 30, 2019, the weighted average remaining lease terms of our operating and financing leases were 16 years and 14 years, respectively. The weighted average discount rates used to determine the lease liabilities as of September 30, 2019 for our operating and financing leases were 3.51% and 4.09%, respectively.

Income Taxes

Income Taxes	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Income Taxes
Income Taxes	5. Income Taxes Our effective income tax rate was 19.4% and 22.2% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, respectively, compared with 16.6% and 18.9% for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, respectively. We evaluate our effective income tax rate at each interim period and adjust it as facts and circumstances warrant. Investments Qualifying for Federal Tax Credits During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, we recognized $11 million and $32 million of net losses and a reduction in our income tax expense of $36 million and $69 million, respectively, primarily due to tax credits realized from these investments. In addition, during the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, we recognized interest expense of $2 million and $6 million, respectively, associated with our investments in low-income housing properties. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, we recognized $5 million and $17 million of net losses and a reduction in our income tax expense of $18 million and $40 million, respectively, primarily due to tax credits realized from these investments. Interest expense associated with our investments in low-income housing properties was not material for the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018. See Note 14 for additional information related to these unconsolidated variable interest entities. Equity-Based Compensation Adjustments to Accruals and Related Deferred Taxes Enactment of Tax Reform Tax Audit Settlements Tax Implications of Impairment

Earnings Per Share

Earnings Per Share	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Earnings Per Share
Earnings Per Share	6. Earnings Per Share Basic and diluted earnings per share were computed using the following common share data (shares in millions): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Three Months Ended ​ Nine Months Ended ​ ​ September 30, ​ September 30, ​ 2019 2018 2019 2018 Number of common shares outstanding at end of period 424.2 427.1 424.2 427.1 Effect of using weighted average common shares outstanding 0.3 0.8 0.4 3.2 Weighted average basic common shares outstanding 424.5 427.9 424.6 430.3 Dilutive effect of equity-based compensation awards and other contingently issuable shares 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.9 Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding 427.4 430.8 427.4 433.2 Potentially issuable shares 6.8 7.6 6.8 7.6 Number of anti-dilutive potentially issuable shares excluded from diluted common shares outstanding 0.7 1.5 0.7 1.5 ​

Commitments and Contingencies

Commitments and Contingencies	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Commitments and Contingencies.
Commitments and Contingencies	7. Commitments and Contingencies Financial Instruments — 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 portions, 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 use a wholly-owned insurance captive to insure the deductibles for our general liability, automobile liability and workers’ compensation claims programs. 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 — As of September 30, 2019, we have guaranteed the obligations and certain performance requirements of third parties in connection with both consolidated and unconsolidated entities, including (i) guarantees to cover certain market value losses for approximately 850 homeowners’ properties adjacent to or near 18 of our landfills and (ii) guarantees totaling $57 million for performance obligations of our Wheelabrator business, divested in 2014. In February 2019, Wheelabrator was acquired by a third party, at which time we agreed to continue to provide such guarantees. We have also agreed to indemnify certain third-party purchasers against liabilities associated with divested operations prior to such sale. 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 believe that these contingent obligations will have a material adverse effect on the Company’s financial condition, results of operations or cash flows, and we do not expect the financial impact of operational and financial performance guarantees to materially exceed the recorded fair value. Environmental Matters — 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 $145 million higher than the $239 million recorded in the Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet as of September 30, 2019. 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 and income from operations. These adjustments could be material in any given period. As of September 30, 2019, we have been notified by the government that we are a PRP in connection with 75 locations listed on the Environmental Protection Agency’s (“EPA’s”) Superfund National Priorities List (“NPL”). Of the 75 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 60 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. On October 11, 2017, the EPA issued its Record of Decision (“ROD”) with respect to the previously proposed remediation plan for the San Jacinto waste pits in Harris County, Texas. McGinnes Industrial Maintenance Corporation (“MIMC”), an indirect wholly-owned subsidiary of WM, operated some of the waste pits from 1965 to 1966 and has been named as a site PRP. In 1998, WM acquired the stock of the parent entity of MIMC. MIMC has been working with the EPA and other named PRPs as the process of addressing the site proceeds. On April 9, 2018, MIMC and International Paper Company entered into an Administrative Order on Consent agreement with the EPA to develop a remedial design for the EPA’s selected remedy for the site. Allocation of responsibility among the PRPs for the selected remedy has not been established. As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the recorded liability for MIMC’s estimated potential share of the EPA’s selected remedy and related costs was $56 million and $55 million, respectively. MIMC’s ultimate liability could be materially different from current estimates. Item 103 of the SEC’s Regulation S-K requires disclosure of certain environmental matters when a governmental authority is a party to the proceedings, or such proceedings are known to be contemplated, unless we reasonably believe that the matter will result in no monetary sanctions, or in monetary sanctions, exclusive of interest and costs, of less than $100,000. The following matter is disclosed in accordance with that requirement. We do not currently believe that the eventual outcome of such matter could have a material adverse effect on the Company’s business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows. 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 or other third parties, among other factors. Additionally, we often enter into agreements with landowners imposing obligations on us to meet certain regulatory or contractual conditions upon site closure or upon termination of the agreements. Compliance with these agreements inherently involves subjective determinations and may result in disputes, including litigation. 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 and each of WM’s executive officers. 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, liability 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 — also currently undergoing audits by various state and local jurisdictions for tax years that date back to 2013. We maintain a liability for uncertain tax positions, the balance of which management believes is adequate. Results of audit assessments by taxing authorities are not currently expected to have a material adverse effect on our financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

Segment and Related Information

Segment and Related Information	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Segment and Related Information
Segment and Related Information	8. Segment and Related Information We evaluate, oversee and manage the financial performance of our Solid Waste business subsidiaries through our 17 Areas. The 17 Areas constitute our operating segments and 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 U.S., with the exception of Southern California and the Florida peninsula, and also includes the New England states, the tri-state area of Michigan, Indiana and Ohio, and Western Canada. Tier 2 includes Southern California, Eastern Canada, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Tier 3 encompasses all the remaining operations including the Pacific Northwest, Northern California, the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S., the Florida peninsula, Illinois and Missouri. 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 is shown in the following table (in millions): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Gross ​ Intercompany ​ Net ​ Income ​ ​ Operating ​ Operating ​ Operating ​ from ​ Revenues Revenues Revenues Operations Three Months Ended September 30: ​ ​ ​ ​ 2019 ​ ​ ​ ​ Solid Waste: ​ ​ ​ ​ Tier 1 ​ $ 1,610 ​ $ (300) ​ $ 1,310 ​ $ 432 Tier 2 ​ 714 ​ (135) ​ 579 ​ 153 Tier 3 ​ 1,891 ​ (369) ​ 1,522 ​ 351 Solid Waste ​ 4,215 ​ (804) ​ 3,411 ​ 936 Other (a) ​ 589 ​ (33) ​ 556 ​ (36) ​ ​ ​ 4,804 ​ ​ (837) ​ ​ 3,967 ​ ​ 900 Corporate and Other ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ (166) Total ​ $ 4,804 ​ $ (837) ​ $ 3,967 ​ $ 734 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2018 ​ ​ ​ ​ Solid Waste: ​ ​ ​ ​ Tier 1 ​ $ 1,506 ​ $ (277) ​ $ 1,229 ​ $ 416 Tier 2 ​ 671 ​ (127) ​ 544 ​ 142 Tier 3 ​ 1,818 ​ (353) ​ 1,465 ​ 291 Solid Waste ​ 3,995 ​ (757) ​ 3,238 ​ 849 Other (a) ​ 629 ​ (45) ​ 584 ​ (15) ​ ​ 4,624 ​ (802) ​ 3,822 ​ 834 Corporate and Other ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ (135) Total ​ $ 4,624 ​ $ (802) ​ $ 3,822 ​ $ 699 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Gross ​ Intercompany ​ Net ​ Income ​ ​ Operating ​ Operating ​ Operating ​ from ​ Revenues Revenues Revenues Operations Nine Months Ended September 30: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2019 ​ ​ ​ ​ Solid Waste: ​ ​ ​ ​ Tier 1 ​ $ 4,704 ​ $ (869) ​ $ 3,835 ​ $ 1,258 Tier 2 ​ 2,060 ​ (390) ​ 1,670 ​ 437 Tier 3 ​ 5,515 ​ (1,074) ​ 4,441 ​ 1,005 Solid Waste ​ 12,279 ​ (2,333) ​ 9,946 ​ 2,700 Other (a) ​ 1,757 ​ (94) ​ 1,663 ​ (124) ​ ​ ​ 14,036 ​ ​ (2,427) ​ ​ 11,609 ​ ​ 2,576 Corporate and Other ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ (525) Total ​ $ 14,036 ​ $ (2,427) ​ $ 11,609 ​ $ 2,051 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2018 ​ ​ ​ ​ Solid Waste: ​ ​ ​ ​ Tier 1 ​ $ 4,364 ​ $ (787) ​ $ 3,577 ​ $ 1,176 Tier 2 ​ 1,947 ​ (361) ​ 1,586 ​ 405 Tier 3 ​ 5,227 ​ (1,012) ​ 4,215 ​ 877 Solid Waste ​ 11,538 ​ (2,160) ​ 9,378 ​ 2,458 Other (a) ​ 1,849 ​ (155) ​ 1,694 ​ (25) ​ ​ 13,387 ​ (2,315) ​ 11,072 ​ 2,433 Corporate and Other ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ (411) Total ​ $ 13,387 ​ $ (2,315) ​ $ 11,072 ​ $ 2,022 (a) “Other” includes (i) our Strategic Business Solutions (“WMSBS”) organization; (ii) those elements of our landfill gas-to-energy operations and third-party subcontract and administration revenues managed by our Energy and Environmental Services (“EES”) and WM Renewable Energy organizations that are not included in the operations of our reportable segments; (iii) our recycling brokerage services and (iv) certain other expanded service offerings and solutions. In addition, our “Other” segment reflects the results of non-operating entities that provide financial assurance and self-insurance support for our Solid Waste business, net of intercompany activity. ​ The mix of operating revenues from our major lines of business are as follows (in millions): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Three Months Ended ​ Nine Months Ended ​ ​ September 30, ​ September 30, ​ 2019 2018 2019 2018 Commercial ​ $ 1,069 ​ $ 1,007 ​ $ 3,147 ​ $ 2,948 Residential ​ 661 ​ 639 ​ 1,956 ​ 1,885 Industrial ​ 766 ​ 723 ​ 2,190 ​ 2,068 Other ​ 130 ​ 117 ​ 361 ​ 333 Total collection ​ 2,626 ​ 2,486 ​ 7,654 ​ 7,234 Landfill ​ 993 ​ 926 ​ 2,880 ​ 2,646 Transfer ​ 471 ​ 445 ​ 1,357 ​ 1,257 Recycling ​ 245 ​ 337 ​ 800 ​ 954 Other (a) ​ 469 ​ 430 ​ 1,345 ​ 1,296 Intercompany (b) ​ (837) ​ (802) ​ (2,427) ​ (2,315) Total ​ $ 3,967 ​ $ 3,822 ​ $ 11,609 ​ $ 11,072 (a) The “Other” line of business includes (i) our WMSBS organization; (ii) our landfill gas-to-energy operations; (iii) certain services within our EES organization, including our construction and remediation services and our services associated with the disposal of fly ash and (iv) certain other expanded service offerings and solutions. In addition, our “Other” line of business reflects the results of non-operating entities that provide financial assurance and self-insurance support for our Solid Waste business, net of intercompany activity. (b) Intercompany revenues between lines of business are eliminated in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included within this report. Fluctuations in our operating results may be caused by many factors, including period-to-period changes in the relative contribution of revenue by each line of business, changes in commodity prices and general economic conditions. In addition, our revenues and income from operations typically reflect seasonal patterns. Our operating revenues tend to be somewhat higher in summer months, primarily due to higher construction and demolition waste volumes. The volumes of industrial and residential waste in certain regions where we operate also tend to increase during the summer months. Our second and third quarter revenues and results of operations typically reflect these seasonal trends. 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 impacted. On the other hand, certain destructive weather and climate conditions, such as wildfires in the Western U.S. and hurricanes that most often impact our operations in the Southern and Eastern U.S. during the second half of the year, can increase our revenues in the Areas affected. While weather-related and other event driven special projects can boost revenues through additional work for a limited time, such revenue can generate earnings at comparatively lower margins as a result of significant start-up costs and other factors.

Acquisitions

Acquisitions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Acquisitions
Acquisitions	9. Acquisitions Pending Acquisition On April 14, 2019, we entered into the Merger Agreement to acquire all outstanding shares of Advanced Disposal for $33.15 per share in cash, representing a total enterprise value of $4.9 billion when including approximately $1.9 billion of Advanced Disposal’s net debt. Advanced Disposal’s solid waste network includes 95 collection operations, 73 transfer stations, 41 owned or operated landfills and 22 owned or operated recycling facilities. The transaction is expected to close during the first quarter of 2020, subject to the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, including regulatory approvals. On June 28, 2019, Advanced Disposal announced that 85.9% of the outstanding shares of its common stock entitled to vote were voted in favor of the proposal to adopt the Merger Agreement at a special meeting of stockholders held that day. Acquisition Petro Waste

Asset Impairments and Unusual I

Asset Impairments and Unusual Items	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Asset Impairments and Unusual Items
Asset Impairments and Unusual Items	10. Asset Impairments and Unusual Items (Gain) Loss from Divestitures, Asset Impairments and Unusual Items, Net During the nine months ended September 30, 2018, we recognized a net gain of $14 million, primarily related to net gains from divestitures of $43 million from the sale of certain ancillary operations, which were partially offset by a $29 million charge, during the third quarter of 2018, to impair a landfill in our Tier 3 segment based on an internally developed discounted projected cash flow analysis, taking into account continued volume decreases and revised capping cost estimates. Other, Net During the first quarter of 2019, we recognized a $52 million impairment charge related to our minority-owned investment in a waste conversion technology business . We wrote down our investment to its estimated fair value as the result of recent third-party investor’s transactions in these securities. The fair value of our investment was not readily determinable ; thus, we determined the fair value utilizing a combination of quoted price inputs for the equity in our investment (Level 2) and certain management assumptions pertaining to investment value (Level 3) .

Accumulated Other Comprehensive

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)	11. Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) The changes in the balances of each component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, which is included as a component of Waste Management, Inc. stockholders’ equity, are as follows (in millions, with amounts in parentheses representing decreases to accumulated other comprehensive income): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Foreign ​ Post- ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Available- ​ Currency ​ Retirement ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Derivative ​ for-Sale ​ Translation ​ Benefit ​ ​ ​ ​ Instruments Securities Adjustments Obligations Total Balance, December 31, 2018 ​ $ (32) ​ $ 23 ​ $ (76) ​ $ (2) ​ $ (87) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax expense (benefit) of $0, $4, $0 and $0, respectively ​ — ​ 13 ​ 36 ​ — ​ 49 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, net of tax (expense) benefit of $2, $0, $0 and $0, respectively ​ 6 ​ — ​ — ​ (1) ​ 5 Net current period other comprehensive income (loss) ​ 6 ​ 13 ​ 36 ​ (1) ​ 54 Balance, September 30, 2019 ​ $ (26) ​ $ 36 ​ $ (40) ​ $ (3) ​ $ (33) ​ We had no active derivatives outstanding during the reported periods. Amounts reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss) associated with our previously terminated cash flow hedges were not material for the periods presented.

Common Stock Repurchase Program

Common Stock Repurchase Program	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Common Stock Repurchase Program
Common Stock Repurchase Program	12. Common Stock Repurchase Program The Company repurchases shares of its common stock as part of capital allocation programs authorized by our Board of Directors. In January 2019, we paid $4 million in cash for share repurchases executed in December 2018. In addition, during the first quarter of 2019, we repurchased 0.7 million shares of our common stock in open market transactions in compliance with Rule 10b5-1 and Rule 10b-18 of the Exchange Act. Cash paid for these share repurchases was $64 million, inclusive of per-share commissions, which represents a weighted average price per share of $94.35. These repurchases were made under our prior $1.25 billion Board of Directors authorization announced in December 2017. We announced in December 2018 that the Board of Directors authorized up to $1.5 billion in future share repurchases, which superseded and replaced remaining authority under any prior Board of Directors authorization for share repurchases after the completion of our open market repurchases noted above. As a result of the pending acquisition of Advanced Disposal discussed in Note 9, we decided to limit 2019 share repurchases to an amount sufficient to offset dilution impacts from our stock-based compensation plans. In May 2019, we entered into an accelerated share repurchase (“ASR”) agreement to repurchase $180 million of our common stock. At the beginning of the repurchase period, we delivered $180 million cash and received 1.3 million shares based on a stock price of $109.59. The ASR agreement completed in September 2019, at which time we received 0.3 million additional shares based on a final weighted average per share price of $114.76. As of September 30, 2019, the Company has authorization for $1.3 billion of future share repurchases. Any future share repurchases pursuant to this 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, cash required for future business plans, growth and acquisitions and other factors the Board of Directors may deem relevant. As a result of the pending acquisition discussed in Note 9, we do not expect additional share repurchases in 2019.

Fair Value Measurements

Fair Value Measurements	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Fair Value Measurements
Fair Value Measurements	13. 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): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ September 30, ​ December 31, ​ 2019 2018 Fair Value Measurements Using: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Quoted prices in active markets (Level 1): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Money market funds (a) $ 2,918 $ 70 ​ ​ ​ 2,918 ​ ​ 70 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Significant other observable inputs (Level 2): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Available-for-sale securities (b) ​ 352 ​ 288 ​ ​ 352 ​ 288 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Significant unobservable inputs (Level 3): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Redeemable preferred stock (c) ​ 49 ​ 66 ​ ​ ​ 49 ​ ​ 66 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Total Assets $ 3,319 ​ $ 424 (a) Our money market funds are invested in high-yield secure and stable funds. The increase in 2019 is primarily due to proceeds from our May 2019 issuance of senior notes and our September 2019 issuance of Canadian senior notes. See Note 3 for additional information. (b) Our available-for-sale securities generally mature over the next ten years. (c) 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 techniques, third-party appraisals or industry multiples and public company comparable transactions. In the first quarter of 2019, we redeemed our preferred stock received in conjunction with the 2014 sale of our Puerto Rico operations for $17 million. At the time of redemption, the value of redeemable preferred stock was $20 million, resulting in a $3 million loss on investment. Fair Value of Debt As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, the carrying value of our debt was $13.4 billion and $10.0 billion, respectively. The estimated fair value of our debt was approximately $14.6 billion and $10.1 billion as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively. The increase in the fair value of our debt in 2019 is primarily due to $3.1 billion of net borrowings (inclusive of net commercial paper repayments), which are discussed further in Note 3, and decreases in current market rates for similar types of instruments. 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 September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018. 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	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Variable Interest Entities
Variable Interest Entities	14. Variable Interest Entities Following is a description of our financial interests in unconsolidated and consolidated variable interest entities that we consider significant: Low-Income Housing Properties and Refined Coal Facility Investments We do not consolidate our investments in entities established to manage low-income housing properties and a refined coal facility because we are not the primary beneficiary of these entities as we do not have the power to individually direct the activities of these entities. Accordingly, we account for these investments under the equity method of accounting. Our aggregate investment balance in these entities was $321 million and $189 million as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively. The debt balance related to our investments in low-income housing properties was $278 million and $151 million as of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, respectively. Additional information related to these investments is discussed in Note 5. Trust Funds for Final Capping, Closure, Post-Closure or Environmental Remediation Obligations Unconsolidated Variable Interest Entities — Consolidated Variable Interest Entities —

Condensed Consolidating Financi

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements
Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements	15. 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 September 30, 2019 (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated ASSETS ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Current assets: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Cash and cash equivalents ​ $ 2,863 ​ $ — ​ $ 52 ​ $ — ​ $ 2,915 Other current assets ​ 48 ​ 4 ​ 2,639 ​ (46) ​ 2,645 ​ ​ 2,911 ​ 4 ​ 2,691 ​ (46) ​ 5,560 Property and equipment, net ​ — ​ — ​ 12,805 ​ — ​ 12,805 Investments in affiliates ​ 25,940 ​ 26,367 ​ — ​ (52,307) ​ — Advances to affiliates ​ — ​ — ​ 17,930 ​ (17,930) ​ — Other assets ​ 5 ​ 10 ​ 8,729 ​ — ​ 8,744 Total assets ​ $ 28,856 ​ $ 26,381 ​ $ 42,155 ​ $ (70,283) ​ $ 27,109 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ LIABILITIES AND EQUITY ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Current liabilities: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Current portion of long-term debt ​ $ 14 ​ $ — ​ $ 197 ​ $ — ​ $ 211 Accounts payable and other current liabilities ​ 113 ​ 7 ​ 2,704 ​ (46) ​ 2,778 ​ ​ 127 ​ 7 ​ 2,901 ​ (46) ​ 2,989 Long-term debt, less current portion ​ 10,611 ​ 248 ​ 2,288 ​ — ​ 13,147 Due to affiliates ​ 18,039 ​ 188 ​ 6,709 ​ (24,936) ​ — Other liabilities ​ 3 ​ — ​ 4,183 ​ — ​ 4,186 Total liabilities ​ 28,780 ​ 443 ​ 16,081 ​ (24,982) ​ 20,322 Equity: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Stockholders’ equity ​ 6,785 ​ 25,938 ​ 26,369 ​ (52,307) ​ 6,785 Advances to affiliates ​ (6,709) ​ — ​ (297) ​ 7,006 ​ — Noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ 2 ​ — ​ 2 ​ ​ ​ 76 ​ ​ 25,938 ​ ​ 26,074 ​ ​ (45,301) ​ ​ 6,787 Total liabilities and equity ​ $ 28,856 ​ $ 26,381 ​ $ 42,155 ​ $ (70,283) ​ $ 27,109 ​ CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS (Continued) December 31, 2018 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated ASSETS ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Current assets: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Cash and cash equivalents ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 61 ​ $ — ​ $ 61 Other current assets ​ 2 ​ 5 ​ 2,577 ​ — ​ 2,584 ​ ​ 2 ​ 5 ​ 2,638 ​ — ​ 2,645 Property and equipment, net ​ — ​ — ​ 11,942 ​ — ​ 11,942 Investments in affiliates ​ 24,676 ​ 25,097 ​ — ​ (49,773) ​ — Advances to affiliates ​ — ​ — ​ 17,258 ​ (17,258) ​ — Other assets ​ 8 ​ 31 ​ 8,024 ​ — ​ 8,063 Total assets ​ $ 24,686 ​ $ 25,133 ​ $ 39,862 ​ $ (67,031) ​ $ 22,650 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ LIABILITIES AND EQUITY ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Current liabilities: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Current portion of long-term debt ​ $ 258 ​ $ — ​ $ 174 ​ $ — ​ $ 432 Accounts payable and other current liabilities ​ 82 ​ 9 ​ 2,585 ​ — ​ 2,676 ​ ​ 340 ​ 9 ​ 2,759 ​ — ​ 3,108 Long-term debt, less current portion ​ 7,377 ​ 304 ​ 1,913 ​ — ​ 9,594 Due to affiliates ​ 17,398 ​ 146 ​ 6,709 ​ (24,253) ​ — Other liabilities ​ 5 ​ — ​ 3,667 ​ — ​ 3,672 Total liabilities ​ 25,120 ​ 459 ​ 15,048 ​ (24,253) ​ 16,374 Equity: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Stockholders’ equity ​ 6,275 ​ 24,674 ​ 25,099 ​ (49,773) ​ 6,275 Advances to affiliates ​ (6,709) ​ — ​ (286) ​ 6,995 ​ — Noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ 1 ​ — ​ 1 ​ ​ (434) ​ 24,674 ​ 24,814 ​ (42,778) ​ 6,276 Total liabilities and equity ​ $ 24,686 ​ $ 25,133 ​ $ 39,862 ​ $ (67,031) ​ $ 22,650 ​ ​ CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS Three Months Ended September 30, 2019 (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated Operating revenues ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 4,012 ​ $ (45) ​ $ 3,967 Costs and expenses ​ 45 ​ — ​ 3,233 ​ (45) ​ 3,233 Income from operations ​ (45) ​ — ​ 779 ​ — ​ 734 Other income (expense): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Interest expense, net ​ (92) ​ (5) ​ (8) ​ — ​ (105) Loss on early extinguishment of debt ​ ​ — ​ ​ — ​ ​ (1) ​ ​ — ​ ​ (1) Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax ​ 595 ​ 602 ​ — ​ (1,197) ​ — Other, net ​ — ​ 72 ​ (13) ​ (72) ​ (13) ​ ​ ​ 503 ​ ​ 669 ​ ​ (22) ​ ​ (1,269) ​ ​ (119) Income before income taxes ​ 458 ​ 669 ​ 757 ​ (1,269) ​ 615 Income tax expense (benefit) ​ (37) ​ 2 ​ 155 ​ — ​ 120 Consolidated net income ​ 495 ​ 667 ​ 602 ​ (1,269) ​ 495 Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 495 ​ $ 667 ​ $ 602 ​ $ (1,269) ​ $ 495 ​ Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated Operating revenues ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 3,866 ​ $ (44) ​ $ 3,822 Costs and expenses ​ 44 ​ — ​ 3,123 ​ (44) ​ 3,123 Income from operations ​ (44) ​ — ​ 743 ​ — ​ 699 Other income (expense): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Interest expense, net ​ (78) ​ (6) ​ (9) ​ — ​ (93) Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax ​ 589 ​ 592 ​ — ​ (1,181) ​ — Other, net ​ — ​ — ​ (9) ​ — ​ (9) ​ ​ 511 ​ 586 ​ (18) ​ (1,181) ​ (102) Income before income taxes ​ 467 ​ 586 ​ 725 ​ (1,181) ​ 597 Income tax expense (benefit) ​ (32) ​ (2) ​ 133 ​ — ​ 99 Consolidated net income ​ 499 ​ 588 ​ 592 ​ (1,181) ​ 498 Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ (1) ​ — ​ (1) Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 499 ​ $ 588 ​ $ 593 ​ $ (1,181) ​ $ 499 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Continued) Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non ‑ Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated Operating revenues ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 11,746 ​ $ (137) ​ $ 11,609 Costs and expenses ​ 137 ​ — ​ 9,558 ​ (137) ​ 9,558 Income from operations ​ (137) ​ — ​ 2,188 ​ — ​ 2,051 Other income (expense): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Interest expense, net ​ (258) ​ (15) ​ (28) ​ — ​ (301) Loss on early extinguishment of debt ​ ​ (70) ​ ​ (14) ​ ​ (1) ​ ​ — ​ ​ (85) Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax ​ 1,565 ​ 1,594 ​ — ​ (3,159) ​ — Other, net ​ — ​ 68 ​ (87) ​ (72) ​ (91) ​ ​ ​ 1,237 ​ ​ 1,633 ​ ​ (116) ​ ​ (3,231) ​ ​ (477) Income before income taxes ​ 1,100 ​ 1,633 ​ 2,072 ​ (3,231) ​ 1,574 Income tax expense (benefit) ​ (123) ​ (4) ​ 477 ​ — ​ 350 Consolidated net income ​ 1,223 ​ 1,637 ​ 1,595 ​ (3,231) ​ 1,224 Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ 1 ​ — ​ 1 Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 1,223 ​ $ 1,637 ​ $ 1,594 ​ $ (3,231) ​ $ 1,223 ​ Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non ‑ Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated Operating revenues ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 11,204 ​ $ (132) ​ $ 11,072 Costs and expenses ​ 132 ​ — ​ 9,050 ​ (132) ​ 9,050 Income from operations ​ (132) ​ — ​ 2,154 ​ — ​ 2,022 Other income (expense): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Interest expense, net ​ (232) ​ (15) ​ (30) ​ — ​ (277) Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax ​ 1,662 ​ 1,672 ​ — ​ (3,334) ​ — Other, net ​ — ​ — ​ (28) ​ — ​ (28) ​ ​ 1,430 ​ 1,657 ​ (58) ​ (3,334) ​ (305) Income before income taxes ​ 1,298 ​ 1,657 ​ 2,096 ​ (3,334) ​ 1,717 Income tax expense (benefit) ​ (96) ​ (4) ​ 425 ​ — ​ 325 Consolidated net income ​ 1,394 ​ 1,661 ​ 1,671 ​ (3,334) ​ 1,392 Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ (2) ​ — ​ (2) Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 1,394 ​ $ 1,661 ​ $ 1,673 ​ $ (3,334) ​ $ 1,394 ​ CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated Three Months Ended September 30: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2019 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Comprehensive income ​ $ 497 ​ $ 667 ​ $ 589 ​ $ (1,269) ​ $ 484 Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 497 ​ $ 667 ​ $ 589 ​ $ (1,269) ​ $ 484 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2018 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Comprehensive income ​ $ 501 ​ $ 588 ​ $ 623 ​ $ (1,181) ​ $ 531 Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ (1) ​ — ​ (1) Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 501 ​ $ 588 ​ $ 624 ​ $ (1,181) ​ $ 532 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated Nine Months Ended September 30: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2019 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Comprehensive income ​ $ 1,229 ​ $ 1,637 ​ $ 1,643 ​ $ (3,231) ​ $ 1,278 Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ 1 ​ — ​ 1 Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 1,229 ​ $ 1,637 ​ $ 1,642 ​ $ (3,231) ​ $ 1,277 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2018 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Comprehensive income ​ $ 1,400 ​ $ 1,661 ​ $ 1,646 ​ $ (3,334) ​ $ 1,373 Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ (2) ​ — ​ (2) Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 1,400 ​ $ 1,661 ​ $ 1,648 ​ $ (3,334) ​ $ 1,375 ​ ​ CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM(a) Holdings(a) Subsidiaries(a) Eliminations Consolidated Cash flows provided by (used in): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Operating activities ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 2,852 ​ $ — ​ $ 2,852 Investing activities ​ — ​ — ​ (2,096) ​ — ​ (2,096) Financing activities ​ — ​ — ​ 2,080 ​ — ​ 2,080 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents ​ — ​ — ​ 1 ​ — ​ 1 Intercompany activity ​ 2,863 ​ — ​ (2,863) ​ — ​ — Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents ​ 2,863 ​ — ​ (26) ​ — ​ 2,837 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period ​ — ​ — ​ 183 ​ — ​ 183 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period ​ $ 2,863 ​ $ — ​ $ 157 ​ $ — ​ $ 3,020 ​ Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM(a) Holdings(a) Subsidiaries(a) Eliminations Consolidated Cash flows provided by (used in): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Operating activities ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 2,658 ​ $ — ​ $ 2,658 Investing activities ​ — ​ — ​ (1,506) ​ — ​ (1,506) Financing activities ​ — ​ — ​ (1,015) ​ — ​ (1,015) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — Intercompany activity ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents ​ — ​ — ​ 137 ​ — ​ 137 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period ​ — ​ — ​ 293 ​ — ​ 293 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 430 ​ $ — ​ $ 430 (a) Cash receipts and payments of WM and WM Holdings are transacted by Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries. Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents of WM as of September 30, 2019 include remaining proceeds from our senior note issuances which are discussed further in Notes 3 and 13. ​ ​

Basis of Presentation (Policies

Basis of Presentation (Policies)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Basis of Presentation
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 14. Waste Management, Inc. 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.
Revenue Recognition	Revenue Recognition We generally recognize revenue as services are performed or products are delivered. For example, revenue typically is recognized as waste is collected, tons are received at our landfills or transfer stations, or recycling commodities are collected or delivered as product. We bill for certain services prior to performance. Such services include, among others, certain commercial and residential contracts and equipment rentals. These advance billings are included in deferred revenues and recognized as revenue in the period service is provided. Substantially all our deferred revenues during the reported periods are realized as revenues within one to three months when the related services are performed. Contract Acquisition Costs Our incremental direct costs of obtaining a contract, which consist primarily of sales incentives, are generally deferred and amortized to selling, general and administrative expense over the estimated life of the relevant customer relationship, ranging from 5 to 13 years. Contract acquisition costs that are paid to the customer are deferred and amortized as a reduction in revenue over the contract life. Our contract acquisition costs are classified as current or noncurrent based on the timing of when we expect to recognize amortization and are included in other assets in our Condensed Consolidated Balance Sheet. As of September 30, 2019 and December 31, 2018, we had $150 million and $145 million, respectively, of deferred contract costs, of which $115 million and $109 million, respectively, was related to deferred sales incentives. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2019, we amortized $6 million and $17 million of sales incentives to selling, general and administrative expense, and $4 million and $15 million of other contract acquisition costs as a reduction in revenue, respectively. During the three and nine months ended September 30, 2018, we amortized $6 million and $17 million of sales incentives to selling, general and administrative expense, and $8 million and $27 million of other contract acquisition costs as a reduction in revenue, respectively.
Adoption of New Accounting Standard and New Accounting Standard Pending Adoption	Adoption of New Accounting Standard Leases — We elected to apply the following package of practical expedients on a consistent basis permitting entities not to reassess: (i) whether any expired or existing contracts are or contain a lease; (ii) lease classification for any expired or existing leases and (iii) whether initial direct costs for any expired or existing leases qualify for capitalization under the amended guidance. In addition, we applied (i) the practical expedient for land easements, which allows the Company to not apply the lease standard to certain existing land easements at transition and (ii) the practical expedient to include both the lease and non-lease components as a single component and account for it as a lease. The impact of adopting the amended guidance primarily relates to the recognition of lease assets and lease liabilities on the balance sheet for all leases previously classified as operating leases. We recognized $385 million of right-of-use assets and $385 million of related lease liabilities as of January 1, 2019 for our contracts that are classified as operating leases. Leases with an initial term of 12 months, which are not expected to be renewed beyond one year, are not recorded on the balance sheet and are recognized as lease expense on a straight-line basis over the lease term. Our accounting for financing leases, which were formerly referred to as capital leases, remained substantially unchanged. There were no other material impacts on our consolidated financial statements. See Note 4 for additional information and disclosures related to our adoption of this amended guidance. New Accounting Standard Pending Adoption Financial Instrument Credit Losses — The amended guidance is effective for the Company on January 1, 2020. We are assessing the provisions of this amended guidance and evaluating the impact on our consolidated financial statements.
Reclassifications	Reclassifications When necessary, reclassifications have been made to our prior period financial information to conform to the current year presentation and are not material to our consolidated financial statements.

Landfill and Environmental Re_2

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities
Liabilities for Landfill and Environmental Remediation Costs	Liabilities for landfill and environmental remediation costs are presented in the table below (in millions): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ September 30, 2019 ​ December 31, 2018 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Environmental ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Environmental ​ ​ ​ ​ Landfill Remediation Total Landfill Remediation Total Current (in accrued liabilities) $ 114 ​ $ 28 ​ $ 142 ​ $ 143 ​ $ 26 ​ $ 169 Long-term ​ 1,706 ​ 211 ​ 1,917 1,617 ​ 211 ​ 1,828 ​ $ 1,820 ​ $ 239 ​ $ 2,059 ​ $ 1,760 ​ $ 237 ​ $ 1,997
Changes to Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities	The changes to landfill and environmental remediation liabilities for the nine months ended September 30, 2019 are reflected in the table below (in millions): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Environmental ​ Landfill Remediation December 31, 2018 ​ $ 1,760 ​ $ 237 Obligations incurred and capitalized ​ 54 — Obligations settled ​ (80) (16) Interest accretion ​ 72 4 Revisions in estimates and interest rate assumptions (a) ​ 10 14 Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments ​ 4 — September 30, 2019 ​ $ 1,820 ​ $ 239 (a) The amount reported for our environmental remediation liabilities includes an increase of $8 million due to a decrease in the risk-free discount rate used to measure our liabilities from 2.75% at December 31, 2018 to 2.0% at September 30, 2019.

Debt (Tables)

Debt (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Debt
Components of Debt	The following table summarizes the major components of debt as of each balance sheet date (in millions) and provides the maturities and interest rate ranges of each major category as of September 30, 2019: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ September 30, ​ December 31, ​ 2019 2018 $2.75 billion revolving credit facility, maturing June 2023 (weighted average interest rate of 3.1% as of December 31, 2018) ​ $ — ​ $ 11 Commercial paper program (weighted average interest rate of 2.9% as of December 31, 2018) ​ ​ — ​ ​ 990 Senior notes, maturing through 2049, interest rates ranging from 2.4% to 7.75% (weighted average interest rate of 3.9% as of September 30, 2019 and 4.3% as of December 31, 2018) ​ 9,965 ​ 6,222 Canadian senior notes, maturing September 2026, interest rate of 2.6% ​ 377 ​ — Tax-exempt bonds, maturing through 2048, fixed and variable interest rates ranging from 1.35% to 4.3% (weighted average interest rate of 2.3% as of September 30, 2019 and 2.35% as of December 31, 2018) ​ 2,409 ​ 2,388 Financing leases and other, maturing through 2071, interest rates up to 9% ​ 692 ​ 467 Debt issuance costs, discounts and other ​ (85) ​ (52) ​ ​ 13,358 ​ 10,026 Current portion of long-term debt ​ 211 ​ 432 ​ ​ $ 13,147 ​ $ 9,594 ​

Leases (Tables)

Leases (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Leases
Summary of lease balance sheet information	Supplemental balance sheet information for our leases is as follows (in millions): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Leases Classification ​ September 30, 2019 Assets ​ ​ ​ ​ Long-term: ​ ​ ​ ​ Operating ​ Other assets ​ $ 461 Financing ​ Property and equipment, net of accumulated depreciation and amortization ​ ​ 345 Total lease assets ​ ​ ​ $ 806 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Liabilities ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Current: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Operating ​ Accrued liabilities ​ $ 91 Financing ​ Current portion of long-term debt ​ ​ 33 Long-term: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Operating ​ Other liabilities ​ ​ 387 Financing ​ Long-term debt, less current portion ​ ​ 293 Total lease liabilities ​ ​ ​ $ 804
Summary of maturities of operating lease liabilities	Minimum contractual obligations for our leases (undiscounted) as of September 30, 2019 are as follows (in millions): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Operating ​ Financing 2019 (excluding nine months ended September 30, 2019) $ 22 ​ $ 12 2020 ​ 65 ​ ​ 42 2021 ​ 59 ​ ​ 40 2022 ​ 59 ​ ​ 39 2023 ​ ​ 51 ​ ​ 38 Thereafter ​ ​ 416 ​ ​ 273 Total lease payments ​ $ 672 ​ $ 444 Less: interest ​ ​ (194) ​ ​ (118) Discounted lease liabilities ​ $ 478 ​ $ 326
Summary of maturities of finance lease liabilities	​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Operating ​ Financing 2019 (excluding nine months ended September 30, 2019) $ 22 ​ $ 12 2020 ​ 65 ​ ​ 42 2021 ​ 59 ​ ​ 40 2022 ​ 59 ​ ​ 39 2023 ​ ​ 51 ​ ​ 38 Thereafter ​ ​ 416 ​ ​ 273 Total lease payments ​ $ 672 ​ $ 444 Less: interest ​ ​ (194) ​ ​ (118) Discounted lease liabilities ​ $ 478 ​ $ 326

Earnings Per Share (Tables)

Earnings Per Share (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Earnings Per Share
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 ​ Nine Months Ended ​ ​ September 30, ​ September 30, ​ 2019 2018 2019 2018 Number of common shares outstanding at end of period 424.2 427.1 424.2 427.1 Effect of using weighted average common shares outstanding 0.3 0.8 0.4 3.2 Weighted average basic common shares outstanding 424.5 427.9 424.6 430.3 Dilutive effect of equity-based compensation awards and other contingently issuable shares 2.9 2.9 2.8 2.9 Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding 427.4 430.8 427.4 433.2 Potentially issuable shares 6.8 7.6 6.8 7.6 Number of anti-dilutive potentially issuable shares excluded from diluted common shares outstanding 0.7 1.5 0.7 1.5

Segment and Related Informati_2

Segment and Related Information (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Segment and Related Information
Reportable Segments	Summarized financial information concerning our reportable segments is shown in the following table (in millions): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Gross ​ Intercompany ​ Net ​ Income ​ ​ Operating ​ Operating ​ Operating ​ from ​ Revenues Revenues Revenues Operations Three Months Ended September 30: ​ ​ ​ ​ 2019 ​ ​ ​ ​ Solid Waste: ​ ​ ​ ​ Tier 1 ​ $ 1,610 ​ $ (300) ​ $ 1,310 ​ $ 432 Tier 2 ​ 714 ​ (135) ​ 579 ​ 153 Tier 3 ​ 1,891 ​ (369) ​ 1,522 ​ 351 Solid Waste ​ 4,215 ​ (804) ​ 3,411 ​ 936 Other (a) ​ 589 ​ (33) ​ 556 ​ (36) ​ ​ ​ 4,804 ​ ​ (837) ​ ​ 3,967 ​ ​ 900 Corporate and Other ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ (166) Total ​ $ 4,804 ​ $ (837) ​ $ 3,967 ​ $ 734 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2018 ​ ​ ​ ​ Solid Waste: ​ ​ ​ ​ Tier 1 ​ $ 1,506 ​ $ (277) ​ $ 1,229 ​ $ 416 Tier 2 ​ 671 ​ (127) ​ 544 ​ 142 Tier 3 ​ 1,818 ​ (353) ​ 1,465 ​ 291 Solid Waste ​ 3,995 ​ (757) ​ 3,238 ​ 849 Other (a) ​ 629 ​ (45) ​ 584 ​ (15) ​ ​ 4,624 ​ (802) ​ 3,822 ​ 834 Corporate and Other ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ (135) Total ​ $ 4,624 ​ $ (802) ​ $ 3,822 ​ $ 699 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Gross ​ Intercompany ​ Net ​ Income ​ ​ Operating ​ Operating ​ Operating ​ from ​ Revenues Revenues Revenues Operations Nine Months Ended September 30: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2019 ​ ​ ​ ​ Solid Waste: ​ ​ ​ ​ Tier 1 ​ $ 4,704 ​ $ (869) ​ $ 3,835 ​ $ 1,258 Tier 2 ​ 2,060 ​ (390) ​ 1,670 ​ 437 Tier 3 ​ 5,515 ​ (1,074) ​ 4,441 ​ 1,005 Solid Waste ​ 12,279 ​ (2,333) ​ 9,946 ​ 2,700 Other (a) ​ 1,757 ​ (94) ​ 1,663 ​ (124) ​ ​ ​ 14,036 ​ ​ (2,427) ​ ​ 11,609 ​ ​ 2,576 Corporate and Other ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ (525) Total ​ $ 14,036 ​ $ (2,427) ​ $ 11,609 ​ $ 2,051 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2018 ​ ​ ​ ​ Solid Waste: ​ ​ ​ ​ Tier 1 ​ $ 4,364 ​ $ (787) ​ $ 3,577 ​ $ 1,176 Tier 2 ​ 1,947 ​ (361) ​ 1,586 ​ 405 Tier 3 ​ 5,227 ​ (1,012) ​ 4,215 ​ 877 Solid Waste ​ 11,538 ​ (2,160) ​ 9,378 ​ 2,458 Other (a) ​ 1,849 ​ (155) ​ 1,694 ​ (25) ​ ​ 13,387 ​ (2,315) ​ 11,072 ​ 2,433 Corporate and Other ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ (411) Total ​ $ 13,387 ​ $ (2,315) ​ $ 11,072 ​ $ 2,022 (a) “Other” includes (i) our Strategic Business Solutions (“WMSBS”) organization; (ii) those elements of our landfill gas-to-energy operations and third-party subcontract and administration revenues managed by our Energy and Environmental Services (“EES”) and WM Renewable Energy organizations that are not included in the operations of our reportable segments; (iii) our recycling brokerage services and (iv) certain other expanded service offerings and solutions. In addition, our “Other” segment reflects the results of non-operating entities that provide financial assurance and self-insurance support for our Solid Waste business, net of intercompany activity.
Summary of operating revenues mix	The mix of operating revenues from our major lines of business are as follows (in millions): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Three Months Ended ​ Nine Months Ended ​ ​ September 30, ​ September 30, ​ 2019 2018 2019 2018 Commercial ​ $ 1,069 ​ $ 1,007 ​ $ 3,147 ​ $ 2,948 Residential ​ 661 ​ 639 ​ 1,956 ​ 1,885 Industrial ​ 766 ​ 723 ​ 2,190 ​ 2,068 Other ​ 130 ​ 117 ​ 361 ​ 333 Total collection ​ 2,626 ​ 2,486 ​ 7,654 ​ 7,234 Landfill ​ 993 ​ 926 ​ 2,880 ​ 2,646 Transfer ​ 471 ​ 445 ​ 1,357 ​ 1,257 Recycling ​ 245 ​ 337 ​ 800 ​ 954 Other (a) ​ 469 ​ 430 ​ 1,345 ​ 1,296 Intercompany (b) ​ (837) ​ (802) ​ (2,427) ​ (2,315) Total ​ $ 3,967 ​ $ 3,822 ​ $ 11,609 ​ $ 11,072 (a) The “Other” line of business includes (i) our WMSBS organization; (ii) our landfill gas-to-energy operations; (iii) certain services within our EES organization, including our construction and remediation services and our services associated with the disposal of fly ash and (iv) certain other expanded service offerings and solutions. In addition, our “Other” line of business reflects the results of non-operating entities that provide financial assurance and self-insurance support for our Solid Waste business, net of intercompany activity. (b) Intercompany revenues between lines of business are eliminated in the Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements included within this report.

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_2

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss)
Components of Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss), net of tax	The changes in the balances of each component of accumulated other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax, which is included as a component of Waste Management, Inc. stockholders’ equity, are as follows (in millions, with amounts in parentheses representing decreases to accumulated other comprehensive income): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Foreign ​ Post- ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Available- ​ Currency ​ Retirement ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Derivative ​ for-Sale ​ Translation ​ Benefit ​ ​ ​ ​ Instruments Securities Adjustments Obligations Total Balance, December 31, 2018 ​ $ (32) ​ $ 23 ​ $ (76) ​ $ (2) ​ $ (87) Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax expense (benefit) of $0, $4, $0 and $0, respectively ​ — ​ 13 ​ 36 ​ — ​ 49 Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, net of tax (expense) benefit of $2, $0, $0 and $0, respectively ​ 6 ​ — ​ — ​ (1) ​ 5 Net current period other comprehensive income (loss) ​ 6 ​ 13 ​ 36 ​ (1) ​ 54 Balance, September 30, 2019 ​ $ (26) ​ $ 36 ​ $ (40) ​ $ (3) ​ $ (33)

Fair Value Measurements (Tables

Fair Value Measurements (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Fair Value Measurements
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): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ September 30, ​ December 31, ​ 2019 2018 Fair Value Measurements Using: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Quoted prices in active markets (Level 1): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Money market funds (a) $ 2,918 $ 70 ​ ​ ​ 2,918 ​ ​ 70 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Significant other observable inputs (Level 2): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Available-for-sale securities (b) ​ 352 ​ 288 ​ ​ 352 ​ 288 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Significant unobservable inputs (Level 3): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Redeemable preferred stock (c) ​ 49 ​ 66 ​ ​ ​ 49 ​ ​ 66 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Total Assets $ 3,319 ​ $ 424 (a) Our money market funds are invested in high-yield secure and stable funds. The increase in 2019 is primarily due to proceeds from our May 2019 issuance of senior notes and our September 2019 issuance of Canadian senior notes. See Note 3 for additional information. (b) Our available-for-sale securities generally mature over the next ten years. (c) 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 techniques, third-party appraisals or industry multiples and public company comparable transactions. In the first quarter of 2019, we redeemed our preferred stock received in conjunction with the 2014 sale of our Puerto Rico operations for $17 million. At the time of redemption, the value of redeemable preferred stock was $20 million, resulting in a $3 million loss on investment.

Condensed Consolidating Finan_2

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements (Tables)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements
Condensed Consolidating Balance Sheets	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS September 30, 2019 (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated ASSETS ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Current assets: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Cash and cash equivalents ​ $ 2,863 ​ $ — ​ $ 52 ​ $ — ​ $ 2,915 Other current assets ​ 48 ​ 4 ​ 2,639 ​ (46) ​ 2,645 ​ ​ 2,911 ​ 4 ​ 2,691 ​ (46) ​ 5,560 Property and equipment, net ​ — ​ — ​ 12,805 ​ — ​ 12,805 Investments in affiliates ​ 25,940 ​ 26,367 ​ — ​ (52,307) ​ — Advances to affiliates ​ — ​ — ​ 17,930 ​ (17,930) ​ — Other assets ​ 5 ​ 10 ​ 8,729 ​ — ​ 8,744 Total assets ​ $ 28,856 ​ $ 26,381 ​ $ 42,155 ​ $ (70,283) ​ $ 27,109 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ LIABILITIES AND EQUITY ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Current liabilities: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Current portion of long-term debt ​ $ 14 ​ $ — ​ $ 197 ​ $ — ​ $ 211 Accounts payable and other current liabilities ​ 113 ​ 7 ​ 2,704 ​ (46) ​ 2,778 ​ ​ 127 ​ 7 ​ 2,901 ​ (46) ​ 2,989 Long-term debt, less current portion ​ 10,611 ​ 248 ​ 2,288 ​ — ​ 13,147 Due to affiliates ​ 18,039 ​ 188 ​ 6,709 ​ (24,936) ​ — Other liabilities ​ 3 ​ — ​ 4,183 ​ — ​ 4,186 Total liabilities ​ 28,780 ​ 443 ​ 16,081 ​ (24,982) ​ 20,322 Equity: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Stockholders’ equity ​ 6,785 ​ 25,938 ​ 26,369 ​ (52,307) ​ 6,785 Advances to affiliates ​ (6,709) ​ — ​ (297) ​ 7,006 ​ — Noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ 2 ​ — ​ 2 ​ ​ ​ 76 ​ ​ 25,938 ​ ​ 26,074 ​ ​ (45,301) ​ ​ 6,787 Total liabilities and equity ​ $ 28,856 ​ $ 26,381 ​ $ 42,155 ​ $ (70,283) ​ $ 27,109 ​ CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING BALANCE SHEETS (Continued) December 31, 2018 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated ASSETS ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Current assets: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Cash and cash equivalents ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 61 ​ $ — ​ $ 61 Other current assets ​ 2 ​ 5 ​ 2,577 ​ — ​ 2,584 ​ ​ 2 ​ 5 ​ 2,638 ​ — ​ 2,645 Property and equipment, net ​ — ​ — ​ 11,942 ​ — ​ 11,942 Investments in affiliates ​ 24,676 ​ 25,097 ​ — ​ (49,773) ​ — Advances to affiliates ​ — ​ — ​ 17,258 ​ (17,258) ​ — Other assets ​ 8 ​ 31 ​ 8,024 ​ — ​ 8,063 Total assets ​ $ 24,686 ​ $ 25,133 ​ $ 39,862 ​ $ (67,031) ​ $ 22,650 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ LIABILITIES AND EQUITY ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Current liabilities: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Current portion of long-term debt ​ $ 258 ​ $ — ​ $ 174 ​ $ — ​ $ 432 Accounts payable and other current liabilities ​ 82 ​ 9 ​ 2,585 ​ — ​ 2,676 ​ ​ 340 ​ 9 ​ 2,759 ​ — ​ 3,108 Long-term debt, less current portion ​ 7,377 ​ 304 ​ 1,913 ​ — ​ 9,594 Due to affiliates ​ 17,398 ​ 146 ​ 6,709 ​ (24,253) ​ — Other liabilities ​ 5 ​ — ​ 3,667 ​ — ​ 3,672 Total liabilities ​ 25,120 ​ 459 ​ 15,048 ​ (24,253) ​ 16,374 Equity: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Stockholders’ equity ​ 6,275 ​ 24,674 ​ 25,099 ​ (49,773) ​ 6,275 Advances to affiliates ​ (6,709) ​ — ​ (286) ​ 6,995 ​ — Noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ 1 ​ — ​ 1 ​ ​ (434) ​ 24,674 ​ 24,814 ​ (42,778) ​ 6,276 Total liabilities and equity ​ $ 24,686 ​ $ 25,133 ​ $ 39,862 ​ $ (67,031) ​ $ 22,650
Condensed Consolidating Statements of Operations	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS Three Months Ended September 30, 2019 (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated Operating revenues ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 4,012 ​ $ (45) ​ $ 3,967 Costs and expenses ​ 45 ​ — ​ 3,233 ​ (45) ​ 3,233 Income from operations ​ (45) ​ — ​ 779 ​ — ​ 734 Other income (expense): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Interest expense, net ​ (92) ​ (5) ​ (8) ​ — ​ (105) Loss on early extinguishment of debt ​ ​ — ​ ​ — ​ ​ (1) ​ ​ — ​ ​ (1) Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax ​ 595 ​ 602 ​ — ​ (1,197) ​ — Other, net ​ — ​ 72 ​ (13) ​ (72) ​ (13) ​ ​ ​ 503 ​ ​ 669 ​ ​ (22) ​ ​ (1,269) ​ ​ (119) Income before income taxes ​ 458 ​ 669 ​ 757 ​ (1,269) ​ 615 Income tax expense (benefit) ​ (37) ​ 2 ​ 155 ​ — ​ 120 Consolidated net income ​ 495 ​ 667 ​ 602 ​ (1,269) ​ 495 Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 495 ​ $ 667 ​ $ 602 ​ $ (1,269) ​ $ 495 ​ Three Months Ended September 30, 2018 (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated Operating revenues ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 3,866 ​ $ (44) ​ $ 3,822 Costs and expenses ​ 44 ​ — ​ 3,123 ​ (44) ​ 3,123 Income from operations ​ (44) ​ — ​ 743 ​ — ​ 699 Other income (expense): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Interest expense, net ​ (78) ​ (6) ​ (9) ​ — ​ (93) Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax ​ 589 ​ 592 ​ — ​ (1,181) ​ — Other, net ​ — ​ — ​ (9) ​ — ​ (9) ​ ​ 511 ​ 586 ​ (18) ​ (1,181) ​ (102) Income before income taxes ​ 467 ​ 586 ​ 725 ​ (1,181) ​ 597 Income tax expense (benefit) ​ (32) ​ (2) ​ 133 ​ — ​ 99 Consolidated net income ​ 499 ​ 588 ​ 592 ​ (1,181) ​ 498 Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ (1) ​ — ​ (1) Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 499 ​ $ 588 ​ $ 593 ​ $ (1,181) ​ $ 499 CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS (Continued) Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non ‑ Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated Operating revenues ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 11,746 ​ $ (137) ​ $ 11,609 Costs and expenses ​ 137 ​ — ​ 9,558 ​ (137) ​ 9,558 Income from operations ​ (137) ​ — ​ 2,188 ​ — ​ 2,051 Other income (expense): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Interest expense, net ​ (258) ​ (15) ​ (28) ​ — ​ (301) Loss on early extinguishment of debt ​ ​ (70) ​ ​ (14) ​ ​ (1) ​ ​ — ​ ​ (85) Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax ​ 1,565 ​ 1,594 ​ — ​ (3,159) ​ — Other, net ​ — ​ 68 ​ (87) ​ (72) ​ (91) ​ ​ ​ 1,237 ​ ​ 1,633 ​ ​ (116) ​ ​ (3,231) ​ ​ (477) Income before income taxes ​ 1,100 ​ 1,633 ​ 2,072 ​ (3,231) ​ 1,574 Income tax expense (benefit) ​ (123) ​ (4) ​ 477 ​ — ​ 350 Consolidated net income ​ 1,223 ​ 1,637 ​ 1,595 ​ (3,231) ​ 1,224 Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ 1 ​ — ​ 1 Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 1,223 ​ $ 1,637 ​ $ 1,594 ​ $ (3,231) ​ $ 1,223 ​ Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non ‑ Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated Operating revenues ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 11,204 ​ $ (132) ​ $ 11,072 Costs and expenses ​ 132 ​ — ​ 9,050 ​ (132) ​ 9,050 Income from operations ​ (132) ​ — ​ 2,154 ​ — ​ 2,022 Other income (expense): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Interest expense, net ​ (232) ​ (15) ​ (30) ​ — ​ (277) Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax ​ 1,662 ​ 1,672 ​ — ​ (3,334) ​ — Other, net ​ — ​ — ​ (28) ​ — ​ (28) ​ ​ 1,430 ​ 1,657 ​ (58) ​ (3,334) ​ (305) Income before income taxes ​ 1,298 ​ 1,657 ​ 2,096 ​ (3,334) ​ 1,717 Income tax expense (benefit) ​ (96) ​ (4) ​ 425 ​ — ​ 325 Consolidated net income ​ 1,394 ​ 1,661 ​ 1,671 ​ (3,334) ​ 1,392 Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ (2) ​ — ​ (2) Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 1,394 ​ $ 1,661 ​ $ 1,673 ​ $ (3,334) ​ $ 1,394 ​
Condensed Consolidating Statements of Comprehensive Income	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF COMPREHENSIVE INCOME (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated Three Months Ended September 30: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2019 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Comprehensive income ​ $ 497 ​ $ 667 ​ $ 589 ​ $ (1,269) ​ $ 484 Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 497 ​ $ 667 ​ $ 589 ​ $ (1,269) ​ $ 484 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2018 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Comprehensive income ​ $ 501 ​ $ 588 ​ $ 623 ​ $ (1,181) ​ $ 531 Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ (1) ​ — ​ (1) Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 501 ​ $ 588 ​ $ 624 ​ $ (1,181) ​ $ 532 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM Holdings Subsidiaries Eliminations Consolidated Nine Months Ended September 30: ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2019 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Comprehensive income ​ $ 1,229 ​ $ 1,637 ​ $ 1,643 ​ $ (3,231) ​ $ 1,278 Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ 1 ​ — ​ 1 Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 1,229 ​ $ 1,637 ​ $ 1,642 ​ $ (3,231) ​ $ 1,277 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 2018 ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Comprehensive income ​ $ 1,400 ​ $ 1,661 ​ $ 1,646 ​ $ (3,334) ​ $ 1,373 Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests ​ — ​ — ​ (2) ​ — ​ (2) Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc. ​ $ 1,400 ​ $ 1,661 ​ $ 1,648 ​ $ (3,334) ​ $ 1,375
Condensed Consolidating Statements of Cash Flows	CONDENSED CONSOLIDATING STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS Nine Months Ended September 30, 2019 (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM(a) Holdings(a) Subsidiaries(a) Eliminations Consolidated Cash flows provided by (used in): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Operating activities ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 2,852 ​ $ — ​ $ 2,852 Investing activities ​ — ​ — ​ (2,096) ​ — ​ (2,096) Financing activities ​ — ​ — ​ 2,080 ​ — ​ 2,080 Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents ​ — ​ — ​ 1 ​ — ​ 1 Intercompany activity ​ 2,863 ​ — ​ (2,863) ​ — ​ — Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents ​ 2,863 ​ — ​ (26) ​ — ​ 2,837 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period ​ — ​ — ​ 183 ​ — ​ 183 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period ​ $ 2,863 ​ $ — ​ $ 157 ​ $ — ​ $ 3,020 ​ Nine Months Ended September 30, 2018 (Unaudited) ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM ​ Non-Guarantor ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ WM(a) Holdings(a) Subsidiaries(a) Eliminations Consolidated Cash flows provided by (used in): ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Operating activities ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 2,658 ​ $ — ​ $ 2,658 Investing activities ​ — ​ — ​ (1,506) ​ — ​ (1,506) Financing activities ​ — ​ — ​ (1,015) ​ — ​ (1,015) Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — Intercompany activity ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — ​ — Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents ​ — ​ — ​ 137 ​ — ​ 137 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period ​ — ​ — ​ 293 ​ — ​ 293 Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period ​ $ — ​ $ — ​ $ 430 ​ $ — ​ $ 430 (a) Cash receipts and payments of WM and WM Holdings are transacted by Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries. Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents of WM as of September 30, 2019 include remaining proceeds from our senior note issuances which are discussed further in Notes 3 and 13. ​ ​

Basis of Presentation (Detail)

Basis of Presentation (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019area
Solid Waste [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of areas	17

Basis of Presentation - Revenue

Basis of Presentation - Revenue Recognition (Details) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018
Contract Acquisition Costs
Deferred contract costs	$ 150		$ 150		$ 145
Minimum [Member]
Contract Acquisition Costs
Deferred revenue recognition period			1 month
Contract amortization period	5 years		5 years
Maximum [Member]
Contract Acquisition Costs
Deferred revenue recognition period			3 months
Contract amortization period	13 years		13 years
Selling, General and Administrative Expenses [Member]
Contract Acquisition Costs
Deferred contract costs amortization	$ 6	$ 6	$ 17	$ 17
Reduction to Sales [Member]
Contract Acquisition Costs
Deferred contract costs amortization	4	$ 8	15	$ 27
Deferred Sales Incentives [Member]
Contract Acquisition Costs
Deferred contract costs	$ 115		$ 115		$ 109

Basis of Presentation - Adoptio

Basis of Presentation - Adoption of New Accounting Standards (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Jan. 01, 2019
New ASU
Lease, Practical Expedients, Package	true
Right-of-use assets	$ 461
Operating lease liability	$ 478
Lease, Practical Expedient, Land Easement [true false]	true
Accounting Standards Update 2016-02 [Member] | Adjustment [Member]
New ASU
Right-of-use assets		$ 385
Operating lease liability		$ 385

Landfill and Environmental Re_3

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities - Summary (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Landfill and environmental remediation liabilities
Total, Environmental Remediation	$ 239
Current (in accrued liabilities)	142	$ 169
Long-term	1,917	1,828
Total	2,059	1,997
Landfill [Member]
Landfill and environmental remediation liabilities
Current (in accrued liabilities), Landfill	114	143
Long-term, Landfill	1,706	1,617
Total, Landfill	1,820	1,760
Environmental Remediation Liabilities [Member]
Landfill and environmental remediation liabilities
Current (in accrued liabilities), Environmental Remediation	28	26
Long-term, Environmental Remediation	211	211
Total, Environmental Remediation	$ 239	$ 237

Landfill and Environmental Re_4

Landfill and Environmental Remediation Liabilities - Changes (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018
Landfill and environmental remediation liabilities
Interest accretion	$ 72	$ 71
Ending balance, environmental remediation	239
Landfill [Member]
Landfill and environmental remediation liabilities
Beginning balance, landfill	1,760
Obligations incurred and capitalized	54
Obligations settled	(80)
Interest accretion	72
Revisions in estimates and interest rate assumptions	10
Acquisitions, divestitures and other adjustments	4
Ending balance, landfill	1,820
Environmental Remediation Liabilities [Member]
Landfill and environmental remediation liabilities
Beginning balance, environmental remediation	237
Obligations settled	(16)
Interest accretion	4
Revisions in estimates and interest rate assumptions	14
Ending balance, environmental remediation	$ 239
Risk-free discount rate of the obligations	2.00%		2.75%
Increase (decrease) operating expenses due to change in discount rate	$ 8

Debt - Components of Debt (Deta

Debt - Components of Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Debt
Debt	$ 13,358	$ 10,026
Debt issuance costs, discounts and other	(85)	(52)
Current portion of long-term debt	211	432
Long-term debt, less current portion	13,147	9,594
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt
Debt		$ 11
Weighted average interest rate		3.10%
Commercial Paper Program [Member]
Debt
Debt		$ 990
Weighted average interest rate		2.90%
Senior Notes, Aggregate [Member]
Debt
Debt	$ 9,965	$ 6,222
Weighted average interest rate	3.90%	4.30%
Canadian Senior Notes [Member]
Debt
Debt	$ 377
Interest rate (as a percent)	2.60%
Tax Exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt
Debt	$ 2,409	$ 2,388
Current portion of long-term debt	$ 124
Weighted average interest rate	2.30%	2.35%
Financing leases and other [Member]
Debt
Debt	$ 692	$ 467
Current portion of long-term debt	$ 211
Minimum [Member] | Senior Notes, Aggregate [Member]
Debt
Interest rate (as a percent)	2.40%
Minimum [Member] | Tax Exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt
Interest rate (as a percent)	1.35%
Maximum [Member] | Senior Notes, Aggregate [Member]
Debt
Interest rate (as a percent)	7.75%
Maximum [Member] | Tax Exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt
Interest rate (as a percent)	4.30%
Maximum [Member] | Financing leases and other [Member]
Debt
Interest rate (as a percent)	9.00%

Debt - Classification and Utili

Debt - Classification and Utilization (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Debt
Debt maturing or subject to remarketing within twelve months	$ 1,300
Current portion of long-term debt	211	$ 432
4.75% senior notes due June 2020 [Member]
Debt
Debt instrument face amount	$ 600
Interest rate (as a percent)	4.75%
Tax Exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt
Debt with interest rate periods that expire in the next 12 months	$ 529
Current portion of long-term debt	124
Debt maturing or subject to remarketing within twelve months classified as long-term	1,100
Variable-rate tax-exempt bonds	$ 154
Tax Exempt Bonds [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt
Interest rate (as a percent)	1.35%
Tax Exempt Bonds [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt
Interest rate (as a percent)	4.30%
Financing leases and other [Member]
Debt
Current portion of long-term debt	$ 211
Financing leases and other [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt
Interest rate (as a percent)	9.00%
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt
Outstanding borrowings under credit facility	$ 0
Maximum capacity	2,750
Letters of credit outstanding	412
Unused and available credit capacity	2,300
Commercial Paper Program [Member]
Debt
Commercial paper, borrowings	$ 0
Debt term	397 days
Other Letter of Credit Facilities [Member]
Debt
Letters of credit outstanding	$ 544

Debt - Borrowings and Repayment

Debt - Borrowings and Repayments (Detail) $ in Millions, $ in Millions	Aug. 28, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019CAD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	May 31, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	Mar. 31, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019CAD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2018USD ($)	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)	May 01, 2019USD ($)
Debt
Debt repayments								$ 502	$ 338
New borrowings								4,558	174
Loss on early extinguishment of debt				$ (84)	$ (1)			(85)
Net commercial borrowings (repayments)								(1,001)	$ 523
Investments Qualifying for Federal Tax Credits [Member]
Debt
Capital obligations	$ 140
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Debt
Debt repayments							$ 15	11
Senior Notes, Aggregate [Member]
Debt
Debt instrument face amount				4,000
New borrowings				3,970
Amount of debt tendered, including interest				344
Early extinguishment of high-coupon senior notes				257
Accrued interest				3
Senior Notes, Aggregate [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt
Interest rate (as a percent)		2.40%					2.40%			2.40%
Senior Notes, Aggregate [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt
Interest rate (as a percent)		7.75%					7.75%			7.75%
2.95% senior notes due June 2024 [Member]
Debt
Debt instrument face amount				$ 750
Interest rate (as a percent)				2.95%
Redemption price percentage				101.00%
3.20% senior notes due June 2026 [Member]
Debt
Debt instrument face amount				$ 750
Interest rate (as a percent)				3.20%
Redemption price percentage				101.00%
3.45% senior notes due June 2029 [Member]
Debt
Debt instrument face amount				$ 1,000
Interest rate (as a percent)				3.45%
Redemption price percentage				101.00%
4.00% senior notes due July 2039 [Member]
Debt
Debt instrument face amount				$ 500
Interest rate (as a percent)				4.00%
Redemption price percentage				101.00%
4.15% senior notes due July 2049 [Member]
Debt
Debt instrument face amount				$ 1,000
Interest rate (as a percent)				4.15%
7.10% senior notes due 2026 [Member]
Debt
Debt repayments				$ 56
Interest rate (as a percent)				7.10%
Face amount of tender offer											$ 304
7.00% senior notes due 2028 [Member]
Debt
Debt repayments				$ 64
Interest rate (as a percent)				7.00%
Face amount of tender offer											395
7.375% senior notes due 2029 [Member]
Debt
Debt repayments				$ 58
Interest rate (as a percent)				7.375%
Face amount of tender offer											139
7.75% senior notes due 2032 [Member]
Debt
Debt repayments				$ 57
Interest rate (as a percent)				7.75%
Face amount of tender offer											210
6.125% senior notes due 2039 [Member]
Debt
Debt repayments				$ 22
Interest rate (as a percent)				6.125%
Face amount of tender offer											$ 274
Commercial Paper Program [Member]
Debt
Net commercial borrowings (repayments)						$ 357		1,000
Canadian Senior Notes [Member]
Debt
Debt instrument face amount		$ 500					$ 500			$ 377
Interest rate (as a percent)		2.60%					2.60%			2.60%
New borrowings		$ 496	$ 373
Tax Exempt Bonds [Member]
Debt
Debt repayments								94
New borrowings								115
Debt refunded and reissued										$ 99
Tax Exempt Bonds [Member] | Minimum [Member]
Debt
Interest rate (as a percent)		1.35%					1.35%			1.35%
Tax Exempt Bonds [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt
Interest rate (as a percent)		4.30%					4.30%			4.30%
Financing leases and other [Member]
Debt
Debt repayments								37
Non-cash financing lease incurred								$ 122
Financing leases and other [Member] | Maximum [Member]
Debt
Interest rate (as a percent)		9.00%					9.00%			9.00%
Financing leases and other [Member] | Investments Qualifying for Federal Tax Credits [Member]
Debt
Capital obligations	$ 140

Leases (Detail)

Leases (Detail)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019
Minimum [Member]
Leases
Renewal term	1 year
Maximum [Member]
Leases
Renewal term	10 years

Leases - Balance sheet (Detail)

Leases - Balance sheet (Detail) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)
Assets
Operating leases	$ 461
Operating right of use asset extensible list	us-gaap:OtherAssetsCurrent
Financing lease	$ 345
Financing Lease, right of use asset extensible list	us-gaap:PropertyPlantAndEquipmentNet
Total leased assets	$ 806
Liabilities
Operating, current	$ 91
Operating Lease, Liability current extensible list	us-gaap:AccruedLiabilitiesCurrent
Financing, current	$ 33
Financing Lease, Liability current extensible list	us-gaap:DebtCurrent
Operating, non current	$ 387
Operating lease, liability noncurrent extensible list	us-gaap:OtherLiabilitiesNoncurrent
Financing, non current	$ 293
Financing lease, liability noncurrent extensible list	us-gaap:LongTermDebtAndCapitalLeaseObligations
Total lease liabilities	$ 804

Leases - Expense (Detail)

Leases - Expense (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019
Leases
Operating lease cost	$ 32	$ 104
Finance lease cost	$ 11	$ 36

Leases - Maturities (Detail)

Leases - Maturities (Detail) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)
Operating
2019 (excluding nine months ended September 30, 2019)	$ 22
2020	65
2021	59
2022	59
2023	51
Thereafter	416
Total lease payments	672
Less: interest	(194)
Discounted lease liabilities	478
Financing
2019 (excluding six months ended June 30, 2019)	12
2020	42
2021	40
2022	39
2023	38
Thereafter	273
Total lease payments	444
Less: interest	(118)
Discounted lease liabilities	$ 326

Leases - Cash flow (Detail)

Leases - Cash flow (Detail) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)
Operating cash flows from operating leases
Operating cash flows from operating leases	$ 66
Financing cash flows from finance leases	27
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for operating lease obligations	146
Right-of-use assets obtained in exchange for financing leases obligations	$ 114

Leases - Other (Detail)

Leases - Other (Detail)	Sep. 30, 2019
Leases
Weighted-average remaining lease term for operating lease	16 years
Weighted-average remaining lease term for financing lease	14 years
Weighted-average discount rate for operating lease	3.51%
Weighted-average discount rate for financing lease	4.09%

Income Taxes - Quarter informat

Income Taxes - Quarter information (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Aug. 28, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018
Income Taxes
Effective tax rate of income (loss) before income taxes			19.40%		16.60%	22.20%	18.90%
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities			$ 14		$ 9	$ 39	$ 29
Excess tax benefits associated with equity-based compensation			5		3	22	15
Increase (decrease) to accruals and related deferred taxes			13		27	13	35
Net reduction in income tax expense due to Tax Cuts and Jobs Act		$ (12)
Tax audit settlement								$ (33)
Investment impairment				$ 52
Landfill [Member]
Income Taxes
Asset impairments					29
Investments Qualifying for Federal Tax Credits [Member]
Income Taxes
Investment consideration	$ 160
Capital obligations	140
Payment to acquire investment	$ 20
Equity in net losses of unconsolidated entities			11		5	32	17
Income tax (expense) benefit, including tax credits, from equity method investment			36		$ 18	69	$ 40
Interest expense recognized			$ 2			$ 6

Earnings Per Share (Detail)

Earnings Per Share (Detail) - shares shares in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Earnings Per Share
Number of common shares outstanding at end of period	424.2	427.1	424.2	427.1
Effect of using weighted average common shares outstanding	0.3	0.8		3.2
Net reduction, Effect of using weighted average common shares outstanding			0.4
Weighted average basic common shares outstanding	424.5	427.9	424.6	430.3
Dilutive effect of equity-based compensation awards and other contingently issuable shares	2.9	2.9	2.8	2.9
Weighted average diluted common shares outstanding	427.4	430.8	427.4	433.2
Potentially issuable shares	6.8	7.6	6.8	7.6
Number of anti-dilutive potentially issuable shares excluded from diluted common shares outstanding	0.7	1.5	0.7	1.5

Commitments and Contingencies -

Commitments and Contingencies - Quarter (Details)	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)siteitem	Dec. 31, 2018USD ($)
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Approximate number of homeowners' properties adjacent to or near certain of our landfills with agreements guaranteeing market value | item	850
Number of landfills adjacent to or near homeowners' properties with agreements guaranteeing market value | item	18
Environmental remediation reasonably possible additional losses high estimate	$ 145,000,000
Environmental remediation liabilities	$ 239,000,000
Number of sites listed on the EPA's NPL for which we have been notified we are a PRP | site	75
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	60
Dollar threshold for environmental matters requiring disclosure under item 103 of the SEC's Regulation S-K	$ 100,000
Approximate percentage of workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements	20.00%
Expected time of completion of IRS audits	18 months
San Jacinto Waste Pits [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Environmental remediation liabilities	$ 56,000,000	$ 55,000,000
Wheelabrator [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Maximum future payments	57,000,000
Revolving Credit Facility [Member]
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items]
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity	$ 2,750,000,000

Segment and Related Informati_3

Segment and Related Information - Information (Detail) - Solid Waste [Member]	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019segmentarea
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Number of areas | area	17
Number of reportable segments | segment	3

Segment and Related Informati_4

Segment and Related Information - Summary (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	$ 3,967	$ 3,822	$ 11,609	$ 11,072
Income from operations	734	699	2,051	2,022
Operating Group Total [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	3,967	3,822	11,609	11,072
Income from operations	900	834	2,576	2,433
Solid Waste [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	3,411	3,238	9,946	9,378
Income from operations	936	849	2,700	2,458
Tier 1 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	1,310	1,229	3,835	3,577
Income from operations	432	416	1,258	1,176
Tier 2 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	579	544	1,670	1,586
Income from operations	153	142	437	405
Tier 3 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	1,522	1,465	4,441	4,215
Income from operations	351	291	1,005	877
Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	556	584	1,663	1,694
Income from operations	(36)	(15)	(124)	(25)
Operating Segments [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	4,804	4,624	14,036	13,387
Operating Segments [Member] | Operating Group Total [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	4,804	4,624	14,036	13,387
Operating Segments [Member] | Solid Waste [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	4,215	3,995	12,279	11,538
Operating Segments [Member] | Tier 1 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	1,610	1,506	4,704	4,364
Operating Segments [Member] | Tier 2 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	714	671	2,060	1,947
Operating Segments [Member] | Tier 3 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	1,891	1,818	5,515	5,227
Operating Segments [Member] | Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	589	629	1,757	1,849
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(837)	(802)	(2,427)	(2,315)
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member] | Operating Group Total [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(837)	(802)	(2,427)	(2,315)
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member] | Solid Waste [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(804)	(757)	(2,333)	(2,160)
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member] | Tier 1 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(300)	(277)	(869)	(787)
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member] | Tier 2 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(135)	(127)	(390)	(361)
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member] | Tier 3 [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(369)	(353)	(1,074)	(1,012)
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member] | Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Operating revenues	(33)	(45)	(94)	(155)
Corporate and Other [Member]
Segment Reporting Information [Line Items]
Income from operations	$ (166)	$ (135)	$ (525)	$ (411)

Segment and Related Informati_5

Segment and Related Information - Revenues mix (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Operating revenues	$ 3,967	$ 3,822	$ 11,609	$ 11,072
Operating Segments [Member]
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Operating revenues	4,804	4,624	14,036	13,387
Operating Segments [Member] | Collection [Member]
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Operating revenues	2,626	2,486	7,654	7,234
Operating Segments [Member] | Commercial [Member]
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Operating revenues	1,069	1,007	3,147	2,948
Operating Segments [Member] | Residential [Member]
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Operating revenues	661	639	1,956	1,885
Operating Segments [Member] | Industrial [Member]
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Operating revenues	766	723	2,190	2,068
Operating Segments [Member] | Other Collection [Member]
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Operating revenues	130	117	361	333
Operating Segments [Member] | Landfill [Member]
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Operating revenues	993	926	2,880	2,646
Operating Segments [Member] | Transfer [Member]
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Operating revenues	471	445	1,357	1,257
Operating Segments [Member] | Recycling [Member]
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Operating revenues	245	337	800	954
Operating Segments [Member] | Other Revenue [Member]
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Operating revenues	469	430	1,345	1,296
Intercompany Operating Revenues [Member]
Revenue from External Customer [Line Items]
Operating revenues	$ (837)	$ (802)	$ (2,427)	$ (2,315)

Acquisitions (Detail)

Acquisitions (Detail) $ / shares in Units, $ in Billions	Apr. 14, 2019USD ($)item$ / shares	Mar. 08, 2019item	Jun. 28, 2019
Advanced Disposal Services [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Price per share | $ / shares	$ 33.15
Total enterprise value | $	$ 4.9
Advanced Disposal's net debt | $	$ 1.9
Number of collection operations	95
Number of transfer stations	73
Number of landfills	41
Number of owned or operated recycling facilities	22
Merger approval percentage			85.90%
Petro Waste Environmental [Member]
Business Acquisition [Line Items]
Number of landfills		7

Asset Impairments and Unusual_2

Asset Impairments and Unusual Items (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended			9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Divestitures
(Gain) loss from divestitures, asset impairments and unusual items, net	$ 1		$ 28	$ 8	$ (14)
Investment impairment		$ 52
Landfill [Member]
Divestitures
Asset impairments			$ 29
Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member]
Divestitures
(Gain) loss from divestitures, asset impairments and unusual items, net					(14)
Gain (loss) on sale of assets					$ 43

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_3

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss - Changes (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
AOCI roll forward
Beginning balance	$ 6,467	$ 6,056	$ 6,276	$ 6,042
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(11)	33	54	(19)
Ending balance	6,787	6,241	6,787	6,241
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss [Member]
AOCI roll forward
Beginning balance	(22)	(49)	(87)	8
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax			49
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, net of tax			5
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	(11)	33	54	(19)
Ending balance	(33)	$ (16)	(33)	$ (16)
Derivative Instruments [Member]
AOCI roll forward
Beginning balance			(32)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, net of tax			6
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax			6
Ending balance	(26)		(26)
Derivative Instruments [Member] | Foreign Currency Derivatives [Member]
AOCI roll forward
Outstanding derivatives	0		0
Available for sale Securities [Member]
AOCI roll forward
Beginning balance			23
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax			13
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax			13
Ending balance	36		36
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments [Member]
AOCI roll forward
Beginning balance			(76)
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, net of tax			36
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax			36
Ending balance	(40)		(40)
Post - Retirement Benefit Obligation [Member]
AOCI roll forward
Beginning balance			(2)
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, net of tax			(1)
Other comprehensive income (loss), net of tax			(1)
Ending balance	$ (3)		$ (3)

Accumulated Other Comprehensi_4

Accumulated Other Comprehensive Loss - Tax Impact (Detail) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019USD ($)
Derivative Instruments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, tax	$ 0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, tax	2
Available for sale Securities [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, tax	4
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, tax	0
Foreign Currency Translation Adjustments [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, tax	0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, tax	0
Post - Retirement Benefit Obligation [Member]
Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (Loss) [Line Items]
Other comprehensive income (loss) before reclassifications, tax	0
Amounts reclassified from accumulated other comprehensive (income) loss, tax	$ 0

Common Stock Repurchase Progr_2

Common Stock Repurchase Program (Detail) - USD ($) $ / shares in Units, shares in Millions, $ in Millions	1 Months Ended			3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	May 31, 2019	Jan. 31, 2019	Mar. 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Accelerated Share Repurchases [Line Items]
Cash paid for repurchase of common stock						$ 248	$ 750
Total repurchases					$ 200	244	$ 750
Authorized share repurchases	$ 1,300					$ 1,300		$ 1,500	$ 1,250
10b5-1 Plan [Member]
Accelerated Share Repurchases [Line Items]
Cash paid for repurchase of common stock			$ 4
Shares repurchased (in shares)				0.7
Total repurchases				$ 64
Weighted average per share purchase price				$ 94.35
Accelerated Share Repurchase Agreement (ASR) [Member]
Accelerated Share Repurchases [Line Items]
Cash paid for repurchase of common stock		$ 180
Shares repurchased (in shares)	0.3	1.3
Weighted average per share purchase price	$ 114.76
Authorized share repurchases		$ 180
Stock price (in dollars per share)		$ 109.59

Fair Value Measurements - Recur

Fair Value Measurements - Recurring (Detail) - Fair Value, Measurements, Recurring [Member] - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Total assets	$ 3,319	$ 424
Quoted Prices in Active Markets (Level 1) [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Money market funds	2,918	70
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	2,918	70
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments	352	288
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]
Investments	352	288
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments	49	66
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Redeemable Preferred Stock [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments	49	$ 66
Significant Unobservable Inputs (Level 3) [Member] | Redeemable Preferred Stock [Member] | Disposed of by Sale, Not Discontinued Operations [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Investments	20
Redemption of preferred stock	17
Loss on investment	$ 3

Fair Value Measurements - Debt

Fair Value Measurements - Debt (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Billions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Net borrowings	$ 3.1
Reported Value Measurement [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of Debt	13.4	$ 10
Significant Other Observable Inputs (Level 2) [Member] | Estimate of Fair Value Measurement [Member]
Fair Value, Assets and Liabilities Measured on Recurring and Nonrecurring Basis [Line Items]
Fair value of Debt	$ 14.6	$ 10.1

Variable Interest Entities (Det

Variable Interest Entities (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018
Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Other Receivables Investments in Unconsolidated Entities and Other Assets [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Aggregate investment balance	$ 97	$ 92
Investments Qualifying for Federal Tax Credits [Member] | Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Aggregate investment balance	321	189
Investment In Low Income Housing Properties [Member] | Variable Interest Entity, Not Primary Beneficiary [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Equity method investments debt balance	278	151
Trust For Final Capping, Closure, Post-closure Or Environmental Remediation Obligations [Member] | Variable Interest Entity, Primary Beneficiary [Member] | Long-term other assets [Member]
Variable Interest Entity [Line Items]
Value of consolidated VIEs	$ 108	$ 103

Condensed Consolidating Finan_3

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Balance Sheets (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	Sep. 30, 2019	Jun. 30, 2019	Dec. 31, 2018	Sep. 30, 2018	Jun. 30, 2018	Dec. 31, 2017
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	$ 2,915		$ 61	$ 83
Other current assets	2,645		2,584
Total current assets	5,560		2,645
Property and equipment, net	12,805		11,942
Other assets	8,744		8,063
Total assets	27,109		22,650
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	211		432
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	2,778		2,676
Total current liabilities	2,989		3,108
Long-term debt, less current portion	13,147		9,594
Other liabilities	4,186		3,672
Total liabilities	20,322		16,374
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	6,785		6,275
Noncontrolling interests	2		1
Total equity	6,787	$ 6,467	6,276	$ 6,241	$ 6,056	$ 6,042
Total liabilities and equity	27,109		22,650
Eliminations [Member]
Current assets:
Other current assets	(46)
Total current assets	(46)
Investments in affiliates	(52,307)		(49,773)
Advances to affiliates	(17,930)		(17,258)
Total assets	(70,283)		(67,031)
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	(46)
Total current liabilities	(46)
Due to affiliates	(24,936)		(24,253)
Total liabilities	(24,982)		(24,253)
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	(52,307)		(49,773)
Advances to affiliates	7,006		6,995
Total equity	(45,301)		(42,778)
Total liabilities and equity	(70,283)		(67,031)
WM [Member] | Reportable Legal Entities [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	2,863
Other current assets	48		2
Total current assets	2,911		2
Investments in affiliates	25,940		24,676
Other assets	5		8
Total assets	28,856		24,686
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	14		258
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	113		82
Total current liabilities	127		340
Long-term debt, less current portion	10,611		7,377
Due to affiliates	18,039		17,398
Other liabilities	3		5
Total liabilities	28,780		25,120
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	6,785		6,275
Advances to affiliates	(6,709)		(6,709)
Total equity	76		(434)
Total liabilities and equity	28,856		24,686
WM Holdings [Member] | Reportable Legal Entities [Member]
Current assets:
Other current assets	4		5
Total current assets	4		5
Investments in affiliates	26,367		25,097
Other assets	10		31
Total assets	26,381		25,133
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	7		9
Total current liabilities	7		9
Long-term debt, less current portion	248		304
Due to affiliates	188		146
Total liabilities	443		459
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	25,938		24,674
Total equity	25,938		24,674
Total liabilities and equity	26,381		25,133
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member] | Reportable Legal Entities [Member]
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents	52		61
Other current assets	2,639		2,577
Total current assets	2,691		2,638
Property and equipment, net	12,805		11,942
Advances to affiliates	17,930		17,258
Other assets	8,729		8,024
Total assets	42,155		39,862
Current liabilities:
Current portion of long-term debt	197		174
Accounts payable and other current liabilities	2,704		2,585
Total current liabilities	2,901		2,759
Long-term debt, less current portion	2,288		1,913
Due to affiliates	6,709		6,709
Other liabilities	4,183		3,667
Total liabilities	16,081		15,048
Equity:
Stockholders' equity	26,369		25,099
Advances to affiliates	(297)		(286)
Noncontrolling interests	2		1
Total equity	26,074		24,814
Total liabilities and equity	$ 42,155		$ 39,862

Condensed Consolidating Finan_4

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Statements of Operations (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	1 Months Ended	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	May 31, 2019	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Operating revenues		$ 3,967	$ 3,822	$ 11,609	$ 11,072
Costs and expenses		3,233	3,123	9,558	9,050
Income from operations		734	699	2,051	2,022
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net		(105)	(93)	(301)	(277)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt	$ (84)	(1)		(85)
Other, net		(13)	(9)	(91)	(28)
Total other income (expense)		(119)	(102)	(477)	(305)
Income before income taxes		615	597	1,574	1,717
Income tax expense (benefit)		120	99	350	325
Consolidated net income		495	498	1,224	1,392
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests			(1)	1	(2)
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.		495	499	1,223	1,394
Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Operating revenues		(45)	(44)	(137)	(132)
Costs and expenses		(45)	(44)	(137)	(132)
Other income (expense):
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax		(1,197)	(1,181)	(3,159)	(3,334)
Other, net		(72)		(72)
Total other income (expense)		(1,269)	(1,181)	(3,231)	(3,334)
Income before income taxes		(1,269)	(1,181)	(3,231)	(3,334)
Consolidated net income		(1,269)	(1,181)	(3,231)	(3,334)
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.		(1,269)	(1,181)	(3,231)	(3,334)
WM [Member] | Reportable Legal Entities [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Costs and expenses		45	44	137	132
Income from operations		(45)	(44)	(137)	(132)
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net		(92)	(78)	(258)	(232)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt				(70)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax		595	589	1,565	1,662
Total other income (expense)		503	511	1,237	1,430
Income before income taxes		458	467	1,100	1,298
Income tax expense (benefit)		(37)	(32)	(123)	(96)
Consolidated net income		495	499	1,223	1,394
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.		495	499	1,223	1,394
WM Holdings [Member] | Reportable Legal Entities [Member]
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net		(5)	(6)	(15)	(15)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt				(14)
Equity in earnings of subsidiaries, net of tax		602	592	1,594	1,672
Other, net		72		68
Total other income (expense)		669	586	1,633	1,657
Income before income taxes		669	586	1,633	1,657
Income tax expense (benefit)		2	(2)	(4)	(4)
Consolidated net income		667	588	1,637	1,661
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.		667	588	1,637	1,661
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member] | Reportable Legal Entities [Member]
Condensed Income Statements, Captions [Line Items]
Operating revenues		4,012	3,866	11,746	11,204
Costs and expenses		3,233	3,123	9,558	9,050
Income from operations		779	743	2,188	2,154
Other income (expense):
Interest expense, net		(8)	(9)	(28)	(30)
Loss on early extinguishment of debt		(1)		(1)
Other, net		(13)	(9)	(87)	(28)
Total other income (expense)		(22)	(18)	(116)	(58)
Income before income taxes		757	725	2,072	2,096
Income tax expense (benefit)		155	133	477	425
Consolidated net income		602	592	1,595	1,671
Less: Net income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests			(1)	1	(2)
Net income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.		$ 602	$ 593	$ 1,594	$ 1,673

Condensed Consolidating Finan_5

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Statements of Comprehensive Income (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	3 Months Ended		9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Condensed Statement Of Income Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	$ 484	$ 531	$ 1,278	$ 1,373
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		(1)	1	(2)
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	484	532	1,277	1,375
Eliminations [Member]
Condensed Statement Of Income Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	(1,269)	(1,181)	(3,231)	(3,334)
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	(1,269)	(1,181)	(3,231)	(3,334)
WM [Member] | Reportable Legal Entities [Member]
Condensed Statement Of Income Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	497	501	1,229	1,400
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	497	501	1,229	1,400
WM Holdings [Member] | Reportable Legal Entities [Member]
Condensed Statement Of Income Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	667	588	1,637	1,661
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	667	588	1,637	1,661
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member] | Reportable Legal Entities [Member]
Condensed Statement Of Income Captions [Line Items]
Comprehensive income	589	623	1,643	1,646
Less: Comprehensive income (loss) attributable to noncontrolling interests		(1)	1	(2)
Comprehensive income attributable to Waste Management, Inc.	$ 589	$ 624	$ 1,642	$ 1,648

Condensed Consolidating Finan_6

Condensed Consolidating Financial Statements - Cash Flows (Detail) - USD ($) $ in Millions	9 Months Ended
	Sep. 30, 2019	Sep. 30, 2018
Condensed Cash Flow Statements Captions [Line Items]
Operating activities	$ 2,852	$ 2,658
Investing activities	(2,096)	(1,506)
Financing activities	2,080	(1,015)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents	1
Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents	2,837	137
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	183	293
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period	3,020	430
WM [Member] | Reportable Legal Entities [Member]
Condensed Cash Flow Statements Captions [Line Items]
Intercompany activity	2,863
Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents	2,863
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period	2,863
Non-Guarantor Subsidiaries [Member] | Reportable Legal Entities [Member]
Condensed Cash Flow Statements Captions [Line Items]
Operating activities	2,852	2,658
Investing activities	(2,096)	(1,506)
Financing activities	2,080	(1,015)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents	1
Intercompany activity	(2,863)
Increase (decrease) in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents	(26)	137
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period	183	293
Cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash and cash equivalents at end of period	$ 157	$ 430