| Cover | 12 Months Ended |
| Dec. 31, 2022 | |
| Document Information [Line Items] | |
| Document Type | DEF 14A |
| Amendment Flag | false |
| Entity Information [Line Items] | |
| Entity Registrant Name | CASELLA WASTE SYSTEMS, INC. |
| Entity Central Index Key | 0000911177 |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure - USD ($) | 12 Months Ended | ||
| Dec. 31, 2022 | Dec. 31, 2021 | Dec. 31, 2020 | |
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Pay vs Performance [Table Text Block] | Pay Versus Performance The following tables and related disclosures provide information about (i) the “total compensation” of our principal executive officer (the “PEO”) and our other named executive officers (the “Other NEOs”) as presented in the Summary Compensation Table on page 51 (the “SCT Amounts”), (ii) the “compensation actually paid” to our PEO and our Other NEOs, as calculated pursuant to the SEC’s pay-versus-performance This disclosure has been prepared in accordance with Item 402(v) of Regulation S-K Pay Versus Performance Year Summary Compensation Average Non-PEO Average Non-PEO Value of Initial Fixed $ Net Income Adjusted Total Peer Group 2022 4,120,071 2,821,002 1,635,240 1,323,839 172.30 144.53 53,079,000 111,213,000 2021 4,233,954 11,347,919 1,486,919 3,594,795 185.57 153.39 41,100,000 95,332,000 2020 3,794,238 6,590,420 1,538,515 2,506,954 134.59 108.62 91,106,000 69,147,000 (1) For 2022, our PEO was John W. Casella and our Other NEOs were Edmond R. Coletta, Shelley E. Sayward, Paul J. Ligon, Sean M. Steves and Edward D. Johnson. For 2021, our PEO was John W. Casella and our Other NEOs were Edmond R. Coletta, Edwin D. Johnson, Shelley E. Sayward and Christopher B. Heald. For 2020, our PEO was John W. Casella and our Other NEOs were Edmond R. Coletta, Edwin D. Johnson, David L. Schmitt and Christopher B. Heald. (2) The following table describes the adjustments, each of which is prescribed by SEC rules, to calculate the CAP Amounts from the SCT Amounts. The SCT Amounts and the CAP Amounts do not reflect the actual amount of compensation earned by or paid to our executives during the applicable years, but rather are amounts determined in accordance with Item 402 of Regulation S-K Adjustments 2022 ($) 2021 ($) 2020 ($) PEO Other NEOs* PEO Other NEOs* PEO Other NEOs* SCT Amounts 4,120,071 1,635,240 4,233,954 1,486,919 3,794,238 1,538,515 Adjustments for stock and option awards: (Subtract): Aggregate grant date fair value for stock awards and option awards included in SCT Amounts for the covered fiscal year (1,773,790 ) (896,730 ) (1,695,668 ) (553,399 ) (1,788,448 ) (553,280 ) Add: Fair value at year end of awards granted during the covered fiscal year that were outstanding and unvested at the covered fiscal year end 1,830,690 762,758 4,089,090 1,276,680 3,009,341 906,013 Add (Subtract): Change as of the end of the covered fiscal year (from the end of the prior fiscal year) in fair value of awards granted in any prior fiscal year that were outstanding and unvested at the covered fiscal year end (283,935 ) (45,119 ) 3,249,828 889,085 1,175,480 434,167 Add: Vesting date fair value of awards granted and vested during the covered fiscal year — — — — — 24,966 Add (Subtract): Change as of the vesting date (from the end of the prior fiscal year) in fair value of awards granted in any prior fiscal year for which vesting conditions were satisfied during the covered fiscal year (1,072,034 ) (132,310 ) 1,470,715 495,510 399,809 156,573 CAP Amounts (as calculated) 2,821,002 1,323,839 11,347,919 3,594,795 6,590,420 2,506,954 * Amounts presented are averages for the entire group of Other NEOs in each respective year. (3) The companies in our peer group are: GFL Environmental, Inc., Waste Connections Inc., Waste Management, Inc., and Republic Services, Inc. (4) Adjusted Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP | ||
| Company Selected Measure Name | Adjusted Free Cash Flow | ||
| Named Executive Officers, Footnote [Text Block] | For 2022, our PEO was John W. Casella and our Other NEOs were Edmond R. Coletta, Shelley E. Sayward, Paul J. Ligon, Sean M. Steves and Edward D. Johnson. For 2021, our PEO was John W. Casella and our Other NEOs were Edmond R. Coletta, Edwin D. Johnson, Shelley E. Sayward and Christopher B. Heald. For 2020, our PEO was John W. Casella and our Other NEOs were Edmond R. Coletta, Edwin D. Johnson, David L. Schmitt and Christopher B. Heald. | ||
| Peer Group Issuers, Footnote [Text Block] | The companies in our peer group are: GFL Environmental, Inc., Waste Connections Inc., Waste Management, Inc., and Republic Services, Inc. | ||
| PEO Total Compensation Amount | $ 4,120,071 | $ 4,233,954 | $ 3,794,238 |
| PEO Actually Paid Compensation Amount | $ 2,821,002 | 11,347,919 | 6,590,420 |
| Adjustment To PEO Compensation, Footnote [Text Block] | (2) The following table describes the adjustments, each of which is prescribed by SEC rules, to calculate the CAP Amounts from the SCT Amounts. The SCT Amounts and the CAP Amounts do not reflect the actual amount of compensation earned by or paid to our executives during the applicable years, but rather are amounts determined in accordance with Item 402 of Regulation S-K Adjustments 2022 ($) 2021 ($) 2020 ($) PEO Other NEOs* PEO Other NEOs* PEO Other NEOs* SCT Amounts 4,120,071 1,635,240 4,233,954 1,486,919 3,794,238 1,538,515 Adjustments for stock and option awards: (Subtract): Aggregate grant date fair value for stock awards and option awards included in SCT Amounts for the covered fiscal year (1,773,790 ) (896,730 ) (1,695,668 ) (553,399 ) (1,788,448 ) (553,280 ) Add: Fair value at year end of awards granted during the covered fiscal year that were outstanding and unvested at the covered fiscal year end 1,830,690 762,758 4,089,090 1,276,680 3,009,341 906,013 Add (Subtract): Change as of the end of the covered fiscal year (from the end of the prior fiscal year) in fair value of awards granted in any prior fiscal year that were outstanding and unvested at the covered fiscal year end (283,935 ) (45,119 ) 3,249,828 889,085 1,175,480 434,167 Add: Vesting date fair value of awards granted and vested during the covered fiscal year — — — — — 24,966 Add (Subtract): Change as of the vesting date (from the end of the prior fiscal year) in fair value of awards granted in any prior fiscal year for which vesting conditions were satisfied during the covered fiscal year (1,072,034 ) (132,310 ) 1,470,715 495,510 399,809 156,573 CAP Amounts (as calculated) 2,821,002 1,323,839 11,347,919 3,594,795 6,590,420 2,506,954 * Amounts presented are averages for the entire group of Other NEOs in each respective year. | ||
| Non-PEO NEO Average Total Compensation Amount | $ 1,635,240 | 1,486,919 | 1,538,515 |
| Non-PEO NEO Average Compensation Actually Paid Amount | $ 1,323,839 | 3,594,795 | 2,506,954 |
| Adjustment to Non-PEO NEO Compensation Footnote [Text Block] | (2) The following table describes the adjustments, each of which is prescribed by SEC rules, to calculate the CAP Amounts from the SCT Amounts. The SCT Amounts and the CAP Amounts do not reflect the actual amount of compensation earned by or paid to our executives during the applicable years, but rather are amounts determined in accordance with Item 402 of Regulation S-K Adjustments 2022 ($) 2021 ($) 2020 ($) PEO Other NEOs* PEO Other NEOs* PEO Other NEOs* SCT Amounts 4,120,071 1,635,240 4,233,954 1,486,919 3,794,238 1,538,515 Adjustments for stock and option awards: (Subtract): Aggregate grant date fair value for stock awards and option awards included in SCT Amounts for the covered fiscal year (1,773,790 ) (896,730 ) (1,695,668 ) (553,399 ) (1,788,448 ) (553,280 ) Add: Fair value at year end of awards granted during the covered fiscal year that were outstanding and unvested at the covered fiscal year end 1,830,690 762,758 4,089,090 1,276,680 3,009,341 906,013 Add (Subtract): Change as of the end of the covered fiscal year (from the end of the prior fiscal year) in fair value of awards granted in any prior fiscal year that were outstanding and unvested at the covered fiscal year end (283,935 ) (45,119 ) 3,249,828 889,085 1,175,480 434,167 Add: Vesting date fair value of awards granted and vested during the covered fiscal year — — — — — 24,966 Add (Subtract): Change as of the vesting date (from the end of the prior fiscal year) in fair value of awards granted in any prior fiscal year for which vesting conditions were satisfied during the covered fiscal year (1,072,034 ) (132,310 ) 1,470,715 495,510 399,809 156,573 CAP Amounts (as calculated) 2,821,002 1,323,839 11,347,919 3,594,795 6,590,420 2,506,954 * Amounts presented are averages for the entire group of Other NEOs in each respective year. | ||
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Total Shareholder Return [Text Block] | CAP VERSUS COMPANY TSR AND PEER GROUP TSR | ||
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Net Income [Text Block] | CAP VERSUS NET INCOME | ||
| Compensation Actually Paid vs. Company Selected Measure [Text Block] | CAP VERSUS ADJUSTED FREE CASH FLOW | ||
| Total Shareholder Return Vs Peer Group [Text Block] | CAP VERSUS COMPANY TSR AND PEER GROUP TSR | ||
| Tabular List [Table Text Block] | The following table lists the three financial performance measures that, in our assessment, represent the most important performance measures we use to link the CAP Amounts for our named executive officers for 2022 (our most recently completed fiscal year), to company performance. Of these measures, we have identified Adjusted Free Cash Flow as the most important of our financial performance measures (that is not already required to be disclosed in the pay versus performance table above) used to link CAP Amounts for our executives for 2022 to company performance. Adjusted Free Cash Flow* Adjusted Operating Income* Adjusted EBITDA* * Adjusted Free Cash Flow, Adjusted Operating Income and Adjusted EBITDA are non-GAAP non-GAAP non-GAAP | ||
| Total Shareholder Return Amount | $ 172.3 | 185.57 | 134.59 |
| Peer Group Total Shareholder Return Amount | 144.53 | 153.39 | 108.62 |
| Net Income (Loss) | $ 53,079,000 | $ 41,100,000 | $ 91,106,000 |
| Company Selected Measure Amount | 111,213,000 | 95,332,000 | 69,147,000 |
| PEO Name | John W. Casella | ||
| Measure [Axis]: 1 | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Measure Name | Adjusted Free Cash Flow | ||
| Non-GAAP Measure Description [Text Block] | Adjusted Free Cash Flow is a non-GAAP | ||
| Measure [Axis]: 2 | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Measure Name | Adjusted Operating Income | ||
| Measure [Axis]: 3 | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Measure Name | Adjusted EBITDA | ||
| PEO [Member] | Aggregate Grant Date Fair Value For Stock Awards And Option Awards Included In SCT Amounts For The Covered Fiscal Year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | $ (1,773,790) | $ (1,695,668) | $ (1,788,448) |
| PEO [Member] | Fair Value At Year End Of Awards Granted During The Covered Fiscal Year That Were Outstanding And Unvested At The Covered Fiscal Year End [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 1,830,690 | 4,089,090 | 3,009,341 |
| PEO [Member] | Change As Of The End Of The Covered Fiscal Year From The End Of The Prior Fiscal Year In Fair Value Of Awards Granted In Any Prior Fiscal Year That Were Outstanding And Unvested At The Covered Fiscal Year End [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (283,935) | 3,249,828 | 1,175,480 |
| PEO [Member] | Change As Of The Vesting Date From The End Of The Prior Fiscal Year In Fair Value Of Awards Granted In Any Prior Fiscal Year For Which Vesting Conditions Were Satisfied During The Covered Fiscal Year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (1,072,034) | 1,470,715 | 399,809 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Aggregate Grant Date Fair Value For Stock Awards And Option Awards Included In SCT Amounts For The Covered Fiscal Year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (896,730) | (553,399) | (553,280) |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Fair Value At Year End Of Awards Granted During The Covered Fiscal Year That Were Outstanding And Unvested At The Covered Fiscal Year End [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 762,758 | 1,276,680 | 906,013 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Change As Of The End Of The Covered Fiscal Year From The End Of The Prior Fiscal Year In Fair Value Of Awards Granted In Any Prior Fiscal Year That Were Outstanding And Unvested At The Covered Fiscal Year End [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | (45,119) | 889,085 | 434,167 |
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Vesting Date Fair Value Of Awards Granted And Vested During The Covered Fiscal Year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | 24,966 | ||
| Non-PEO NEO [Member] | Change As Of The Vesting Date From The End Of The Prior Fiscal Year In Fair Value Of Awards Granted In Any Prior Fiscal Year For Which Vesting Conditions Were Satisfied During The Covered Fiscal Year [Member] | |||
| Pay vs Performance Disclosure [Table] | |||
| Adjustment to Compensation Amount | $ (132,310) | $ 495,510 | $ 156,573 |
