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Commitments and Contingencies - Additional information (Detail) | 3 Months Ended | 12 Months Ended |
--- | --- | --- | ---
Jun. 30, 2015 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2016 USD ($) site Landfill Homeowners | Dec. 31, 2015 USD ($) | Dec. 31, 2014 USD ($) | Mar. 31, 2016 USD ($)
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |
Maximum self insurance exposures per incident under general liability insurance program |  | $ 2,500,000 |  |  |
Maximum self insurance exposures per incident under workers' compensation insurance program |  | 5,000,000 |  |  |
Per incident base deductible under auto liability insurance program |  | 5,000,000 |  |  |
Per incident additional deductible under auto liability insurance |  | 4,800,000 |  |  |
Low end of layer subject to additional deductibles of auto liability insurance |  | 5,000,000 |  |  |
High end of layer subject to additional deductible of auto liability insurance |  | 10,000,000 |  |  |
Rental expense |  | 125,000,000 | $ 140,000,000 | $ 159,000,000 |
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2017 |  | 109,000,000 |  |  |
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2018 |  | 90,000,000 |  |  |
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2019 |  | 73,000,000 |  |  |
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2020 |  | 62,000,000 |  |  |
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases in 2021 |  | 44,000,000 |  |  |
Minimum contractual payments for operating leases thereafter |  | 306,000,000 |  |  |
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2017 |  | 179,000,000 |  |  |
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2018 |  | 149,000,000 |  |  |
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2019 |  | 112,000,000 |  |  |
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2020 |  | 92,000,000 |  |  |
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in 2021 |  | 88,000,000 |  |  |
Estimated minimum purchase obligation in thereafter |  | 336,000,000 |  |  |
Maximum future payments regarding guarantees of unconsolidated entities financial obligations |  | $ 6,000,000 |  |  |
Approximate number of homeowners' properties adjacent to or near certain of our landfills with agreements guaranteeing market value | Homeowners |  | 850 |  |  |
Number of landfills adjacent to or near homeowners' properties with agreements guaranteeing market value | Landfill |  | 22 |  |  |
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 |  |  |
Increase in cost estimate associated with environmental remediation liability |  | $ 44,000,000 |  |  |
Approximate percentage of workforce covered by collective bargaining agreements |  | 20.00% |  |  |
Withdrawal from Multiemployer Pension Plans [Member] |  |  |  |  |
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |
Charge to "Operating" expenses | $ 55,000,000 | $ 0 | 51,000,000 | $ 4,000,000 |
WM's Senior Indebtedness [Member] |  |  |  |  |
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |
Maturity date of senior indebtedness |  | 2045 |  |  |
WM Holdings Senior Indebtedness [Member] |  |  |  |  |
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |
Maturity date of senior indebtedness |  | 2026 |  |  |
Disposal [Member] |  |  |  |  |
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |
Purchase agreements expiring through the period |  | 2052 |  |  |
Waste Paper [Member] |  |  |  |  |
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |
Purchase agreements expiring through the period |  | 2019 |  |  |
Wheelabrator [Member] |  |  |  |  |
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |
Maximum future payments regarding guarantees of unconsolidated entities financial obligations |  | $ 96,000,000 | 106,000,000 |  |
Operational and financial performance obligations, net liability |  | 11,000,000 | $ 13,000,000 |  |
Maximum [Member] |  |  |  |  |
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |
Dollar threshold for environmental matters requiring disclosure under item 103 of the SEC's Regulation S-K |  | 100,000 |  |  |
Domestic Line of Credit [Member] |  |  |  |  |
Commitments And Contingencies [Line Items] |  |  |  |  |
Credit Facility, aggregate capacity |  | $ 2,250,000,000 |  |  | $ 2,250,000,000

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