Basis of Presentation	3 Months Ended
Mar. 31, 2013
Accounting Policies [Abstract]
Basis of Presentation	BASIS OF PRESENTATION Republic Services, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its subsidiaries (referred to collectively as Republic, we, us, our, or the company) is the second largest provider of non-hazardous solid waste collection, transfer, recycling and disposal services in the United States, as measured by revenue. We manage and evaluate our operations through three geographic regions — East, Central, and West, which we have identified as our reportable segments. The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Republic and its wholly owned and majority owned subsidiaries in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). We account for investments in entities in which we do not have a controlling financial interest under either the equity method or cost method of accounting, as appropriate. All material intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation. We have prepared these unaudited consolidated financial statements pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Certain information related to our organization, significant accounting policies and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP has been condensed or omitted. In the opinion of management, these financial statements include all adjustments that, unless otherwise disclosed, are of a normal recurring nature and necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results you can expect for a full year. You should read these financial statements in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. For comparative purposes, certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. All dollar amounts in the tabular presentations are in millions, except per share amounts and unless otherwise noted. Management’s Estimates and Assumptions In preparing our financial statements, we make numerous estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in these financial statements and accompanying notes. We must make these estimates and assumptions because certain information that we use is dependent on future events, cannot be calculated with a high degree of precision from data available or simply cannot be readily calculated based on generally accepted methodologies. In preparing our financial statements, the more critical and subjective areas that deal with the greatest amount of uncertainty relate to our accounting for our long-lived assets, including recoverability, landfill development costs, and final capping, closure and post-closure costs; our valuation allowances for accounts receivable and deferred tax assets; our liabilities for potential litigation, claims and assessments; our liabilities for environmental remediation, employee benefit plans, deferred taxes and uncertain tax positions; our self-insurance reserves; and our estimates of the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in any acquisition. Each of these is discussed in more detail in our description of our significant accounting policies in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. Our actual results may differ significantly from our estimates. New Accounting Pronouncements In February 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an Accounting Standards Update to the Comprehensive Income Topic in the Accounting Standards Codifications. This update requires separate presentation of the components that are reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income either on the face of the financial statements or in the notes to the financial statements. This update also requires companies to disclose the income statement line items impacted by any significant reclassifications, such as the gains and losses on cash flow hedges and defined benefit pension adjustments. These items are required for both interim and annual reporting for public companies and became effective for Republic beginning with the first quarter 2013 Form 10-Q filing.

BASIS OF PRESENTATION

Republic Services, Inc., a Delaware corporation, and its subsidiaries (referred to collectively as Republic, we, us, our, or the company) is the second largest provider of non-hazardous solid waste collection, transfer, recycling and disposal services in the United States, as measured by revenue. We manage and evaluate our operations through three geographic regions — East, Central, and West, which we have identified as our reportable segments.

The accompanying unaudited consolidated financial statements include the accounts of Republic and its wholly owned and majority owned subsidiaries in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America (U.S. GAAP). We account for investments in entities in which we do not have a controlling financial interest under either the equity method or cost method of accounting, as appropriate. All material intercompany accounts and transactions have been eliminated in consolidation.

We have prepared these unaudited consolidated financial statements pursuant to the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). Certain information related to our organization, significant accounting policies and footnote disclosures normally included in financial statements prepared in accordance with U.S. GAAP has been condensed or omitted. In the opinion of management, these financial statements include all adjustments that, unless otherwise disclosed, are of a normal recurring nature and necessary for a fair presentation of the financial position, results of operations and cash flows for the periods presented. Operating results for interim periods are not necessarily indicative of the results you can expect for a full year. You should read these financial statements in conjunction with our audited consolidated financial statements and notes thereto appearing in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012.

For comparative purposes, certain prior year amounts have been reclassified to conform to the current year presentation. All dollar amounts in the tabular presentations are in millions, except per share amounts and unless otherwise noted.

Management’s Estimates and Assumptions

In preparing our financial statements, we make numerous estimates and assumptions that affect the amounts reported in these financial statements and accompanying notes. We must make these estimates and assumptions because certain information that we use is dependent on future events, cannot be calculated with a high degree of precision from data available or simply cannot be readily calculated based on generally accepted methodologies. In preparing our financial statements, the more critical and subjective areas that deal with the greatest amount of uncertainty relate to our accounting for our long-lived assets, including recoverability, landfill development costs, and final capping, closure and post-closure costs; our valuation allowances for accounts receivable and deferred tax assets; our liabilities for potential litigation, claims and assessments; our liabilities for environmental remediation, employee benefit plans, deferred taxes and uncertain tax positions; our self-insurance reserves; and our estimates of the fair values of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in any acquisition. Each of these is discussed in more detail in our description of our significant accounting policies in Note 2, Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, of the Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2012. Our actual results may differ significantly from our estimates.

New Accounting Pronouncements

In February 2013, the Financial Accounting Standards Board issued an Accounting Standards Update to the Comprehensive Income Topic in the Accounting Standards Codifications. This update requires separate presentation of the components that are reclassified out of accumulated other comprehensive income either on the face of the financial statements or in the notes to the financial statements. This update also requires companies to disclose the income statement line items impacted by any significant reclassifications, such as the gains and losses on cash flow hedges and defined benefit pension adjustments. These items are required for both interim and annual reporting for public companies and became effective for Republic beginning with the first quarter 2013 Form 10-Q filing.