LANSING – Responding to a report from the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality showing that nearly one-third of trash dumped in Michigan comes from Canada and other states, State Representative Fred Miller (D-Mount Clemens) today called for Senate leaders to take action on a tough anti-trash plan that attacks the economics of the trash trade by increasing Michigan's dumping charge.
"By taking action to ensure that Michigan is not a dumping ground for other people's trash, we are protecting our land, air and water for future generations," Miller said. "It's unacceptable that Michigan landfills continue to be flooded with Canadian and out-of-state trash, and I call on my Senate colleagues to pass the anti-trash plan that has been languishing in their chamber for months. We need to come together to show our pride in being the Great Lakes State."
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) today released a report stating that trash imports from Canada and other states accounted for 29 percent of all waste disposed of in Michigan landfills in 2007. The DEQ found that the largest importer of trash into Michigan is Canada – accounting for 19 percent of the total amount of trash dumped in Michigan last year.
Overall, the DEQ report found that the amount of waste that made its way into Michigan landfills in 2007 decreased
slightly from 2006. However, trash imports from states including Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York,
Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Wisconsin increased by
2.52 million tons. Trash imported into Michigan from Pennsylvania showed the most dramatic increase – an
astounding 771 percent.
Last year, the House passed a plan that will significantly reduce the amount of Canadian and out-of-state trash that is imported into Michigan. The anti-trash plan will:
- Raise Michigan's dumping charge from the lowest in the region, attacking the economics of the trash trade and forcing trash exporters to take their waste elsewhere.
- Ban new landfills and strictly limit the expansion of existing landfills until 2012.
- Crack down on jurisdictions that send prohibited waste to Michigan, and make it easier to prosecute and punish repeat offenders with up to $10,000 in fines.
The House plan is currently stalled in the Senate.
A similar plan worked to slash imports in Pennsylvania after the state raised its dumping charge in 2002. In 2001, Pennsylvania took in 12.6 million tons of imported trash; in 2005, that amount plunged to 9.6 million tons. While Pennsylvania is benefiting from increasing its dumping charge, Michigan is seeing even more trash coming in from the Keystone State.
Michigan residents did their part in 2007, with the DEQ reporting that the amount of trash generated by Michigan residents declined by about 4 percent.
The House is also working on a plan to return money from the increased dumping charge – expected to total up to $147 million in the first year – to local communities to pay for roads, fire and police services, and more recycling programs.
"Recycling programs are effective in decreasing the amount of trash our own residents toss into landfills, and by all accounts, Michigan residents are doing their part to keep our state from turning into a dumping ground," Miller said. "But in order to turn around the trash haulers that come from Canada and other states, my House colleagues and I need the Senate to stop their political games. The stakes are high and the time for delay is over – we are fighting for the safety of our communities."