LANSING – State Representatives Terry Brown (D-Pigeon) and John Espinoza (D-Croswell) today announced that the House passed a landmark landfill moratorium that is part of an aggressive plan to crack down on Canadian and out-of-state trash. The plan limits the expansion of existing landfills and bans new ones.
"Too much is at stake for us to keep letting other states and Canada trash our great state," Brown said. "Rolling up the welcome mat for trucks filled with trash will protect our land, water and air for our children and grandchildren. It's time to stand up and send a clear message: We will not allow Michigan to be treated as a dumping ground."
The legislation bans new landfills and strictly limits the expansion of existing landfills until 2012. An existing landfill could expand only if it falls to less than three years of remaining capacity. The maximum expansion allowed would be eight years of new capacity. The state has an estimated 18 years of disposal capacity remaining.
The House last month voted to attack the economics of the waste trade by increasing the state's dumping charge from 21 cents per ton to $7.50.
Canadian and out-of-state trash accounts for more than 30 percent of the waste dumped into Michigan's landfills. Canada and other states dumped 6.3 million tons of trash in our state in 2006, according to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality.
"The endless trash trucks coming in to Michigan are spoiling our natural resources, putting our citizens at risk and tearing up our roads," said Espinoza, whose district includes the Blue Water Bridge, a main entry point for Canadian trash. "I will not allow our communities to bear the burden of other people's garbage. We have to protect our landfills to protect our state. I urge my colleagues in the Senate to act quickly on this legislation so we can stop the trashing of Michigan."