LANSING – In a move to slam the brakes on trash imports from Canada and other states, State Representative Mary Valentine (D-Norton Shores) today voted in support of legislation that will attack the economics of the trash trade by increasing the state's paltry dumping charge from 21 cents to $7.50 per ton. Michigan's dumping charge will now be the highest in the region, forcing Canada and other states to dump their trash elsewhere.
"Michigan's land, air and water are part of our heritage and play a vital role in our state's economy," Valentine said. "This plan will help us safeguard the quality of our natural resources for generations to come. This will help prevent Michigan from becoming the nation's dumping ground."
According to the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality, Canada and other states dumped 6.3 million tons of trash in our state in 2006, up from 6.2 million tons in 2005. Canadian and out-of-state trash now accounts for more than 30 percent of total waste landfilled in Michigan. In 1996, Canada and other states dumped 1.9 million tons of trash, about 13 percent of trash in Michigan.
Trash trucks from Canada and other states harm Michigan's roads and threaten the safety of our motorists. They have been caught with radioactive medical waste, illegal drugs and biomedical human waste. They also have been involved in many accidents, including dumping human sewage in the middle of communities.
At 21 cents per ton, Michigan currently has the lowest dumping charge of any state in the Great Lakes region. This low dumping charge acts as a magnet for Canadian and out-of-state trash. Garbage from Canada, Ohio, Indiana, Wisconsin and as far away as New Jersey and Florida comes to Michigan so companies can cash in on bargain-basement disposal rates.
"Folks dump here for one reason and one reason alone: We're cheap," Valentine said. "Other states have seen dramatic drops in imported trash after increasing their dumping fees. It can work for Michigan, too."