Michigan is the third largest importer of garbage in the nation, ranking behind Virginia and Pennsylvania. Most of the imported garbage comes from Canada, Michigan also receives waste from all the neighboring states and as far as New York.
Michigan has become a hotbed of land in the Midwest. Michigan earned this title in response to its wasteful and cheap dumping of landfills. Michigan charges $10 per ton of garbage, while New York state charges as much as $40. Landfills are a serious environmental threat and the number of landfills will be a great challenge for Michigan government officials.
The Great Lakes region is blessed with large forests and wilderness areas, rich agricultural lands, hundreds of tributaries and thousands of smaller lakes, and large mineral deposits. The region’s glacial history and the huge influx of lakes themselves create unique conditions that support biological diversity, including more than 130 rare species and ecosystems.
The environment supports world-class fishing and various wildlife, such as white-tailed deer, beaver, muskrat, weasel, fox, black bear, bobcat , moose and other beasts of prey. The population of birds thrives in various regions, some migrating south in the winter, others making permanent residences. An estimated 180 species of fish are native to the Great Lake, including small and largemouth bass, muskellunge; northern walleye, lake trout, walleye and lake trout. Rare species making their home in the Great Lakes region include the world’s last known populations of the pearl white felspaw, the red air fish and the Kirtland’s warbler.
The region’s sandy areas, coastal marshes, rocky shores, lake-plain meadows, savannas, forests, marshes, wetlands, and other land features contain features that are either unique or mostly represented in the Great Lakes Basin. For example, the largest freshwater dunes are located along the shores of Lake Michigan.
Over the course of history, many types of pollution have been introduced and reduced in the region, but great challenges remain. These range from threats such as diverting water from the Great Lakes to the introduction of invasive non-native species and air toxins into the basin. Protection of water quality and sustainable development remain long-term goals. Currently, Michigan’s biggest environmental challenge is imported waste dumping.
With such a vast wildlife refuge, one wonders how Michigan became my “safe” state. Municipal waste includes: durable goods, non-durable goods, containers & baggage, food, waste, and uncultivated cemetery. However, other wastes can also be disposed of in municipal landfills, including: municipal sludge, industrial non-hazardous waste, construction. and demolition debris, agricultural waste, oil and gas waste, mining waste, and industrial waste.
The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) estimates the cost of municipal waste disposal at $100 per ton. So the cost of “municipal” waste disposal in the US could be $23.8 billion. This figure does not include the associated costs of wasted resources or the costs of landfills and incinerators on public health and the environment.
Fewer landfills does not mean less waste disposal or capacity. In 1978 there were about 20,000 landfills. By 1988, that number had risen to 5,499. The current figure stands at 3,091. The EPA estimates that as of 2008, only 1,234 landfills are available. In 1997, Americans generated 30,000 tons of municipal waste, which averaged 1,272 tons per person. The recycling rate was 30%, for a total of 238 million tons, or 0.890 tons of waste disposed per person. By comparison, in 1990, Americans generated sixty thousand tons at an average of 1,089 tons per person, 8% recycled, for a total disposal of 247 million tons or 1,002 tons per person.
In early 2004, members of the public and policy makers became very concerned when Toronto began sending 100% of its municipal solid waste, or about 1.1 million tons annually, to the Carleton Farms landfill in Wayne County, Michigan. The disposal of imported waste in Michigan landfills has been an issue since at least the 1980s, when the state passed laws trying to restrict imported waste. Currently, waste imported from other states and Ontario represents about 20% of all solid municipal waste that is disposed of in Michigan landfills.
The volume of this waste raises potential health and environmental hazards, including ground water contamination. Waste that originates from outside of Michigan is of particular concern because it may contain items that are prohibited or smuggled by farmers in this state.
Non-decontaminated medical waste, radioactive medical waste, and marijuana, for example, have been found on waste ships from Canada. Also, the transportation of waste in and through the state can increase pollution, noise, traffic, and deterioration of roads. Many are also concerned about the volume of waste that will ultimately lead to the use of natural resources for new lands. Others fear that imported waste could threaten homeland security if terrorists use the waste to make weapons, explosives, or other dangerous materials. or themselves
What is clear is that some questions remain uncertain and concerns about imported waste persist. These concerns have increased recently, in fact there are reports of up to 1,000 tons of demolition debris being shipped daily from New Jersey to a landfill in Rockwood, Michigan. When the Michigan Legislature and the United States Congress begin new sessions in January, it is likely that some renewed efforts will be made. to address the issues of imported waste and reliance on landfills for waste disposal.
Although Michigan cannot impose legal restrictions that discriminate against the state’s waste disposal unless Congress expressly authorizes the states to do so, many believe that the state can discourage spending here by discouraging the cost of landfill disposal.
