Joint hearings of the State House Land Use and Environment Committee and the Senate Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee produced testimony this spring on bills to address the rising levels of trash imported for disposal in Michigan. The bills fall into three categories:

Standards-based ban-Legislation to prohibit waste from Canada and other states that fail to meet Michigan's public health protections and environmental standards. For instance, Michigan recycles used motor oil and car batteries because of the contamination risk posed to groundwater and the Great Lakes ecosystem, but some states shipping waste here do not ban the same materials from trash. Legislation has also been introduced to ban beverage containers that Michigan residents sort through our bottle deposit law.

Dumping fees-Rep. Jerry Kooiman (R-Grand Rapids) introduced legislation (HB 4152) that would place a $3 per ton fee on the dumping of solid waste in Michigan. One reason Michigan is such an attractive dumping ground is that it's cheap. Other states impose a surcharge to make their states less attractive dumping grounds for imported garbage and to fund local recycling programs.

Capacity reduction-Another reason Michigan's rates are low is due to an excess amount of landfill capacity. The excess capacity has grown over the past decade due to state policies that subsidize landfill expansion, override local decisions to deny expansion requests and reduce costs on Michigan landfill operators. Legislation to reverse these practices is being considered.

MEC is a member of the Don't Trash Michigan coalition, over 24 organizations dedicated to solving the out-of-state and Canadian waste problem in Michigan. The coalition is made up of environmental groups, labor union locals, women's organizations and faith organizations.

Don't Trash Michigan continues to encourage lawmakers to build bipartisanship to solve the problem, but warned those who would put the waste industry ahead of Michigan's environment.

"Over 80% of the public supports strong measures to stop Michigan from continuing to be the region's dumping ground," said Mike Garfield, coordinator of the Ann Arbor-based Ecology Center. "This is a stronger showing than opposition to Great Lakes oil drilling. Legislators should listen."