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The push to pass legislation aimed at reducing the amount of garbage hauled into Michigan may come before voters as soon as this November if House Democrats have their way. The bill, slated to be approved for the November ballot in coming weeks, aims at raising the dumping fee from 21 cents per ton to $7.50 a ton, increasing fines for violators and expanding the landfill ban until 2010. Currently, Michigan offers one of the lowest dumping fees in the country, making the state a prime target for garbage importing.
State Rep. Gary McDowell, D-Rudyard, was on hand on the campus of Lake Superior State University to garner public support for the package on Tuesday, Jan. 10.
"Our legislation will allow voters to speak this November," said McDowell.
McDowell brought along the Trash-O-Meter, which continuously tallies the amount of foreign garbage entering the state. Each day, approximately 400 trucks cross into Michigan from other states, as well as Canada, to take advantage of the cheap dumping fee. In 2005, more than six million tons of garbage entered the state, making Michigan the third largest importer of garbage.
The fight over garbage has heightened since the first of the year, which also marked the expiration of the landfill expansion ban that had been in place for two years.
McDowell expressed concern that the number of landfills across the state will increase as one-third of the garbage being placed in Michigan's landfills is foreign.
"We are filling up our landfills with other people's garbage," he said. "We have to attack the economics of it."
The raise in dumping fees is not expected to be passed onto consumers. If the cost did impact households, it would be an estimated $1 per month according to McDowell.
The money raised from the increased dumping fees would be divided to cover regulation costs for the Department of Environmental Quality to monitor landfills, road repairs, and recycling programs and education.
McDowell is encouraging residents to make their feelings on garbage importation known by writing and calling their local officials.
For more information on the legislation and the amount of trash being brought into the state visit www.trash-o-meter.com
Currently the state accepted more than six million tons of trash in 2005.
