January 31, 2008

A report released today by the Department of Environmental Quality shows that the overall amount of waste disposed of in Michigan's landfills decreased over 6% in Fiscal Year 2007; however, imported trash continues to account for 29% of the total amount. The new Report of Solid Waste Landfilled in Michigan documents 58,204,510 cubic yards of solid waste disposed of in Michigan landfills in FY 2007, with the waste generated by Michigan citizens decreasing by 1,802,351 cubic yards, about 4%, and waste imported from other states and Canada decreasing by 1,880,694 cubic yards, about 10 percent. The largest source of waste imports into Michigan continues to be from Canada, equaling about 19 percent of all waste disposed of in Michigan landfills for a total amount of 10,982,984 cubic yards.

Michigan does not currently require comprehensive reporting of the amounts of waste generated, only the amounts of waste disposed of in landfills, making it difficult to determine the reason for the overall decline in landfill disposals in FY 2007. The decreases in both in-state and imported waste disposal are likely due to a number of factors, including current economic conditions and transportation costs, potential changes in recycling rates, landfills reducing disposal amounts, improved data collection and reporting by landfills, changes in landfill disposal contracts, and Ontario's commitment to phase out its exports of municipally-managed solid waste to Michigan.

"The data suggests that we are disposing of less waste, but it does not tell us why that is occurring," said DEQ Director Steven E. Chester. "What is clear is that imported waste continues to make up a significant percentage of our overall waste stream, and that must change."

Based on the capacity used during FY 2007, the reduction of waste disposed, and additional permitted landfill capacity, it is estimated that Michigan landfills have approximately 22 years of remaining disposal capacity.

The specific amounts of waste disposed of in Michigan by the various jurisdictions are:

The DEQ released a stakeholder-driven update to Michigan's Solid Waste Policy in 2007 that provides a framework to guide Michigan toward making smart choices for managing Michigan's solid wastes. The Policy will be used to guide solid waste management decisions and encourage a deliberate and inclusive solid waste management decision-making process. Some of the goals outlined in the Policy include stronger reporting requirements to better understand where waste is generated and where it goes, finding uses for 50 percent of Michigan's municipal solid waste by 2015 and ensuring that all Michigan citizens have convenient access to residential recycling programs by 2012.

Copies of the Annual Report can be requested by phone at 517-241-2924 or are available online at: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/deq/deq-whm-stsw-ReportSolidWasteLandfilledFY2007_223219_7.PDF .

Editor's note: DEQ news releases are available on the department's Internet home page at www.michigan.gov/deq.

"Protecting Michigan's Environment, Ensuring Michigan's Future"

Revised January 31, 2008 by Pat Watson