A complete list of all programs within the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE)
Community involvement and public participation are an essential part of EGLE’s mission, vision, and values.
Resources and information on utilizing RRD's data exchange and the Inventory of Facilities.
An interactive map displaying contaminated sites throughout Michigan regulated under Parts 213, 201, and 211.
EGLE's interactive calendar is designed to provide timely information on decisions before the Director, proposed settlements of contested cases, administrative rules promulgation, public hearings, meetings and comment deadlines, and environmental conferences, workshops and training programs.
The Michigan Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) provides all persons (except persons incarcerated in correctional facilities) with access to public records of public bodies. Requests to inspect or receive public records from EGLE must be in writing and describe the requested records with enough detail to enable the department to identify and locate the requested records. Some records are exempt from disclosure under the FOIA or another statute and thus will not be provided. A fee may be charged to process your request. Please note that many records are available that do not require a formal FOIA request.
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Disposing of yard waste, including grass clippings and leaves, in a lake, river, stream, or wetland is harmful to water quality. It adds excessive phosphorus and can deplete the oxygen in the water, which can kill aquatic animals. It can also impair our ability to recreate and harms fish habitat.
Under Michigan’s littering law, disposing of yard waste in the water is a civil infraction that can be ticketed by local law enforcement and is punishable with fines from $800 to $5,000 depending on the circumstances. It is also in a violation of Michigan water pollution control regulations which are enforced by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and is punishable with much higher fines.
EGLE encourages Michigan residents to compost, schedule pick-up with a local waste providers that offer yard waste collection, or find a drop off location for composting yard waste by calling your local municipality, seeing EGLE’s map of registered composters, or searching the Michigan Recycling Directory.
Find out more about composting at Michigan.gov/EGLECompost.
The burning of yard waste is considered open burning and may not be allowed by state and local regulations in your area. The burning of trees, logs, brush, and stumps is allowed as long as it is conducted further than 1,400 feet from the boundary of an incorporated city or village and does not cause a nuisance. The open burning of these materials may require a burn permit. Visit Michigan.gov/BurnPermit to find out if one is required in your area. The open burning of grass clippings and leaves is prohibited in any municipality that has a population of 7,500 or more, unless specifically authorized by a local ordinance, which was submitted to EGLE within 30 days of the enactment.
Local ordinances can be more restrictive than state regulations, so it is important to check with your local unit of government for additional open burning restrictions. Local law enforcement can also ticket for open burning under air pollution and waste regulations implemented by EGLE. Learn more about open burning, including the health and environmental hazards associated with open burning, at Michigan.gov/OpenBurning.
Composting is good for the environment. Unlike landfills that can release methane, a greenhouse gas which contributes to climate change, composting breaks down organic material without releasing methane into the atmosphere.
Find a drop off location for composting yard waste by calling your local municipality, seeing EGLE’s map of registered composters, or searching the Michigan Recycling Directory.
The burning of yard waste is considered open burning and may not be allowed by state and local regulations in your area.
