Michigan lawmakers sent a message to Toronto saying “Michigan doesn’t want your trash.”
The letter addressed to the Canadian neighbors asked Toronto city officials to reconsider solving the city’s trash problem at the expense of Michigan’s environment, economy, public health and safety.
About 180 Canadian trucks carry trash across Michigan-Canada border crossings each day, said Matt Resch, a spokesman for Lt. Gov. Dick Posthumus.
“We asked them to look at domestic options that they can have in Canada,” Resch said. “There are options they can use in Canada and Ontario.”
Resch said the truck imports cause borders to clog, which is especially worrisome following additional security procedures instituted after Sept. 11.
“Clearly, that causes major congestion,” Resch said. “It keeps customs agents from focusing on other things.”
Posthumus asked Congress to institute legislation that would limit out-of-state waste imports.
“The U.S. Constitution does have the Commerce Clause, and it doesn’t give the states the authority to negotiate trading,” said Resch, adding that trash is considered a commodity stored in privately owned landfills.
Toronto’s Works Committee is expected to recommend an option in its contract with Wayne County’s Republic’s Carleton Farms Landfill to increase the amount of trash transported to Michigan, Resch said.
“The primary problem is that it eats up landfill space,” said Ken Silfven, a spokesman for the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality. “It takes away from the capacity that we have for our own trash.
“It adds up.”
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality shows imported waste increased by 80 percent from 1999 to 2000 to a record level of more than 4.2 million cubic yards. The recommendation could increase trash imports by .9 million cubic yards.
“In the overall scheme of things, there isn’t a huge environmental impact and it is being properly managed in the landfills,” Silfven said. “But, it eats away at the cap we’ve developed from long-term planning.”
“We encourage Canada to do what we did in developing long-term plans, so they don’t have to export trash all over.”
Agricultural economics Professor Allan Schmid said state businesses accepting exported waste has benefits and a cost.
“The government is voicing its environmental concerns,” he said. “It can go into the category of ‘not in my backyard.’”
Schmid said some communities rely on the landfills to generate jobs and income.
“In a bending economy, there is concern about losing enterprise,” he said. “But if you are an environmentalist, you wouldn’t be impressed by that argument.”
