How often do you think about trash after you’ve hauled it to the curb? Probably not very often.
There are about 60 different landfills in Michigan and a lot of the trash that fills them comes from outside the state.
It turns out, Michigan is a very popular destination for trash. Michigan imports trash from 14 other states and Canada. Trash from Ohio, Illinois, and as far away as Massachusetts, Idaho, and New Jersey, comes all the way here to be dumped.
Over the past 10 years, state records show that about a quarter of all the trash in Michigan landfills came here from somewhere else. And most of it, about 18% of the trash in Michigan came here from Canada.
Compared with 2023, the amount of Michigan trash in Michigan landfills decreased -- but the amount of trash from outside the state that was dumped here increased. Why? Well, even if you include the expense of transporting trash to Michigan, it’s still cheaper for other places to dump trash here.
Michigan charges 36 cents a ton, but that could change soon. The state wants to make it a lot more expensive for trash companies to dump here. That could free up space for Michigan trash and extend the life our landfills.
Read more: This experiment at a Michigan landfill has residents worried about their health