Here's a list of more sustainable ways Michiganders can get rid of pumpkins after Halloween.

Neighbors complaining about a foul odor lingering in the air around one community on Detroit’s east side are learning a little more information about the possible source of the nauseating stench they’ve been smelling.

An agreement has been reached in a civil rights complaint filed by community members and environmental justice advocates against the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) regarding the department’s disproportionate licensing of hazardous waste facilities in predominantly black and brown, lower-income communities and its approval of an expansion of the U.S. Ecology North hazardous waste facility.

What belongs in a recycling bin and what belongs in a trash can?

Michigan residents recycled at a record rate in 2023, state officials announced Monday.

The township is working with the Washtenaw County Health Department and the Michigan Department of Energy, Great Lakes and Environment (EGLE) to resolve the problem.

Police believe a large amount of cooking oil was intentionally spilled onto the streets of a West Bloomfield Township neighborhood.

An innovative project designed to solve two environmental issues at once has some St. Clair County residents concerned for their health.

A neighborhood in New Baltimore is dreading the next big storm. The neighborhood has been flooded repeatedly, and the residents believe a construction project on a wetlands area right next to their street is to blame.

Elevated levels of some chemicals were found downstream from the release location, but they are not expected to impact humans.

Michigan sends about 2 billion pounds of food waste to landfills every year. One of the goals in the state’s climate plan is to cut that in half by 2030.

Residents in White Lake Township are still looking for answers after an explosion at an oil refinery shook nearby homes Friday, Nov. 24.

Councilwoman Latisha Johnson, who represents the area, says her office constantly gets complaint calls.

Detroit City Council Member Mary Waters sent Governor Gretchen Whitmer a letter asking her to rescind a permit issued by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy that she believes could result in the release of raw sewage into the Detroit River from Grosse Pointe Park.

Some Metro Detroiters are expressing their anger as a permit approval will allow Grosse Pointe Park to dump waste into the Detroit River.

State officials did not address a complaint a resident had filed against a developer in Huron Township who was cutting down trees in a wetland area.

City of Ann Arbor officials announced on Wednesday that the overflow was caused by a sewer pipe blockage made up of gravel and dirt from a collapsed sewer pipe.

Washtenaw County residents can drop items off at the county's Home Toxics Center to divert harmful household materials from entering landfills.

The wave of public electric transportation in Michigan has made its way up north to Mackinac Island.

A plastics manufacturer reached an agreement with the state to investigate and address hazardous substances known as “forever chemicals” at a former factory in Livingston County, Attorney General Dana Nessel said Monday.

A study shows that only two of the five Great Lakes have an ecosystem that is considered “good.”

The former Eloise Psychiatric Hospital site in Westland will soon be home to a new hotel, restaurant and bar, thanks to a grant from the state of Michigan.

Some Michigan officials are trading in salt and using beet juice to make roads less slippery during the winter season.

The work to replace aging lead water service lines in Benton Harbor is almost complete.

Controversy continues in Warren Tuesday night as a $75 million incinerator expansion is the topic of debate for city leaders. It’s causing division between city administrators and city council members.

A public forum will be held tonight with officials regarding the August hexavalent chromium spill in the Huron River.

The City of Ann Arbor said that Wastewater Treatment Plant staff discovered the wastewater had gone into the river via an outfall during a system shutdown around 1:30 p.m.

The massive expansion of the Stellantis plant on Detroit’s east side has sparked concerns about pollution, especially with people living near the plant’s paint shop.

Some familiar faces have been posted around Michigan Stadium to teach fans the do's and don'ts of recycling.

Didymo, a nuisance alga known as “rock snot” has been identified in a stretch of the Boardman River in Blair Township in Grand Traverse County.

The City of Ann Arbor received a $1.38 million MI Clean Water grant for projects to upgrade the city’s drinking water system.

New revelations occurred Wednesday about the release of a toxic chemical into the Huron River system late last month.

The company responsible for a dangerous chemical release that threatened the Huron River system was served with multiple violation notices on Tuesday.

Investigators have widened their water sampling efforts downstream of a release of hexavalent chromium in the Huron River.

The Michigan Department of Health and Human Services and Environment, Great Lakes and Energy are urging residents to avoid contact with the Huron River in Oakland and Livingston Counties.

The city’s annual Feet on the Street cart-tagging program will come to an end on Friday.

There are three beaches along Lake Saint Clair that are closed after testing for high bacteria levels this week.

Macomb County Public Works Office has announced operational changes to prevent the combination of sanitary sewage and stormwater from going into Lake St. Clair.

On Tuesday, the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) announced that 23 local organizations will receive grants to help fund stream cleanups.

There is a new resource for birders in Michigan!

The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy have reported that Michiganders’ recycling rate is up 35.4%.

The Stellantis Mack Assembly Plant in Detroit has been served with yet another air quality violation.

A Michigan farm’s animal waste practices are threatening to overload nearby bodies of water with harmful bacteria and pathogens, according to the attorney general.

There has been a mystery for the residents living close to Huron River for weeks. But now we’re finally getting some answers to the questions that we have and who exactly may be responsible to begin with. The substance that leaked in the Huron river has now been identified as fuel oil. A nearby metal company is currently working with the EPA and EGLE to handle the clean-up process.

It has been close to a week since a sheen-like substance was found flowing into the Huron River.

The Flat Rock situation is still considered to be an active leak. As the investigation continues, there’s still no idea on what the substance is or where it’s coming from.

The city of Flat Rock is seemingly dealing with yet another chemical leak, this time into a body of water parallel to the Huron River.

Officials are investigating a chemical leak at the Huron River in Flat Rock.

In a virtual meeting Thursday (Jan 27), EGLE announced Stellantis has a 3-part plan to fix four odor violations and one for improper ductwork at the Mack Assembly Plant. Part of the presentation featured a toxicologist with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services who reviewed air samples.

In a virtual meeting Thursday (Jan 27), EGLE announced Stellantis has a 3-part plan to fix four odor violations and one for improper ductwork at the Mack Assembly Plant. Part of the presentation featured a toxicologist with the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services who reviewed air samples.

A draft of a state plan says Michigan will build clean energy infrastructure and invest in green programs over the next 30 years with the goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2050 to confront climate change.

Biochem Technical Services LLC (Biochem) and its owner, Raoul Keith Mangrum Jr., are accused of violating the state public health code involving mismanagement of medical waste.

2022 will be a key year for Michigan’s energy and climate future -- and we now have a peek into what could be the path forward. A look at some of the key points.

Landowners are under fire once again after part of a seawall collapsed along the Detroit River last month, spilling contaminated soil into the water exactly two years after a nearly-identical incident occurred at the same site.

Michigan environmental officials have the results from water testing done after the northern wall of a boat slip belonging to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers collapsed on Nov. 26.

Michigan environmental officials responded to the boat slip belonging to the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers after its northern wall collapsed on Friday.

The city of Hamtramck will distribute free water filters to residents on Thursday after routine tap water testing revealed substandard lead levels.

Unsatisfactory lead levels have been discovered in the tap water in the city of Wayne during routine testing, prompting the city to increase sampling at more locations.

Residents that live near the Stellantis Mack Assembly Plant on Detroit’s east side claim fumes from the plant are causing their throats to burn.

More and more people are recycling these days, which is great, but have you thought about what you are actually tossing into that recycling bin?

A gas leak from the Ford Flat Rock Assembly Plant triggered voluntary evacuations of the area and officials have been testing levels of gas in sewers and homes.

“It felt like an explosion or earthquake honestly. The doors in the building were shifting. We were trying to fix them and then we noticed that it was actually a foundation issue. Cracks were appearing inside as well as outside."

Anyone who smells gas or a strong odor in the area is asked to call EGLE’s Pollution Emergency Alerting System hotline at 800-292-4706.

More than 1,000 homes have been evacuated in parts of Flat Rock as the EPA continues testing.

Inspectors believe an underground storage tank at the Ford Flat Rock assembly plant is to blame for the gas leak impacting Flat Rock.

Inspectors believe an underground storage tank at the Ford Flat Rock assembly plant is the source of the gas leak.

After the flammable and cancer-causing chemical, benzene, was found in the in the sewer system, many Flat Rock residents are voicing their opinions about now having to be displaced because of the recommended evacuation.

Anyone in need of assistance with evacuation and/or relocation is asked to call Flat Rock’s hotline at 734-782-2455, ext. 6.

Officials with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) said three additional homes were evacuated as part of an emergency response to hazardous chemicals found in Flat Rock this week.

Officials said the city plans to use firefighting form to suppress the vapors found within the sanitary system. The industrial facility has taken measures, including inserting plugs into the onsite sewer system to prevent it from entering the system at a location north of Gibraltar Road at the Ford Flat Rock Assembly Plant property.

As of Friday morning, seven homes have been evacuated and hundreds of environmental safety investigators are in the area.

Federal and state hazardous materials teams from Downriver and western Wayne County went street-by-street and door-to-door Thursday in Flat Rock’s southeast neighborhoods.

An unusual smell Downriver sparked an investigation from hazmat teams Thursday, along with state and federal environmental agencies.

Flat Rock is investigating what the mayor called an “unusual odor situation” in the area of a sanitary sewer lift station.

It may feel like mosquitoes are worse than ever this summer -- and that’s because they are.

Michigan environmental officials said Friday that Enbridge Energy is working to remove a 15,000 ship anchor from the Straits of Mackinac lakebed.

Michigan environmental officials said Friday that Enbridge Energy is working to remove a 15,000 ship anchor from the Straits of Mackinac lakebed.

As the tanker burned, employees knew drivers would avoid the area and that would mean fewer customers.

Sources told the Defenders that the drug screen on the driver came back clean for drugs or alcohol.

If you see people rummaging through your recycling cart this summer, don’t be alarmed.

With the recent heat, it’s hard to not think about spending the day on one of Michigan’s many lakes, but there’s a growing problem for many coastal towns: erosion.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer is commemorating Earth Day on Thursday by announcing the state’s plan to shift to renewable energy.

Over the last few years, Michigan officials have been at odds with the company Enbridge, who owns and operates Line 5 -- a major oil pipeline that runs beneath the Straits of Mackinac. AdOn Friday, March 12, the Michigan Public Service Commission introduced the state’s new Propane Security Plan. Though the closure of Line 5 appears to be a “when” issue for Michigan officials, Enbridge officials in January said they have no intention of closing the pipeline. AdOn Nov. 24, 2020, Enbridge filed a federal lawsuit against the state of Michigan, challenging the state’s attempt to revoke the 1953 easement. Enbridge officials argued that shutting down Line 5 is “improper and unlawful,” and that disrupting the oil flow would negatively impact U.S. and Canadian residents and businesses.

MACKINAC COUNTY, Mich. – There was praise and disappointment on Friday after the Michigan Department Environment, Great Lakes and Energy approved the first permits to for the controversial tunnel project around the Enbridge Line 5 gas line. The dual oil pipeline is among the largest in the region and runs directly through the Mackinac Straits carrying 23 million gallons of crude oil each day. In 2010, a separate Enbridge pipeline spilled more than 800,000 gallons of oil into Talmadge Creek and the Kalamazoo River. AdEnvironmental scientists estimate an oil spill in the Straits of Mackinac would cost almost $2 billion in cleaning costs and lost tourism revenue. This week the Canadian Consul General in Detroit telling the Canadian National Post shutting down Line 5 could harm Canadian-U.S. relations.

(AP Photo/Carlos Osorio, File)TRAVERSE CITY, Mich. – Michigan's environmental agency said Friday it has approved construction of an underground tunnel to house a replacement for a controversial oil pipeline in a channel linking two of the Great Lakes. AdThe project requires permits from the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. “We have issued permits designed to ensure that if a tunnel is constructed, it will be in strict compliance with relevant statutes and adhere to stringent protections against impacts to the Great Lakes,” Clark said. State officials emphasized the tunnel project was a separate legal matter from the dispute over the existing pipeline, which was laid in 1953. It has taken steps to prevent future anchor strikes and says the tunnel project would eliminate that danger.

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. – Enough progress has been made in cleaning up the toxic green ooze site in Madison Heights that the federal government has handed control back over to Michigan officials. The work has never stopped at the green ooze site -- even during the pandemic. Madison Heights officials said EGLE and EPA conducted an extensive investigation, installed a treatment system and collected more than 350,000 gallons of contaminated groundwater to be treated. Gary Sayers, the owner of the building at the center of the Madison Heights toxic ooze case, hasn’t been seen much since November. A virtual town hall meeting with Madison Heights officials, the EPA and EGLE will be held Tuesday at 6 p.m. More information can be found here.

Early results from a Michigan project to monitor the levels of COVID-19 in wastewater show promising results. “These initial results show promise for the field of COVID-19 wastewater monitoring in Michigan,” said Sarah Lyon-Callo, director of the Bureau of Epidemiology and Population Health at MDHHS. “This project has demonstrated the feasibility of this laboratory method and local partnerships for a longer-term wastewater surveillance system. Nineteen laboratories across the state of Michigan are participating in a standardized and coordinated network of COVID-19 wastewater monitoring systems. View the EGLE COVID-19 Wastewater Surveillance map here.

LANSING, Mich. – The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy’s Air Quality Division has released its Annual Air Quality Report for 2019. The overall air quality improved across Michigan in 2019, according to the report. The report focuses on information for specific pollutants, including those with National Ambient Air Quality Standards and toxic air contaminants, air quality trends, and an overview of the air monitoring network. A nonattainment area is considered to have air quality worse than the National Ambient Air Quality Standards. View the full report below:More information on the Air Quality Division’s annual program activities can be found in the Year End Air Quality Program Report or at Michigan.gov/Air.

Recipients include Ann Arbor Public Schools, Recycle Ann Arbor, city of Ypsilanti, Dexter Community Schools, Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority and Washtenaw Regional Resource Management Authority. The department’s support of new research, education and recycling activities in Washtenaw County comes as Michigan sees an increase in curbside recycling as residents work from home, according to a release from EGLE. In addition to the $1.58 million in Washtenaw County grants, EGLE will build on the state-wide Know It Before You Throw It recycling education campaign, which launched last year. Western Washtenaw Recycling Authority (WWRA) was awarded $458,370 to purchase sorting equipment and a new truck. Another goal of the Washtenaw County funding is to reduce the number of contaminated recyclables that end up in recycling bins by providing educational messaging.

A 2018 case challenging Nestle’s permit to extract Michigan water and sell it for a profit has been dismissed by the state’s environmental department on Friday. Residents have also shown outrage over the company taking Michigan water almost for free and turning it into a huge profit. In 2018, residents told Local 4 that the creek was thriving a few years ago, but things have changed because of the water Nestle is pumping out. In an effort to ramp up the legal fight against Nestle’s use of Michigan water, environmental groups requested that Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel step in back in July of this year. Our water use in Michigan ranks us far down on the list of the state’s top water users.

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. – The owner of the toxic green ooze site in Madison Heights has gotten off some of his probation restrictions, and that could have an effect on cleanup efforts. RECENTLY: Funding approved to demolish site, but fight is far from overFunding has been secured to help pay for the demolition of the Madison Heights building responsible for leaking green ooze onto the highway, but the fight over the future of the property is far from over. Sayers has been working to maintain control, and Local 4 has learned he’s also inquired about wanting to visit the site. Funding approved to demolish green ooze site, but fight is far from overFunding has been secured to help pay for the demolition of the Madison Heights building responsible for leaking green ooze onto the highway, but the fight over the future of the property is far from over. The mayor of Madison Heights has reason to be optimistic about the site because money is making its way to the city to not only clean the property, but eventually tear it down.

DETROIT – A deal has been reached to fix the Detroit Riverfront where a dock collapsed, spilling contaminated soil into the river. On Monday, Revere Dock signed an administrative consent agreement with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy. As part of the deal, the restoration work at the site is expected to be done by July 2021. In May, this litigation produced an agreement, requiring Revere Dock, LLC to obtain permits from EGLE and the US Army Corp of Engineers for a dock restoration. In May, this litigation produced an agreement, requiring Revere Dock, LLC to obtain permits from EGLE and the US Army Corp of Engineers for a dock restoration.

LANSING, Mich. – The Association of State Dam Safety Officials' (ASDSO) review of Michigan’s Dam Safety Unit was presented at a meeting of the Michigan Dam Safety Task Force. READ: Michigan department publishes dam failure reportIt concluded that Michigan’s program is understaffed and constrained by limited time, resources and budget. Officials said Michigan’s investments in dam safety have been lacking for decades, which increases the risk to public safety and the environment. Currently, Michigan’s program has two dam safety engineers and one supervisor with a third dam safety engineer to be hired soon. In the Fiscal Year 2021 there is funding for hiring two more dam safety engineers.

MADISON HEIGHTS, Mich. – Funding has been secured to help pay for the demolition of the Madison Heights building responsible for leaking green ooze onto the highway, but the fight over the future of the property is far from over. The mayor of Madison Heights has reason to be optimistic about the site because money is making its way to the city to not only clean the property, but eventually tear it down. Michigan officials pledged $600,000 in the effort to tear down the building, and now Oakland County leaders are stepping up to pledge $400,000 to get the job done. That means $1 million is going into the effort to take care of the ongoing problem. You can watch Hank Winchester’s full update in the video posted above.

CENTRAL LAKE, Mich. A northern Michigan lake thats famous for its turquoise waters is facing an outbreak of brown algae thats left its sandy bottom covered with mushy, squishy mats. Rick Welsh, a part-time lakeshore resident, said the brown algae was first noticed about a decade ago, but now the golden-brown algae grows in thick mats and sticks to the otherwise sugar-sand bottom of the lake in Antrim Countys Torch Lake, according to the Traverse City Record-Eagle. Its oozy, yucky and mucky, Welsh said. It easily comes up when disturbed.Welsh, a member for the Torch Lake Protection Alliance, said that there are investigations into the algae with results due in the fall. Officials with the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy, have said it appears to be a non-harmful form of algae.

The report provides an update on the ongoing investigation into the Edenville Dam, plans to restore the Tobacco River's flow and the lack of coordination with the dams' owner Boyce Hydro. But while awaiting the conclusion of the investigation, EGLE provided the first of a series of reports requested by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer that will provide information about how the dam failures came to be and reviewing dam safety policies in Michigan. The report doesn’t address any parties at fault for the dam failures, but addresses what EGLE will do next to address the safety concerns left by the Edenville dam. Read more: Frustrated Michigan officials issue emergency order to Edenville Dam owners ignoring deadlines

Theyre frustrated that the owners of the Edenville Dam are ignoring deadlines, so they issued them an emergency order. The Edenville Dam failed May 19, leaving 11,000 people evacuated and 2,500 structures damaged by the 500-year flood. With Tuesdays emergency order, Boyce Hydro is forced to alter the Edenville Dam to ensure public safety and have that project done by the end of the year. State officials believe that is the best option to address dam safety concerns right now. They will take a look at Michigans Dam Safety Program and an independent investigation is looking at the factors that led to the dam failure.

Asmus said when the pipe failed a black liquor was released to the wastewater treatment plant. Black liquor is a high-strength organic pollutant derived from the breakdown of pulpwood. The black liquor overwhelmed the facilitys wastewater treatment system causing effluent (outflow) violations, Asmus said. The wastewater system remained functional however, it was not capable of treating the black liquor entirely. Black liquor is a byproduct of a process at the mill, not a chemical purchased and stored on site for a specific purpose, Asmus said.

It turns out six dams in the area are considered “high hazard potential." A high hazard dam might cause serious damage to homes, buildings, highways and lives, according to experts. The Pontiac Lake Dam is also considered a high hazard potential -- upsetting news to those who live and fish on the lake. According to EGLE, there are 85 high hazard potential dams in the state. The Defenders asked for copies of the inspection reports and lists of violations for the six high hazard potential dams in Southeast Michigan, but we are still waiting for that paperwork.

DETROIT – Buckfire Law Firm announced Tuesday two class-action lawsuits filed against Edenville and Sanford dam owners and the state of Michigan following the devastating flood emergency in central Michigan last month. Nearly 11,000 mid-Michigan residents evacuated their homes on May 20 after multiple dams were breached, causing a massive flooding emergency in the region. Tuesday’s lawsuits are part of a series of filings against the dam owners and state for allegedly neglecting to ensure the dams operated in accordance with federal guidelines. The dam owners have previously received multiple citations from federal regulators for failure to meet safety guidelines over the last decade. MORE: Residents want answers in Edenville Dam failure that led to devastating floodsBuckfire Law is representing 19 mid-Michigan residents in the federal class-action lawsuit against dam owners Boyce Hydro and its manager Lee Mueller.