LANSING, Mich. (Michigan News Source) — Michigan’s landfills may soon cost a lot more to fill.
The state Senate on August 26 narrowly approved a plan to triple tipping fees and freeze new hazardous-waste storage sites, The Detroit News reported.
Under the bill, which passed 19–15 along party lines, landfill fees would rise from 36 cents per ton to $1.20, while hazardous waste disposal fees would jump from $10 to $25 per ton. It also institutes a five-year ban on new or expanded commercial hazardous-waste facilities and orders a statewide management plan.
“Michigan is one of the cheapest places to dump garbage and hazardous waste,” Sen. Darrin Camilleri (D-Trenton) said, who sponsored the measure. “That is unacceptable for a state that holds 90% of the nation’s fresh water.”
Camilleri insisted the bill will shield residents from higher curbside trash bills, pointing to a reimbursement fund. “Regular residents will not see this impact,” he said.
Some Republicans were unconvinced, however. Sen. Joe Bellino (R-Monroe), for example, blasted the 233% increase as another Democratic money grab. “They’re coming back to Michigan taxpayers asking for more and more,” Bellino said.
The measure now heads to the Republican-controlled House, where its future is uncertain. Lawmakers face an Oct. 1 deadline to finalize the state budget.