Waste Disposed in Michigan Landfills Rises Because of Imports

Michigan residents threw away less waste in 2013, but the amount of waste landfilled overall increased because of shipments from Canada and other states.

The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality said waste generated within Michigan declined 0.5 percent in 2013 compared with 2012.

However, overall waste generated increased by 1.4 percent because of shipments from other states, according to a news release.

At current rates and assuming no new capacity is permitted, Michigan has an estimated 28 years of disposal capacity left.

The biggest increase in exports came from Canada, 7.68 million cubic yards in 2013 compared with 6.76 cubic yards a year earlier; Wisconsin, 592,570 from 290,206; and Florida, 33,683 from 4,779.