BERRIEN
COUNTY DEMOCRATIC PARTY
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ATTACKS ECONOMICS OF OUT-OF-STATE TRASH TRADE
Our local State Rep. Neal Nitz gives priority to the trash trade/landfill lobby over the residents of Berrien County. Click to view his voting record.
state garbage increased to 6.3 million tons in 2006, House Democrats announced a plan to attack the economics of the ever-growing trash trade by raising the paltry charge that
trash companies pay to dump in
Michigan. ground around," Rep. Terry Brown (D-Pigeon) said. "We must attack the economics of the trash trade if we're going to protect our land, our water, our communities and our quality of life today and for generations to come. We need to make Michigan a magnet for jobs, not
Canadian and out-of-state trash." dumped 6.3 million tons of trash in our state in 2006, up from 6.2 million tons in 2005. Canadian and out-of-state trash now accounts for more than 30 percent of total waste landfilled in Michigan. In 1996, Canada and other states dumped only 1.9 million tons of
trash, about 13 percent of trash landfilled in
Michigan.
a ton, the highest in the nation.
-Ban new landfills and strictly
limit the expansion of existing landfills until 2012. -Return money from the new dumping charge expected to total $170 million in the first
year to local communities to pay for
roads, fire and police, and more recycling. -Crack down on jurisdictions that send prohibited waste to Michigan, and make it easier
to prosecute and punish repeat
offenders with up to $10,000 in fines. (D-Monroe), who has already introduced the plan to ban new landfills. "To protect our communities and attract investments, we have to stop the trashing of our beautiful state.
Our plan will make a positive change to benefit all our citizens." "Michigan is a beautiful state to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors and we must do everything in our power to stop it from becoming a cheap dumping ground for Canada, Wisconsin and
other states." out-of-state trash and said a high dumping charge is the best weapon against imported garbage. The nation's largest importer of trash, Pennsylvania, slashed garbage imports after it raised its dumping charge to $7.25 a ton in 2002. In 2001, Pennsylvania took in
12.6 million tons of imported trash;
in 2005, that amount plunged to 9.6 million
tons. price for too long," said Rep. Kathleen Law (D-Gibraltar), a lead sponsor of the anti-trash plan. "A high dumping charge is working in Pennsylvania, it will work in Michigan. We must act now to slam the brakes on both Canadian and out-of-state trash and end the trash
industry's free ride in
Michigan." and out-of-state trash trucks are a menace to our communities and they've been caught smuggling radioactive medical waste, illegal drugs, and biomedical human waste. Our fight against Canadian and out-of-state trash is a fight to strengthen the safety and
security of our communities. The
time for delay is over." protect our quality of life and position Michigan to be a leader in a 21st-Century economy. Fighting Canadian and out-of-state trash is one of the six new priorities. The others include reducing the high cost of health care, strengthening schools and addressing Michigan's
energy needs.
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