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E-M:/ MDEQ annual solid waste report

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Enviro-Mich message from "Alex J. Sagady & Associates" <ajs@sagady.com>
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 31, 2008

Contact:  Robert McCann
               (517) 241-7397

DEQ Releases Annual Solid Waste Report

A report released today by the Department of Environmental Quality
shows that the overall amount of waste disposed of in Michiganâ??s
landfills decreased over 6% in Fiscal Year 2007; however, imported trash
continues to account for 29% of the total amount.  The new Report of
Solid Waste Landfilled in Michigan documents 58,204,510 cubic yards of
solid waste disposed of in Michigan landfills in FY 2007, with the waste
generated by Michigan citizens decreasing by 1,802,351 cubic yards,
about 4%, and waste imported from other states and Canada decreasing by
1,880,694 cubic yards, about 10 percent.   The largest source of waste
imports into Michigan continues to be from Canada, equaling about 19
percent of all waste disposed of in Michigan landfills for a total
amount of 10,982,984 cubic yards.  

Michigan does not currently require comprehensive reporting of the
amounts of waste generated, only the amounts of waste disposed of in
landfills, making it difficult to determine the reason for the overall
decline in landfill disposals in FY 2007.  The decreases in both
in-state and imported waste disposal are likely due to a number of
factors, including current economic conditions and transportation costs,
potential changes in recycling rates, landfills reducing disposal
amounts, improved data collection and reporting by landfills, changes in
landfill disposal contracts, and Ontarioâ??s commitment to phase out its
exports of municipally-managed solid waste to Michigan.  

â??The data suggests that we are disposing of less waste, but it does
not tell us why that is occurring,â?? said DEQ Director Steven E.
Chester.  â??What is clear is that imported waste continues to make up a
significant percentage of our overall waste stream, and that must
change.â??

Based on the capacity used during FY 2007, the reduction of waste
disposed, and additional permitted landfill capacity, it is estimated
that Michigan landfills have approximately 22 years of remaining
disposal capacity.

The specific amounts of waste disposed of in Michigan by the various
jurisdictions are:

WASTE GENERATATION           WASTE VOLUME (CUBIC YARDS)
              ORIGIN                             FY 2006                
  FY 2007
CANADA                                          12,084,907           
10,982,984
CONNECTICUT                                      226,961               
   40,536
FLORIDA                                                 20,440         
         11,820
ILLINOIS                                           1,588,424           
      817,665
INDIANA                                            2,196,909           
 1,810,564
LOUISIANA                                                    24        
                    0
MAINE                                                          595     
                   720
MARYLAND                                             47,250             
      37,540
MASSACHUSETTS                                   14,745                 
  38,190
MICHIGAN                                       42,852,023            
41,049,672
NEW HAMPSHIRE                                    47,720                
     2,180
NEW JERSEY                                      1,074,429              
1,671,971
NEW YORK                                             151,071           
      187,858

The DEQ released a stakeholder-driven update to Michigan's Solid Waste
Policy in 2007 that provides a framework to guide Michigan toward making
smart choices for managing Michigan's solid wastes.  The Policy will be
used to guide solid waste management decisions and encourage a
deliberate and inclusive solid waste management decision-making process.
 Some of the goals outlined in the Policy include stronger reporting
requirements to better understand where waste is generated and where it
goes, finding uses for 50 percent of Michigan's municipal solid waste by
2015 and ensuring that all Michigan citizens have convenient access to
residential recycling programs by 2012.

Copies of the Annual Report are available online at
http://www.michigan.gov/deq (click on â??Waste,â?? â??Solid Waste,â??
and under the â??Informationâ?? tab, click on â??Annual Reports of Solid
Waste Landfilledâ??), or can be requested by phone at 517-241-2924.

#####
        
â??Protecting Michiganâ??s Environment, Ensuring Michiganâ??s
Futureâ??




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Alex J. Sagady & Associates        http://www.sagady.com

Environmental Enforcement, Permit/Technical Review, Public Policy, 
Expert Witness Review and Litigation Investigation on Air, Water and 
Waste/Community Environmental and Resource Protection
Prospectus at:  http://www.sagady.com/sagady.pdf 

657 Spartan Avenue,  East Lansing, MI  48823  
(517) 332-6971; (517) 332-8987 (fax); ajs@sagady.com
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