Does Ontario have plans on the drawing board that will reduce the amount of trash coming to Michigan?
Ontario is continually increasing the amount of trash that is pre-sorted and then recycled, where it can be disposed of without having to put it in landfills. On the other hand, Ontario landfills are rapidly filling up, plus the total quantity of trash produced keeps rising. Projections show that the net effect is that Ontario will be trying to export more trash to the USA, not less, for the foreseeable future. What are some of the proposals to stop Ontario from dumping so much of its trash in Michigan? Republicans have said they want to place a ban on Canadian trash coming into Michigan. Democrats have touted the idea of greatly raising the dumping charge to discourage Canadian and out-of-state trash from being brought here. Is there any legal way for Michigan to stop the importation of Canadian trash? According to Dr. Julia Ya Qin of Wayne State University, who specializes in international trade law, the short answer is “No.” Trash has been considered an “item of trade” since 2002, a
