LANSING – A Canadian trash truck overturned on I-94 in St. Clair County earlier today and shut down part of the freeway during the morning rush hour, prompting State Representative Robert Dean (D-Grand Rapids) to blast Republican leadership in the Senate for not acting on tough measures that would fight the flood of out-of-state and Canadian garbage.
"Michigan's land, air and water are at risk," Dean said. "Trash trucks are coming into Michigan in droves from Canada and other states, and they're coming over with tons of out-of-state trash that is poured into our landfills. The only reason other states and countries dump here is because we're cheap. It's time to stop the stonewalling and stop the trash."
Dean is continuing his aggressive push to pass anti-trash measures. He was a supporter of legislation – passed in May by the House and now stalled in the Senate – that bans new landfills and strictly limits the expansion of existing landfills until 2012. The House in April passed legislation attacking the economics of the trash trade by increasing the state's current paltry dumping charge of 21 cents per ton. With a steeper dumping charge, Canada and other states will be forced to dump their trash elsewhere.
The Detroit Free Press reported today that a Canadian trash truck overturned on I-94 southeast of Port Huron, and that it was not clear how long it would take emergency crews to clean up and reopen the highway.
This is not the first time that Canadian trash trucks have caused problems, threatening public safety and draining resources of road and clean-up personnel. In December 2005, a Canadian trash truck traveling westbound on I-69 flipped in Capac, dumping garbage on the highway and closing it for half an hour. In November 2005, a Canadian trash truck struck a car in Huron Township in Wayne County, killing two men. In March 2005, a Canadian truck dumped human sludge in downtown Flat Rock in Wayne County.
"Protecting Michigan's natural resources is a top priority," Dean said. "Trash from other states and nations threaten our Great Lakes, rivers, streams, roads and neighborhoods. I call on my colleagues in the Senate to put Michigan first. The time to act is now."