Michigan’s Landfill Fees Under Scrutiny Amid Increasing Waste Imports
Michigan landfills have become a go-to destination for waste from Canada and various U.S. states, including California, primarily due to the state’s low dumping fees. Governor Gretchen Whitmer has proposed raising these fees as part of her fiscal year 2026 budget plan.
Whitmer’s proposal aims to increase the landfill dumping fee from 36 cents per ton to $5 per ton. This change is part of a broader initiative to generate more revenue for local communities and address the growing concern of landfill capacity in areas like Lansing and Detroit.
The proposed fee hike aligns Michigan’s costs more closely with other Midwestern states, which typically charge between $5 and $13 per ton. If implemented, the new fee structure is expected to generate approximately $80 million annually. “This funding will be dedicated to environmental remediation, brownfield redevelopment, local waste management assistance and grants, and recycling initiatives,” Whitmer’s proposal states.
Democratic state Senator Jeff Irwin highlighted the disparity in fees as a reason for Michigan’s appeal as a waste dumping ground. “Most of the states around us have tipping fees that range from $5 to even as much as $13 a ton,” Irwin noted. “And so that means it’s just much cheaper to dump waste here in Michigan.”
Michigan receives around 12 million cubic yards of out-of-state waste annually, contributing to 7 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions. In fiscal year 2024, over 24 million tons of solid waste were disposed of in Michigan, reflecting a 5.43% increase from the previous year.
Michigan’s solid waste management system is undergoing changes following bipartisan legislation in 2022, which mandates counties to reduce organic waste and boost recycling rates to 30% by 2029. Despite past efforts, including proposals by Whitmer and former Governor Rick Snyder, increasing the tipping fees has faced opposition, often due to concerns about the financial impact on businesses and residents.
The Michigan Waste & Recycling Association argues that higher fees could increase living and business costs, while Senator Irwin suggests that the impact on large businesses would be minimal. “In the context of a hospital budget, when you’re talking about adding a few dollars per ton to their waste tipping fees, these are not significant impacts,” Irwin remarked.
Kerrin O’Brien, executive director of the Michigan Recycling Coalition, views the proposed fee increase as beneficial for recycling and composting, making them more competitive against landfill disposal. However, O’Brien emphasizes the need for policies that hold waste producers accountable for environmental impacts.
Whitmer’s plan also addresses the cleanup of over 24,000 contaminated sites in Michigan, with revenue from the increased fees earmarked for environmental remediation. O’Brien stresses the importance of managing current waste effectively to prevent future contamination issues. “If we don’t take care of the waste problems we have today, they will become the contaminated sites of tomorrow,” she warned.
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