Should Canada be able to import garbage to Michigan's landfills?
Should Canada be able to import garbage to Michigan landfill’s? As there are numerous arguments in importing garbage from Canada is wrong, there are also arguments that support it too. Michigan imports trash from Canada and in return we send our hazardous waste to Canada.
What Led To This Agreement?
What led to this agreement? In 2001, Michigan exported 53,000 tons of hazardous waste to Canada.Canada's exporting of trash to Michigan became popular in 2003 when a big landfill outside of Toronto closed and the city's rubbish was trucked to Carleton Farms landfill in Sumpter Township.
What Can Be Done To Stop The Rest Of Trash Coming Into Michigan?
In September 2003,the Asian Long-Horned beetle was found in Woodbridge, Ontario. This beetle is very destructive to trees. The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality found that, more than 25% of the trash being imported from Toronto contained yard waste.The Asian Long-Horned beetle could present a serious threat to Michigan and the tourist business if let free into Michigan's wilderness. So you ask, what can be done to stop the rest of trash coming into Michigan? Well, State Senator Debbie Stabenow said "We're going to be looking at what we can do in the border, adding some kind of inspection fee would make sense." As of 2015 Michigan's landfills are charging ten to fifteen dollars per ton, while other landfill owners charge twenty-five to fifty dollars per ton. Michigan is now the third largest importer of garbage thanks to Canada and Toronto, and others. Sumpter Township in Michigan, where the population is 11,856,000 receives one hundred percent of Toronto's garbage.Also, the Department of Environmental Quality inspects the trucks at the border,which include radioactive detecting equipment and then follows the trucks to the dump to ensure proper disposal.Since September 2003 seven trucks have been turned back because there was radioactive material detected in the waste.
Knowing this, we agree that Michigan should not be responsible for disposing Canada's garbage. At our expense no country or state should dispose their trash in our landfills, because a country that makes the garbage should also be responsible for the disposal of that garbage. Importing garbage from Canada is just wrong, it could harm the Great Lakes and other freshwater resources such as our ground water. We think that this is unbelievably wrong and trash should not be imported into Michigan landfills at any time.