March 9, 2025, The Annual Solid Waste Report for Michigan was released by the Department of Environmental Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE). This report provides the public with information about the amount of waste the State of Michigan is disposing of and importing from twelve other U.S. states and Canada. The chart below provides the list of states and from Canada and their waste weights in tons.
In 2024, behind California which had 53, the state of Michigan had the second highest number of operational landfills which means the project site is currently open or being expanded. According to the latest ASWR the number of landfills in Michigan has changed from 60 total landfills to 67 total landfills. In last year’s 2023 Annual Solid Waste Report for Michigan, EGLE stated that there was about 26 years remaining until the landfills in Michigan reach permitted capacity. The 2024 Annual Solid Waste Report for Michigan states that there is now a total of 21 years of remaining disposal capacity in the state. 
In the last year, the amount of waste that was dumped in landfills by Michigan residents and businesses increased by 7.05% and the amount of waste imported from Canada decreased by 1.15%. The amount of solid waste disposed in Michigan has increased on average by 5.43% over the last year. The increasing amount of waste and limited amount of space in Michigan makes the upcoming “Bottle Bill” amendment in Michigan a more serious task. The newly proposed bill will put a 10-cent deposit value on each plastic water bottle and other non-carbonated drinks to increase the recycling rate of single use plastic bottles.
One of the challenges that the “bottle bill” is facing is that recycling rates have increased in the last thirty years and the state is on track to reach its goal of 29% recycling rate by the year 2029. However, I wonder if the increased recycling rate is also connected to the decreased rate in return rates for deposits in Michigan. I think that soda is being less consumed now than in the past and that water in plastic bottles has been the most common alternative. If the water bottle was returned as a deposit rather than recycled in a bin the data could be recorded, and the state of Michigan and the public resource owners would have a better idea of how much water we are consuming and how much waste we are producing.
The Bottle Bill seems like an easy way to increase recycling. Also think that promoting water bottle and water bottle fill station like we have on campus is great way to reduce our impact. I use these stations a ton and never buy single use water bottles.
ReplyDeleteI had no idea Michigan’s landfill space was running out so quickly this really opened my eyes. The bottle bill sounds like a thoughtful step in the right direction. Thanks for sharing this, Michael really informative!
ReplyDeleteI like the idea of a bottle bill. I wish more people would be interested in new alternatives but would rather look at more landfills.
ReplyDeleteThis greatly emphasizes the urgent need for stronger waste reduction strategies. It's crazy how landfill space has dropped from 26 years to 21 years in a single year.
ReplyDeleteWow, I didn't realize how fast we were filling up landfills and trash heaps. I just wrote my blog post on fast fashion and how the environment is struggling to keep up with the demands of the production of clothes and waste. Lots of landfills are also fire hazards and likely to be flammable, posing another threat to the state of Michigan.
ReplyDeleteI have always returned my bottles and recycled the ones that wouldn't go through. It's sad that our landfills are filling up more and more, what are we going to do when they run out of space?
ReplyDeleteI really like the idea of a bottle bill and it seems like a great step in making recycling more accessible and to increase participation. I also think increasing recycling routes/stations could be very beneficial as well. I know that a lot of student housing around Kalamazoo does not offer recycling bins/service making it difficult to recycle as much as many would like.
ReplyDeleteThis is insane! We need to figure out alternatives and quickly before our beautiful state is turned into a dumping ground completely. It saddens me to think of all the area wasted because we cannot figure out a system that requires less plastic or a better recycling system.
ReplyDeleteI actually grew up near a land fill. I remember holding my breath on the way to school because the smell was so bad. They constantly had a flame burning as well, which I honestly don't understand why it was burning. The trash was hidden by giant hills but it would still come spilling over, plastic bags and trash cascading over the sides.
ReplyDeleteI cannot understand how we are going to overcome the problem of too much trash rotting in our precious environments. Michigan is such a beautiful state, and yet we have a serious problem with waste. There seems to be few ethical solutions to problems regarding trash and waste. I am worried that it will reach a head in the next 20 years and we will have no sound solution.
ReplyDeleteThis was such an interesting topic and it's so sad to see that were at the top! I was very intrigued by the chart and was wondering why some of the states were at 0. I can't imagine California had none. Would it be because they weren't recorded the year before? Very good post.
ReplyDeleteI wondered the same thing!
DeleteTbh I am not totally sure but my first theory is that the waste was sold to a different state or disposed of the waste in their own state.
DeleteI remember when they took away recycling in my area. There's really no choice for a lot of people when it comes to their plastic bottle usage and disposal. This is an important topic to cover. Thank you!
ReplyDeletePeople often don't consider (or care) about what happens to their garbage after its thrown away, and it shows in this table with the increase of waste ending up in landfills. I am curious how accurate these statistics are though, as it has been discussed that many areas refuse to report their waste accurately, which means the reality may be much worse than is shown.
ReplyDeleteSo much we need to change to live in better harmony with nature. Land fills have a climate impact - they are often leaking methane, as we know a more dangerous greenhouse gas that CO2.
ReplyDeleteI totally forgot about that aspect, thank you Allen!! I wonder if the methane can be captured and then used safely with less emissions.
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