Michigan at a Crossroads: Why Stronger Landfill Regulations Can’t Wait
Michigan is sitting on a landfill problem that’s bigger than trash; it’s a climate, health, and justice issue. The Great Lakes State generates more waste per capita than anywhere else in the nation, in part because it imports garbage from other states and Canada. That waste ends up in 60 municipal solid waste landfills that span the entire state. One in three Michiganders lives within five miles of one.
The consequences are serious. Landfills are one of Michigan’s largest sources of methane, a greenhouse gas more than 80 times more potent than carbon dioxide over a 20-year timeframe. Without stronger safeguards, Michigan’s landfills are projected to release 845 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent of methane by 2050. That’s more than ten times the state’s annual emissions from steelmaking, its largest industrial polluter.
Methane isn’t the only pollutant escaping. As the EPA documented at Brent Run Landfill in Genesee County, hydrogen sulfide, volatile organic compounds, and hazardous air toxics have leaked into surrounding neighborhoods. These pollutants cause asthma attacks, nausea, cancer risks, and other health harms. 78 percent of Michigan’s landfills are located in communities where cancer and melanoma rates are above the state average.
Michigan did take a step forward in 2023 with Public Act 235, requiring the Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) to set “best practices” for landfill methane controls. The law also closes some loopholes by requiring earlier installation of gas collection systems than federal rules mandate. But unless EGLE sets strong, comprehensive standards, this opportunity will be squandered.
Other states have already moved ahead. Colorado, Maryland, Washington, and California have adopted stricter rules, mandating tighter well spacing for gas capture, continuous monitoring with drones and satellites, stronger landfill covers, and rapid leak repairs. These practices are practical, proven, and cost-effective. Michigan should not lag behind.
Our modeling shows that if EGLE adopts modern standards, the state can cut landfill methane emissions nearly in half, avoiding 4.7 million metric tons of methane by 2050. Pairing these operational fixes with composting and recycling programs would deepen reductions even further.
The stakes are high. Right now, Michigan utilities are counting on 286,000 renewable energy credits per year from landfill gas. Without strict safeguards, polluting landfills could profit from so-called “clean energy” subsidies while still leaking dangerous amounts of methane. Ratepayers and taxpayers deserve better.
Michigan has a choice: continue business as usual, or enact strong landfill rules that protect public health, cut climate pollution, and build a fairer future. EGLE must seize this moment to require comprehensive monitoring, modern gas collection, and improved landfill covers statewide. Anything less leaves communities exposed and wastes one of our biggest chances to slow near-term climate change.
