Letter to the editor: Raise tipping fees and protect local control

April 1, 2025

State legislators are joining their constituents in pushing back on many of the more extreme actions federal officials are taking, and while it’s important to let Washington know where they stand, they also need to keep their eyes firmly on this ball: addressing state and local issues that they actually have control over.

For example, Michigan Act 250 of 2022 has a goal of reducing landfill waste by 45% and requires every county to establish a materials management committee to locally achieve that goal through various means, including diverting landfill waste to materials management facilities like anaerobic bio-digesters and commercial composters. And if a county doesn’t have sufficient facility capacity to meet the goal, then it is required to identify specific strategies to develop and fund additional capacity in a variety of ways, including imposing municipal utility service fees, special assessments, millages (not the voter-approved kind), and more.

Here’s something else you should know: About 25% of Michigan’s landfill waste is imported from other states and Canada. Here’s why: Our landfill tipping fees run about 35 cents a ton, whereas nearby states charge $5.30 a ton or more. Don’t be fooled by legislative talk about increasing these fees; both Republican and Democratic administrations have failed repeatedly to pass proposed bills to increase tipping fees, and there is absolutely no reason to believe this legislative session will be any different.

The irony of it all: the State’s absurdly low tipping fees generate mountains of out-of-state waste being dumped into Michigan landfills while the residents of the state are being required to reduce landfill waste — plus fork out extra cash if that’s what it takes to meet the state-mandated goal. And let’s not forget another of Act 250’s knife in the back to Michigan citizens: the outrageous dismissal of local rights by mandating that any ordinance, law, rule, or policy that prohibits or regulates the location or development of a materials management facility is unenforceable. So much for “home rule” and your wallet.

Our charming corner of Washtenaw County has its share of burdens due to gravel mines, hazardous pipelines, and developers eager to fill our rural space with wind farms, solar farms, and other “green technologies.” We certainly don’t want a landfill or anaerobic digester, or other materials management facility, mandated in our area without any ability of local zoning to control placement. We don’t want to incur additional taxes or millages to pay the cost of such facilities. The need for more landfill space, and other means of disposal, and their associated costs can be significantly reduced if tipping fees are raised.

What can you do? Make sure family and friends across the state know what’s happening with Act 250; and contact your legislators to voice concerns about the Act. Don’t wait. The time is NOW. Our wallets, and rights to govern locally, are under attack with the passage of Act 250.

Christine Mikesell
Freedom Township, MI

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by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and founder of the Manchester Mirror.