Michigan is known for its lakes, sparkling rivers, forests, and campgrounds. And for being a great, cheap place to dump your trash, at least if you’re a Canadian waste hauler.
Consider this: It costs $64 to dump a ton of trash in a landfill in Windsor, over $100 in Ottawa, and on the U.S. side of the border, you’d pay $12.99 a ton in Wisconsin.
Here in Michigan? It costs 21 cents per ton.
And that Canadian trucker hauling the trash pays just five dollars to cross at the border.
It’s a small wonder that Michigan has become a mighty attractive destination for Canadian businesses looking to get rid of their trash.
Just why is our state so ‘cheap and easy’ when it comes to Canadian trash?
Barry Rabe teaches public and environmental policy at the University of Michigan at the Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy, and he joined us today to discuss the issue.
Listen to the full interview above.
