LANSING, MI – Gov. Gretchen Whitmer proposes a significant increase in landfill tipping fees to reduce the flow of imported trash into Michigan and pay for pollution cleanups.
Under the Democrat governor’s fiscal 2026 budget proposal, the state fee levied on landfill waste disposal would be increased from 36 cents to $5 per ton, phased in over five years.
State lawmakers did not approve a similar budget proposal last year, but the governor is trying again after altering how increased revenues would be spent. This time, 45% of the estimated $80 million in annual revenue from the hike would be returned to communities that will most likely face higher waste disposal costs if the plan is implemented.
According to state officials, the proposed increase would bring Michigan’s fee in line with that of other Midwestern states. Whitmer’s goal is twofold: to deter Canadian and out-of-state trash and to increase state funding for legacy pollution cleanup.
Michigan is “No. 1 per capita in the country in terms of landfill waste, so not necessarily something to be proud of,” according to Phil Roos, director of the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy. “We want to try to reduce or eliminate that disproportionate impact of trash coming into the state.”
In 2024, approximately 19% of the waste landfilled in Michigan came from outside the state. Of that total, 14% came from Canada.
Last year, our international neighbor disposed of 3.64 million tons of waste in Michigan. Ohio was the next largest importer, sending more than 658,000 tons here last year.
Records show that the total amount of solid waste sent to Michigan landfills increased by more than 5% last year compared to 2023 figures. Michigan residents generated 1.3 million tons of waste, while imported waste decreased by more than 52,000 tons last year.
According to Whitmer’s latest budget proposal, 30% of tipping fee revenues would be used to reimburse local communities that are expected to pay more for trash and recycling services. Another 15% would go to a state grant fund for communities with landfills and coal ash impoundments.
According to Roos, the majority of the revenues will be used to continue EGLE’s work cleaning up legacy contamination sites. State officials have a list of over 26,000 hazardous waste sites, at least half of which are considered “orphaned” by polluters.
As in previous years, the proposed increase has sparked opposition.
The Michigan Waste and Recycling Association is opposed to the fee increase, arguing that it will raise the cost of essential services across the state. “An increase of this magnitude would add costs to virtually every resident in the state, as well as local governments, hospitals, public safety organizations, and school districts,” according to a statement from the waste hauling industry group.
Others in the waste and recycling sector are unsure whether the proposal will achieve both of Whitmer’s stated objectives.
According to Michael Csapo, general manager of the Resource Recovery and Recycling Authority of Southwest Oakland County, there are legitimate reasons to raise landfill tipping fees to offset costs borne by surrounding communities.
“Monies can flow to a host community that may be experiencing things like increased truck traffic, litter, odors, potential threats to the surrounding ecosystem,” according to Csapo. “Monies should also flow to municipalities from that fund to help fund recycling to mitigate the impact on the ecosystem from landfilling.”
However, he stated that the latest proposed increase is unlikely to close the gap between the availability and cost of landfilling in Canada and trucking it to Michigan. To accomplish this, he believes the surcharge would have to be increased even further.
“Saying you want to reduce waste imports is a politically expedient sound bite, but it does not reflect reality. Csapo said that raising the tip fee to $5 would not reduce Canadian waste.
Nonetheless, he believes that if adopted, the plan will be successful in increasing state revenues.
Whitmer is not the first governor to propose increasing Michigan’s landfill surcharge. Republican Governor Rick Snyder proposed increasing the tipping fee to $4.75 per ton in 2018.
Meanwhile, Michigan officials are working on a multi-year overhaul of solid waste regulations that will shift the focus away from landfills and toward recycling.
Part 115 of the state’s Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act was amended during the lame duck session at the end of 2022. To comply with new regulations, county and regional groups are currently studying their waste streams and working to increase recycling rates.
