- Proposed state legislation aims to tackle littering and dumping by raising fines and criminalizing large dumping.
- While the legislation emphasizes stricter penalties, advocates cite the importance of educational campaigns.
New legislation could help cut down on littering and dumping in Michigan by increasing fines and making it a misdemeanor to dump more than three cubic feet of garbage.
The Michigan Senate Energy and Environment Committee voted unanimously on Thursday to advance HB 4325, which passed the House in November with a vote of 103 to 4.
Rev. Cynthia Lowe from Detroit’s Paveway neighborhood was one of several Detroit and Highland Park residents who called in to the meeting to express support for the bill they say could cut down on the trash that has plagued their neighborhoods.
“People have targeted our community,” Lowe said. “They come here with all kinds of dumping… Instead of being able to build up our community, we’re continuously fighting the dumping.”
The legislation would amend Part 89 of the Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act. The bill maintains the current fines of between $800 and $1,500 for littering less than three cubic feet – about the size of a mini-fridge. These violations would remain civil infractions. But dumping larger amounts of trash would become a misdemeanor with fines of up to $10,000, depending on the severity of the offense.
A misdemeanor can carry jail time and the bill’s penalties also apply to an employer if the offender dumped at the employer’s direction. Funds collected as part of the penalties may also be shared with community groups or units of government for the cleanup required as a result of these violations.
During a previous hearing, bill sponsor Rep. Helena Scott (D-Detroit) said that she constantly receives complaints regarding illegal dumping and that the Detroit Public Works Department cleaned up nearly 700 tons of trash and 1,000 used tires per week in 2023.
“I think it’s a good bill,” said Sen. Roger Hauck (R-Mount Pleasant) at that hearing. “This affects everybody in everybody’s district.”
Samantha Pickering, public and environmental health policy coordinator for the Michigan Environmental Council, told Planet Detroit the bill could help reduce not only the trash on the street in Detroit but also what winds up in the Detroit River and the Great Lakes.
A recent investigation found that 90% of water samples taken in the Great Lakes contained microplastics, tiny plastic pieces that pose a risk to humans and wildlife, which can come from a number of sources, including litter.
However, Pickering doesn’t believe that fines alone can solve littering problems.
“We’ve always rooted for having a litter reduction campaign, some good messaging and education throughout the community,” she said.
Education will be necessary to alert people to the new littering law, should it pass, Pickering said. She added that the most effective messaging would involve positive reinforcement. For example, Birmingham, England’s “Bin it for Good” program was able to reduce litter by 30% on streets with trash cans that promised to make charitable donations that corresponded to the amount of waste placed in the cans.
But in Michigan, there is an appetite for more punitive measures, especially for those dumping large amounts of trash.
Betty A. Varner, president of the Desoto Ellsworth Block Association on Detroit’s west side, said stiffer penalties are needed for the ongoing dumping in her neighborhood. She said her group frequently calls for special pickups of dumped materials, which attract rodents and has resulted in one fire.
“We’re an active block club, I must say that, and we’re doing great work,” Varner said. “We need this bill… so that we can have a thriving, beautiful neighborhood.”