Overview:
- US Ecology Detroit South settled class action lawsuit with nearby residents in August.
- The agreement requires the facility, on the edge of the Poletown East neighborhood, to invest at least $1.56 million to prevent and mitigate odors.
- “It’s near impossible to entertain your guest(s) outdoors especially without subjecting them as well as yourself to this horrific odor,” says plaintiff Paul Burks.
In the months leading up to the December renewal of US Ecology Detroit South’s operating license by Michigan regulators, the hazardous waste facility reached a settlement agreement with nearby residents who sued the business, alleging nuisance and negligence due to the emission of noxious odors.
The parties reached a settlement in March 2025, and the court granted a $2.34 million judgment Aug. 8, 2025.
Residents Paul Burks, Jeffrey and Melanie Curry, who live within 1 mile of US Ecology Detroit South, are the lead plaintiffs in a class action lawsuit filed in Wayne County Circuit Court in January 2024.
The approximately 350 residents within a 1-mile radius of US Ecology Detroit South who signed on to the class action lawsuit are estimated to receive roughly $1,000 each. The three plaintiffs will receive an additional $2,500 per household.
The agreement requires US Ecology Detroit South, located at St. Aubin and Frederick on the edge of the Poletown East neighborhood, to invest at least $1.56 million through 2028 to improve its facility’s ability to “prevent and mitigate potential odor emissions in the future.”
Residents near US Ecology Detroit South: We can’t enjoy outdoor activities
Residents voiced their frustration and concern in the lawsuit about potential health hazards and lowered property values associated with the nuisance odors.
“It’s near impossible to entertain your guest(s) outdoors especially without subjecting them as well as yourself to this horrific odor,” Burks said in the complaint. “You absolutely smell stinky from even the briefest moments outside.”
Resident Sandra Boyd said that she “could not open my windows, or cook outside on my grill, or go jogging on nice days” due to the odors.
Roman Blahoski, a spokesperson for Republic Services, which owns US Ecology Detroit South, told Planet Detroit the company is “abiding by the terms of the agreement.”
Attorneys for the residents who sued and for US Ecology Detroit South did not respond to requests for comment on this story.
In the settlement agreement, US Ecology said it does not admit or concede to any wrongdoing, with the facility’s lawyers stating that the settlement avoids “further litigation expense and disruption of the management and operation of its business.”
US Ecology passes latest state inspection
The hazardous waste license renewed by the Michigan Department of Energy, Great Lakes, and the Environment (EGLE) allows the site to continue storing and treating millions of gallons of waste through 2035.
The court’s requirements for facility improvements are separate from the permit requirements of the state’s 10-year hazardous waste license, said Josef Stephens, an EGLE spokesperson.
“EGLE was not party to that lawsuit and does not monitor compliance with the court’s requirements,” Stephens said in an email.
“EGLE’s license requires EQD (US Ecology) to install odor control technology by Dec. 31, 2027. But, unlike the court order, our license does not specify a minimum amount to be spent.”
Residents called for US Ecology Detroit South to be shut down as state regulators considered the facility’s license renewal application, citing dozens of state air quality violations and complaining of noxious odors. In October, the Wayne County Commission unanimously approved a resolution in opposition to the facility’s license renewal.
US Ecology is required to meet multiple air quality conditions in the state license, including providing a new air quality control plan by March and sampling air conditions every six days. These steps will be reviewed by EGLE’s air quality division.
A new odor management plan explicitly limits the volumes of waste that can be treated in the facility’s tanks, which can store millions of gallons of hazardous-and non-hazardous materials at any given time.
Nuisance odors verified by EGLE staff “could result in 25% reduction in waste volume and reduction in treatment additives addition rate,” according to a recent EGLE presentation of the license conditions shared with Planet Detroit.
The last routine inspection conducted of US Ecology Detroit South was on Jan. 14, said Todd Zynda, an inspector for EGLE. The facility was confirmed to be in compliance, but will still have to meet the more stringent requirements of the new license, environmental regulators said.
“I’m kind of surprised that they agreed to this with us, but I’m happy that they did,” Zynda said, referring to US Ecology agreeing to the stricter terms of the new license.
Zynda made the comment while speaking at a Jan. 15 community meeting hosted by the Detroit Hamtramck Coalition for Advancing Healthy Environments.
“Before, if we give them an odor violation, they pay a stipulated penalty, and they were going to look into it. Now, there’s real impacts to what they are treating, and we have a regulatory authority to enforce them.”
🗳️ What’s next? Tips for civic action
Why it matters
⚡ The US Ecology Detroit South facility at St. Aubin and Frederick, which impacts the air quality on Detroit’s lower east side, settles a class action lawsuit filed by nearby residents over nuisance odors for $2.3 million. In December, the hazardous waste facility received a 10-year license renewal by Michigan’s environmental regulator.
Who’s making civic decisions
🏛️ Wayne County Circuit Court and the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy.
How to take civic action now
- 📅 Attend a monthly community meeting hosted by the Detroit Hamtramck Coalition for Advancing Healthy Environments, a community group made up of residents and concerned individuals who live in zip codes surrounded by industry on the east side.
- 📩 Send questions about the US Ecology license renewal to Tianna Kilgore, an environmental engineer with EGLE’s Materials Management Division at KilgoreT@Michigan.gov or 517-230-4395. The Materials Management Division oversees hazardous waste programs.
- 📱 Call the Pollution Emergency Alerting System (PEAS) hotline 24/7 to report an environmental or public health emergency at 800-292-4706.
What to watch for next
🗓️ The results of inspections of US Ecology Detroit South by Michigan regulators, environmental complaints made by residents, and the company’s follow-up on the terms of the class action lawsuit and its new operating license.
Civic impact
🌍 Reporting environmental complaints and participating in Michigan’s environmental regulation process creates a public record of the concerns of citizens, a fuller picture of air quality in the community, and presents more information for state officials who make decisions on polluting facilities.
⭐ Please let us know what action you took or if you have any additional questions. Please send a quick email to connect@planetdetroit.org.
MORE REPORTING ON US ECOLOGY
State renews Detroit hazardous waste facility’s license, adds new restrictions: ‘Our community efforts have made a difference’
In the lead-up to the state’s decision, neighbors, elected officials, and environmental activists advocated for the closure of US Ecology Detroit South.
Activists demand shutdown of Detroit hazardous waste facility with long violation history
US Ecology has received dozens of state violations for air quality noncompliance at the Frederick Street facility since 2014.
US Ecology hazardous waste facility’s neighbors urge license rejection: ‘Who wants to live in a place that’s massively polluted?’
Michigan’s environmental regulator issued an air quality violation for a US Ecology hazardous waste facility in Detroit on the same day as a public hearing on its license renewal.