News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, May 19, 2005


LANSING - State Representatives LaMar Lemmons Jr. (D-Detroit) and LaMar Lemmons III (D-Detroit) today blasted Toronto officials for renewing the city's contract to continue sending its 1 million tons of garbage to a Sumpter Township landfill in western Wayne County.

"The main reason Toronto and other cities outside Michigan dump their trash here is because we are the cheapest," Rep. Lemmons III said. "These places will continue to dump here as long as we give them a bargain deal. We must enact these tough anti-trash bills to fight this garbage from pouring into our state. Only Tough laws and an expensive dumping charge will work."

The 44-member Toronto City Council voted Wednesday to renew its 3-year contract with Republic Services Inc., which is one of the largest waste companies in the United States. Toronto began sending all its trash to the Carleton Farms landfill in 2003.

The Detroit News reported in April that Toronto is spending $35.5 million for its waste hauling service. The News reported Toronto's manager of solid waste, Angelos Bacopoulos, as saying that Toronto's contract with Republic is among the cheapest in North America.

"Our streets, our cities and our way of life are at risk every time a garbage truck from Canada crosses our borders," said Rep. Lemmons Jr. "Every moment the Republicans shut out our bills, the greater the risk to us. The Republicans need to wake-up or step aside."

The centerpiece of the House Democrats' anti-trash legislation is a higher dumping charge of $7.50 per ton, up from the current 21 cents a ton. The five-bill package is languishing in committee after Republicans refused to give the bills a hearing.

For more, go to www.trash-o-meter.com.