On January 29, Michigan’s Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy (EGLE) approved a renewed operating license for the Wayne Disposal hazardous waste landfill in Van Buren Township. This decision allows the Republic Services–owned facility to expand its capacity by more than 24%, increasing total landfill volume from about 22.4 million cubic yards to nearly 27.9 million cubic yards. The license also authorizes new storage areas for untreated hazardous waste, including PCBs and low-level radioactive materials.

This landfill sits in a densely populated area near Belleville Lake and waterways that ultimately feed the Great Lakes. State Rep. Reggie Miller has warned that the decision affects the health and safety of roughly 350,000 people within a 10-mile radius. Residents, local officials, and lawmakers packed public meetings and submitted hundreds of comments opposing the expansion, yet the license was approved anyway.

Wayne Disposal is licensed to accept 722 different types of hazardous waste. According to federal data cited in reporting, waste handled at this site in recent years has included PCBs, PFAS “forever chemicals,” arsenic, asbestos, cyanide compounds, dioxins, and acute hazardous wastes that can cause serious harm even in small exposures. The renewed license also allows on-site storage of more than 1,600 cubic yards of not-yet-treated hazardous and radioactive waste, raising concerns about spills, leaks, fires, or transportation accidents before treatment even occurs.

While EGLE states the facility meets current regulatory standards, many residents believe those standards do not adequately account for cumulative health risks, long-term exposure, or the consequences of expanding hazardous waste storage in a residential region already burdened by pollution. Public health is not limited to whether a facility meets minimum compliance today — it includes long-term cancer risk, water safety, air quality, emergency preparedness, and peace of mind for families living nearby.

This petition urges Governor Gretchen Whitmer, EGLE Director Phil Roos, and the Michigan Legislature to intervene by halting or reversing this expansion, strengthening state hazardous-waste laws, and prioritizing the health and safety of Michigan residents over continued growth of a single toxic site.

Michigan should not place hundreds of thousands of people at risk to accommodate more hazardous waste. Sign this petition to demand a safer, fairer path forward for Wayne County and the Great Lakes region.