Every day, 415 trucks filled with Canadian garbage, 111 of them from Toronto, cross the border into Michigan to dump their loads. The motor state is also a favourite destination for waste from Illinois, Indiana, Ohio and elsewhere, but Toronto—sending more than 960,000 tons south every year—is the largest single source. The issue has become a hot political topic; Dianne Byrum, the state Democratic leader, is trying to put an end to Michigan’s status as everyone’s dumping ground.

Michigan recently passed a law banning trash imports from Canada. Will it work?
It’s very pie-in-the-sky. It gives Michigan the authority to ban imports of Canadian trash outright—if our federal government ever gives the state that authority. But the U.S. Congress has failed to act on this issue for the 16 years that I have been in the Michigan legislature. I don’t expect that to change.

You import large volumes of trash from elsewhere, too. Has Michigan become the Landfill of America?
It used to be just Toronto, but now the GTA suburbs and other Ontario cities are shipping to us. At 21 cents a ton, we are the cheapest place in the Great Lakes region and we think we ought to be the most expensive.

A recent report from the Department of Homeland Security says garbage trucks are crossing the border unscreened. Are you concerned about trash terrorism?
There have been all kinds of illegal substances crossing the border hidden in trash, from drugs to human waste to cash. We ought to be doing something to shore up a weak point at the border crossing.

I understand there have been some road spills of Canadian garbage.
Yes, including a recent one in March. A truck’s rear latch opened up as it crossed the railroad tracks, spilling sludge and forcing the closing of the road. That was the second time this year. The earlier spill was in January, so the sludge froze. It shut down several blocks and a major highway.

If you’re welcoming trash from everywhere, why is there more indignation over Canadian trash than, say, New Jersey trash?
Because we get more trash from Canada. I want to be clear: we love Canada. We just don’t love Canadian trash. When you’ve got the vast spaces that you have in Canada, you should be able to landfill your own trash instead of trucking it halfway across Michigan to dispose of it in Wayne County. It just doesn’t seem logical.