Challenging Borders

Since early December, the Canadian National Railway Co., Montreal, has been shipping construction and demolition debris from New Jersey to landfills in Rockwood, Mich., according to a report in the Lansing State Journal (Lansing, Mich.)

The New Jersey material is being unloaded 12 miles away from where Toronto ships 1 million tons of garbage per year to Carleton Farms landfill, located in Sumpter Township, according to the paper. According to the Lansing State Journal, the shipments have helped make Michigan the nation’s No. 3 importer of trash, taking in 5.2 million tons last year alone.

“They keep trying new twists to bring more trash in here,” Robert Ficano, Wayne County executive, tells the paper. “It’s an unconscionable situation to put our communities in. We realize there have to be landfills, but the courts have gone far in protecting the rights of the trash versus the rights to the citizens.”

According to the paper, Canadian National is not responding to an order from Wayne County—where Rockwood is located—to stop dumping the material within its borders.

“Our position is we’re in full compliance with all the federal legal requirements,” Jim Kvedaras, spokesman for Canadian National, tells the Lansing State Journal.