Why Canada Gets to Dump Its Trash in Michigan
Michigan is a cheap place to dump and Nafta made waste not subject to tariffs
By Charlie LeDuff @Charlieleduff
It’s the Canadians, again.
They’re literally dumping on us. Millions of tons of industrial waste pour into Michigan’s landfills every year from Canada. Enough to build two Empire State Buildings of garbage.
We can’t stop it. And it’s all the fault of Nafta and the U.S. Constitution.
That notorious trade deal provided the legal framework that prevents Michigan from stopping Toronto’s detritus from passing through Detroit. Under the compact, solid waste is legally classified as a “commodity.” And because that commodity—garbage—is entirely “manufactured” in North America, it avoids a tariff.
Man in shirt points at Canadian garbage truck highlighting cross-border waste disposal issues
Michigan’s dumping fees are cheap—about half the cost of Ontario’s. It’s so cheap neighboring states also dump on us. We���re surrounded by more garbage per person than any state in the Union.
New York recently tried hauling in nuclear waste from the World War II-era Manhattan Project. Ohio attempted to truck in toxic phosgene dregs from the East Palestine train disaster. Phosgene is a substance so deadly that it’s banned by the Geneva Convention. Intense local opposition stopped both Ohio and New York’s poison from being buried here, but their highways, byways, and baby diapers still pour in every day and there’s not much we can do about it.
But then there’s Canada: a nation of environmental moralizers who live in a vast expanse but can’t seem to find a place to put their garbage besides their neighbor’s lawn.
Person waves at passing truck near stop sign as Canadian waste haulers transport garbage to Michigan landfills
The Constitution’s commerce clause forbids Michigan from charging out-of-state and international garbage haulers a higher price than we pay ourselves. That can only be done by an act of Congress. And you know Michigan’s unserious Congressional delegation.
So we in the Great Lakes State are stuck with mountains of foreign shit, the stench of methane and rot, and hundreds of Canadian trucks busting up our roads each day.
There is too much division in Michigan between the red-hatters and the green-thumbers. But I’ve got an idea I think we can all agree upon.
Tariff their garbage. Big beautiful tariffs. The best tariffs probably in the history of the world. The president has sweeping executive powers. Put a 100% tariff on Canadian garbage, and we can stop the flow altogether.
And after that, maybe we can talk about opening the new bridge.
Keep going.
You are riding the tiger now.
You will ride it until the end, or you will die.
If you give the British government a single minute of breathing room, they will arrest every single person involved and institute the most crushing oppression you have ever seen.
Spielberg says “Crispin Glover is right I am a pedophile. My new movie will challenge your god to a freak off. I make movies for pedophiles because I’m also the president of it. I do porn with my daughter. See my new movie it’s about how gay Hollywood is and we’re all trans.”
Wow
Spielberg says “Crispin Glover is right I am a pedophile. My new movie will challenge your god to a freak off. I make movies for pedophiles because I’m also the president of it. I do porn with my daughter. See my new movie it’s about how gay Hollywood is and we’re all trans.”
Wow
Governor Whitmer had a hot mic moment at the Saline Data Center groundbreaking, where she tells Oracle CEO Clay Magouyrk, “We’re used to people saying f*ck no, and doing it anyway.” I’m old enough to remember when she doxxed Marshall constituents who opposed her BlueOval project.
Anthony Bourdain died on this day eight years ago and him describing Waffle House is still the single-most important description of America that has ever been articulated.
@sippicup2 This is getting ridiculous. It’s the most open and shut case of murder and they’re acting like he’s being oppressed. They’re so fucking stupid.
UFC Fighter Bryce Mitchell's Message to Ben Shapiro:
"I promise you, if you lay one little greasy finger on Candace Owens, I will beat your ass. He wants us to go die and bomb Muslim kids for his Jewish people."
🚨🚨Just in case you missed it. Here is Benjamin Netanyahu in his own words, thanking Congress for implementing “his plan” to take over the US military and intelligence services..🚨🚨