Judge Blocks Michigan Trash Laws From Taking Effect On Friday

Detroit — A federal judge in Detroit on Friday granted a 30-day injunction to block Michigan’s new out-of-state trash laws from taking effect on Oct. 1. U.S. District Court Judge Avern Cohn determined "that the details have not yet been worked out for a system that would determine if out-of-state waste meets the requirements set out in the law," according to The Associated Press (AP). He set an Oct. 20 hearing to review the progress of the implementation of the law.

The out-of-state law says that trash imports that contain items prohibited from state landfills — such as tires, beer bottles and used oil — can be returned to the state or country exporting them. The law was passed in large part to stem the flow of Canadian trash into Michigan.

The Washington, D.C.-based National Solid Wastes Management Association filed the lawsuit to block the law, claiming it violated the U.S. Constitution by interfering with interstate commerce. According to the AP, "Cohn said the law as written ‘would pass Constitutional muster,’ but he was concerned about the application."