By Julia Roeder
Illinois becomes first Great Lakes state to classify plastic pellets as a pollutant.
Waste
Trash on ice sparks movement to keep waterways clean
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By Lily Cole
No matter the season, organizations across the Great Lakes region are fighting to keep waterways garbage-free.
Waste
Bill would expand Michigan’s bottle deposit law while some want to abolish it
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By Christian Vazquesz
A Michigan state senator is pushing for a statewide vote to expand the 10-cent bottle and can deposit law, while the Midwest Independent Retailers Association is calling for repeal of the law. Meanwhile, the state House approved a bill sponsored by a Clinton Township representative to give an income tax write-off to beverage distributors that move recycled cans and bottles from stores to recycling plants.
Waste
Michigan is last state without a septic system code. Will that change?
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By Justin Fox Clausen
Lawmakers are making another effort to adopt Michigan’s first statewide septic code with mandatory inspections, intended to protect drinking water from contamination. It’s the only state without one.
Land
Michigan allocates $77 million to clean thousands of contaminated sites
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By Clara Lincolnhol
Michigan is pouring $77 million into clean-up of contaminated abandoned real estate such as former factories. The director of the Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy says the goal is to make the cleaned-up sites safe for housing, commercial developments and other uses.
Nearshore
What herring gulls tell us about plastic pollution
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By Victoria Witke
Christina Petalas, a doctoral student McGill University, studies herring gulls to learn about plastic pollution near the St. Lawrence River. Across two studies, she found plastic additives in every bird sampled, which could have human health consequences.
Waste
Michigan launches first annual Microplastics Awareness Week
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By Julia Belden
The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy and governor are marking Michigan’s first Microplastics Awareness Week. Scientists are now finding microplastics in the human body but don’t know their long-term effects.
Waste
Michigan court clears South Haven in beach drowning suit
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By Eric Freedman
The Michigan Court of Appeals has cleared the city of South Haven of liability in the 2020 drowning of an 18-year-old swimmer at a public beach on the Lake Michigan coast.
Waste
Toxic chemical from Gelman Plume found in water wells in Scio Township, Michigan
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By Rachel Lewis
Michigan environmental officials found 1,4-dioxane, a toxic chemical, in six residential water wells in Scio Township during annual state testing. The dioxane, coming from the Gelman Plume, ranged between 0.33 to 0.86 parts per billion (ppb), well under the state Department of Environment, Great Lakes and Energy’s (EGLE) drinking water limit of 7.2 ppb. Although the state says the water is safe, some advocates for a more aggressive plume cleanup say the new detection suggests the plume is moving north. They say it could be dangerous if it reaches Barton Pond, Ann Arbor’s main water source.
Waste
EPA restricts use of chemicals used in dry cleaning, brake cleaners
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By Elinor Epperson
The Environmental Protection Agency has banned the use of perchloroethylene in dry cleaning processes. The chemical will be phased out over a 10-year period.
The EPA has banned all uses of trichloroethylene (TCE) and most uses of perchloroethylene (PCE). Those are cancer-causing chemicals used in a variety of consumer products and industrial processes. TCE is used in spray coatings for arts and crafts, for example. The new rules will ban both chemicals from all consumer products, most within a year, according to the EPA.
Waste
Minnesota debates what counts as carbon-free energy
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By Ruth Thornton
A recent decision by Minnesota’s Public Utilities Commission could mean that wood and trash will be considered “carbon-free” energy sources under the state’s new climate law. The law, passed in 2023, requires all electricity to come from carbon-free sources by 2040, with interim goals defined for 2030 and 2035. However, it did not define which energy sources meet that definition and instead tasked the PUC to make that decision with public input. At first glance, the definition of carbon-free energy seems straightforward. But there is disagreement over the details.