Much to the surprise of Michigan residents, the bright red garbage trucks that began plowing through Metro Detroit on Jan. 1 do not carry Michigan trash, but rather Canadian garbage from Toronto. While Michigan should not be mandated to accept any Canadian waste, this new route is particularly insulting to the entire state.

Toronto sends all of its trash to the Carleton Farms landfill in Sumpter Township. The route change means that the 130 trucks will now cross into the United States from the Blue Water Bridge instead of the Ambassador Bridge. Because the Blue Water Bridge is further north, the trucks will be in Michigan three times longer than before and will be traveling down I-94 during rush hour every weekday.

Not only will the trucks be an eyesore, but the Carleton Farms landfill produces an odor that is forcing some residents around the landfill to move out of the area. The caravan of garbage is also making traffic conditions unbearable for residents near the landfill. Michigan residents should not have to endure these types of inconveniences so that the city of Toronto can dump all of its trash in one Michigan landfill. Different environmental regulations between Canada and Michigan are also increasing the volume of trash.

Besides environmental concerns, many observers have noticed that the trucking of this trash is an unacceptable safety hazard. The Ontario Ministry of Transportation has given the hauling company an average safety rating. The trucks had 85 safety violations and 26 accidents from December 2000 to the end of 2002. Even some Canadian officials have complained that the trucks pose a threat to safety.

The daily shipment of garbage into Michigan also will slow down security checks on the border. The security check lines are already plagued by delays; further delays and security compromises so that Michigan can accept foreign trash are simply not worth the risk. U.S. Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Brighton) is concerned that the trucks could be used to sneak in hazardous materials; Polychlorinated biphenyls have slipped by undetected among loads of trash in the past.

Lawmakers, including Rogers, are now trying to regulate the shipment of trash into the state. Gov. Jennifer Granholm and Wayne County Executive Robert Ficano, both Democrats, have promised to try to control the shipments. Rogers has introduced legislation in Congress that would allow individual states to prohibit or regulate trash intake from other countries. Debate on this legislation should be moved forward so that Congress can address this important issue.

The parade of trucks that travels through Ontario and into Michigan during rush hour every day is not only disgusting, but it is also completely impractical. Michigan politicians should band together and refuse the refuse.