At the current rate of incoming trash, the Arbor Hills Landfill will reach its permitted capacity within 3 years and will need to close its gates. Space is so limited that the truck scales at the landfill entrance were relocated to make room for the last shipments of trash.
Green for Life (GFL) has proposed building a new landfill on a property it owns directly north of the current landfill. This land is currently used as a composting facility and for storing soils used as landfill cover. The amount of earthwork performed at this site over the past year has led many, including The Conservancy Initiative, to speculate that GFL has begun preparing the site for a NEW LANDFILL. We have contacted both EGLE and GFL and were assured that a NEW LANDFILL cannot be built until all necessary permits are obtained; a process expected to take several years.
Update on NEW LANDFILL Approval Process
Upcoming Material Management Planning
Meeting Topics
Aug – Oct 2025 ……… Recycling Organics
Nov – Dec 2025 …….. Special Materials (Construction, Demo, etc.)
Jan 2026 ……………… Public Engagement
Feb – Mar 2026 …….. Capacity and Siting
Apr – May 2026 …….. Funding and Implementation
The most important step in the approval process for a NEW LANDFILL has begun. A committee comprised of local elected officials, representatives from the waste and waste diversion industries, and environmental groups has been meeting monthly for almost a year. This committee is tasked with developing a plan to meet the requirements of recently updated waste regulations in Michigan. The primary focus of this committee is to create a plan to increase Michigan’s waste recycling rates to 30% by 2029 and eventually to 45%. Current recycling rates are 20% – 25%. Increasing our recycling rate will decrease the need for landfill space.
EGLE cannot consider a permit application for a NEW LANDFILL until the host county, Washtenaw County, has included the need for a NEW LANDFILL in its Material Management Plan (MMP).
If Washtenaw County approves the NEW LANDFILL by including it in its MMP, it is almost certain that the remaining required permits will be granted, and the NEW LANDFILL will a scar on the horizon of Northville, Plymouth, Novi, and Canton Townships for many generations.
The MMP committee meetings are open to the public. At the end of the 90-minute meetings, every attendee is allowed 2 minutes (strictly enforced) to address the committee with comments. The committee has not begun discussing the possibility of the NEW LANDFILL yet, but public comments can address any concerns (odors, PFAS in the creek, traffic, litter, noise, image of the area, etc.).
Upcoming Washtenaw County MMP Meetings Schedule
Wed, Aug 13, 2025, 10:00 a.m.
Wed, Sep 10, 2025, 10:00 a.m.
Wed, Oct 8, 2025, 10:00 a.m.
Wed, Nov 12, 2025, 10:00 a.m.
Wed, Dec 10, 2025, 10:00 a.m.
Meeting Location
Washtenaw County Learning Resource Center, 4135 Washtenaw Avenue, Ann Arbor, MI 48108
How Can I Help?
The meetings are held at 10 AM on the second Wednesday of every month at the Washtenaw County Learning Center near Washtenaw Road and US-23. Even though the committee does not plan to formally address the landfill question until February 2026, your comments and concerns will be allowed. This committee represents our only chance to STOP the NEW LANDFILL, so please make time to attend and comment at these meetings.
In January 2026, the committee will be holding Public Hearings in the evenings at various locations in Washtenaw County. The Conservancy Initiative will be distributing detailed information on these meetings in the future.
