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DEQ Denies Permit for Hamtramck Incinerator

Score One for the Urban Environment

February/March Issue, 2005

Ecology Center efforts to close downthe last incinerator of its kind inMichigan recently took a giant leapforward. The state Department of Environmental Quality in January denied apermit application from Michigan Waste Services, operators of a medical waste incinerator located in Hamtramck.The application would have allowed the company to change its method ofburning medical waste.

Citing the company’s continued failure to implement a mercuryreduction plan and to complete required maintenance activities and records, the DEQ also announced that it wouldbegin a process to permanently closethe facility.

The DEQ’s tough stance comes after nine years of protests, hearings, letter-writing campaigns, flyers, and a final petition drive by the Hamtramck Environmental Action Team, the Ecology Center, the Sierra Club, and others

In 1988 there were 157 medical waste incinerators operating in Michigan. Today there is only one left.

“Community opposition to this incinerator is extraordinary,” says Ecology Center Wayne County Organizer Brad van Guilder. “There are 27 different languages spoken in Hamtramck Public Schools -- community members distributed informational flyers in 5 different languages -- but the people spoke against this facility with one unified voice.”

The Hamtramck incinerator has a long history of ignoring clean air regulations and compliance orders. It violated environmental standards more than 40 times in 2003 and was temporarily shut down by the DEQ. Last April, the state sued the company over repeated pollution law violations. The January permit denial allows the facility to continue operating while the DEQ holds public hearings on its permanent closure.

In 1988 there were 157 medical waste incinerators operating in Michigan. Today there is only one left. Already, the Ecology Center and its allies are planning for its final demise. “Local groups that worked hard to get this far will surely stay on the case,” editorialized the Detroit Free Press in early February.“Their dedication is paying off, and the DEQ’s tough stance is welcome.”

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