Did you know that Lenawee County produces more than 4,000 tons of waste every month? That’s a lot of trash! And a new law from the State of Michigan is requiring us, and every other county, to throw out all our old solid waste plans and replace it with a new Materials Management Plan (MMP) that focuses on keeping as much of that waste out of the landfill as possible.
The law passed at the end of 2022, but the official “jumpstart” of the plan-writing process began in January 2024. There are many state-mandated steps along the three years we have to create and implement that plan.
Along the way, there will be plenty of opportunity for public input and part of my job is to make this process as transparent and digestible for all involved as possible! It’s no easy task — as there are so many moving pieces, an incredible number of acronyms and many meetings.
Here’s a quick guide as to where we are so far, and what’s next in the process.
What is the county’s role in Material’s Management?
The county is not responsible for collecting that trash — that’s for your municipality or the provider you subscribe to. However, we do have a Solid Waste Plan that helps us track the amount of garbage produced in the county and ensure it is disposed of properly. We also provide waste diversion opportunities, such as our recycling drop-off site and our community collection events.
With the new plan, the county will be expected to set waste diversion goals, recycling goals, and even goals for managing organic waste. We will be responsible for implementing a plan to reach these goals, both through providing more opportunities for our residents and through education.
What’s with the acronyms?
As noted above, there are many moving parts to these plans, but here are a few acronyms we are working with now:
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MMP: Materials Management Plan
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CAA: County Approval Agency. The Lenawee County Board of Commissioners voted to become this for our community, rather than letting the regional planning authority or the state do it. This will retain local control over the process.
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MMPC: Materials Management Planning Committee. This is the group that will oversee the writing of the plan. We currently have a Solid Waste Committee, and this new group will eventually be its replacement. It has a state-mandated makeup of individuals representing a variety of solid waste touchpoints such as waste haulers (Stevens Disposal), recycling collectors (Goodwill Industries) and elected officials from cities and townships.
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DPA: Designated Planning Agency. This is the county department that will handle all the administrative work for this process such as data gathering, meeting coordination and the actual writing of the plan. The Board of Commissioners chose the Health Department, specifically the Solid Waste Program Coordinator (me) for this role.
Where are we in the process?
After the state kickstarted the planning process in January, the county had 180 days to decide if it was going to be the approval agency over its own plan, and also decide if it wanted to work with adjacent counties on a multi-county plan. Lenawee County will be writing its own plan, and within the next two months we will file our notice of intent with the state that we will do so.
The members of the Materials Management Planning Committee will be appointed in May, with its first meeting expected in June. Keep an eye out on the county’s website for meeting dates and times.
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I am in the process of writing our state-required work plan for the materials management process, which will outline every step we must follow, including timeline and budget. Once this work plan is approved by the MMPC — our regional planning authority — and Michigan’s Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy Department (EGLE), we will be eligible for money from the state to help fund both the planning process and its implementation.
Keep your eyes out for a survey this summer, as we want to know what our residents want when it comes to recycling and waste diversion options. With that information, the MMPC can create a plan that not only meets the state mandates but provides the residents of Lenawee County with the services they need.
— Julie Maurer is the coordinator of the Solid Waste and Materials Management Program for the Lenawee County Health Department. She can be contacted at 517-264-5263 or via email at julie.maurer@lenawee.mi.us.
This article originally appeared on The Daily Telegram: Julie Maurer: Lenawee County to write new Materials Management Plan