The Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy has issued a new operating license to a controversial hazardous waste facility.
The US Ecology South site on Detroit’s east side has been operating with state approval — but no formal permit — since 2008. During that time, it’s racked up dozens of environmental violations, and is currently under a state consent agreement. Neighbors have long complained about noxious odors coming from the facility.
The new license is “subject to updated and strengthened conditions designed to improve protection of the surrounding community and the environment,” EGLE said in a release Tuesday. It includes expanded air and groundwater monitoring, upgrading some storage tanks, and implementing a nuisance odor abatement plan by the end of 2027.
“EGLE retains full enforcement authority to ensure compliance with all license conditions,” the agency said.
The approval comes after a public comment period dominated by opposition to renewing the facility's permit, and less than a month after a coalition of environmental and community groups demanded it be shut down due to ongoing violations.
Republic Services, the facility’s corporate parent company, has said that US Ecology already updated some equipment and procedures to reduce environmental risks and odors, and that the company provides a “safe, essential hazardous waste disposal for hundreds of businesses across Michigan and the Midwest.”
