A package of bills passed by the Michigan Legislature and
presented to Governor Snyder on June 13, 2014 to be signed into
law, allows for a number of industrial by-products to be
beneficially reused. Various amendments to Michigan's Natural
Resources and Environmental Protection Act (NREPA) facilitate the
beneficial reuses for the byproducts by excluding them from the
definition of "solid waste" and exempting these materials
from water resources permitting and contaminated property
remediation requirements.
The effect of this legislation is the reduction of landfill
disposal of these low hazard materials and the facilitation of
their beneficial reuse. Beneficial use by-products include various
low hazardous materials such as coal ash; pulp and paper mill
residuals; cement kiln dust; foundry sand and stamp sands;
construction debris and excavated soils/sediments; drinking water
treatment sludge; and other materials and uses approved by Michigan
DEQ. Subject to various
