Michigan

Natural Resources

Michigan's natural resources were not always regarded as something to preserve or conserve. During its colonization over the course of the 19th century, Michigan's abundant forests were often considered wasteland and were burned as part of laying claim to Native American territory and making way for new farms and villages. As Michigan moved from a leading source of beaver pelts to agricultural produce, timber, and ore, there was a similar embrace of industry and accumulation at the expense of environments and their inhabitants. In the early 20th century, innovations like the modern assembly line and the $5 day made Michigan industry synonymous with the spread of mass production and consumption, and a concomitant overproduction of waste.

Automobile Industry

The Fordism of the automobile industry was not merely emblematic of these transformations but also created waste problems of its own. On the one hand, there are the waste products of cars, such as exhaust, which has been held responsible for rising levels in greenhouse gases associated with climate change. On the other hand, there is the afterlife of the car body as it breaks down or is replaced with a [Page 542]newer model. General Motors' (GM) CEO, Alfred P. Sloan, helped introduce the concept of planned obsolescence by promoting annual changes in automobile styles to encourage consumers to continually buy new vehicles and dispose of old ones, which cultural critics like Vance Packard would later hold responsible for the profligate production of waste associated with U.S. economic life.

While Michigan's recycling rates are lower than the U.S. average, its rates of incineration and landfilling are higher, in part due to an arrangement with Toronto, Canada, to accept their solid waste. In 2006 alone, Michigan accepted 12 million cubic yards from Canada.

Henry Ford recognized this as a problem and aimed to promote a disassembly line that would take apart old cars and recycle their components. The frequent replacement of automobiles supplies raw materials for Michigan's strong scrap industry, which produces metal and spare parts for sale through the recycling of old cars in junkyards. In 2009, the federal Car Allowance Rebate System or “Cash for Clunkers” bill was sponsored by Michigan congressmen and signed into law. This bill provided incentives for car owners to scrap their old cars in order to purchase more fuel-efficient vehicles and stimulate demand for the automobile-dependent economy of the Midwest.

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