Tell the City of Detroit: Create a Host Community Agreement (HCA) between the City of Detroit and U.S. Ecology Detroit South

Our family has lived downwind from the stench and airborne dust of U.S. Ecology (soon to be Republic Services) Detroit South hazardous waste solidification plant for 15 years. U.S. Ecology Detroit South has consistently been among the worst industrial polluters in Detroit – filling our neighborhood around their Frederick Street facility with odors resembling a mix of rotten fish and strong chemical smells. 

Since 2014, the hazardous waste storage and treatment site has received 23 violation notices from the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) due to noxious odor violations. 

Tell the City of Detroit to stop treating its neighborhoods like a toxic dumping ground and endangering the health of our neighbors and loved ones.

My family has asthma as a result of years of corporate polluters using Detroit as their dumping grounds. In addition to odors, particulate matter released by U.S. Ecology causes our asthma to flare. Our neighbors and co-managers of Rising Pheasant Farms, Carolyn Leadley and Jack VanDyke, said at a recent community meeting, “You can see truck tire tracks in the powder coming out of the facility and it affects our breathing when we bike nearby with our children.” 

“Our children, like ALL children, deserve and demand fresh air to play, learn and grow in. Noxious smells from the U.S. Ecology Detroit South plant hinder our family’s enjoyment of our neighborhood and our own backyard and pose potential health risks to growing children,” says Carolyn.

Sign our petition and join people like Carolyn and Jack who are taking a stand for clean air and community health.

We need a host community agreement (HCA) between the City of Detroit and U.S. Ecology Detroit South to help protect residents. An HCA is a legal agreement between the City and a polluting facility that establishes specific community guidelines and regulations that are tailored to the needs of the community. HCAs have been used successfully across the county since the 1990s to lift up the voices of impacted communities. 

We are planting a vegetative buffer between us and the hazardous waste facility in an effort to keep our air clean. But, U.S. Ecology should be doing the work to protect the neighborhood from their odors and pollution. 

Help protect the air we breathe. Tell the City of Detroit to create a host community agreement with U.S. Ecology.

U.S. Ecology Detroit South is in the process of applying for a permit renewal through EGLE to continue operating their facility. Now is the time to pursue additional community protections through an HCA before their permit is renewed! June 2022 is a critical date in the renewal process. We need to make our voices heard now!

Hold community polluters accountable and support the Detroit residents who are fighting for safe and clean air to breathe. Please sign up for updates on this petition to see how you can get involved in the HCA process!

Birch and Kinga Kemp