Warren council approves amendment to expand Pine Tree Acres landfill and recycling transfer plan

The Warren City Council approved an amendment to its solid waste management plan on March 10 after a presentation from Waste Management that outlined an expansion of the Pine Tree Acres landfill and a plan to transfer recyclables to a new materials recycling facility in Detroit.

Jim Hammond, who identified himself at the meeting as an area director of operations for Waste Management, told the council that the company’s current disposal site had roughly six years of remaining life at current volumes and that the proposed changes would “generate an additional 25 years of disposal capacity” while adding a transfer station to move recycling to a recently built facility in Detroit. Hammond said the company invested $55,000,000 in the Detroit recycling plant and that the amendment would help the city meet mandated recycling goals over multiple planning horizons.

Council members pressed about host-community approvals and whether neighboring Lenox Township had already reviewed the project. The presenter confirmed Lenox Township is the host community and has approved the plan. Council members also asked about local service impacts and options to manage future recycling requirements under the county’s master plan.

After discussion, the council moved to adopt the proposed resolution amending the city’s solid waste management plan. The motion carried by voice vote.

The amendment does not itself authorize construction work or final permitting; the presenter said further project-level approvals would follow required permitting and host-community processes. The council did not attach conditions beyond the standard request for staff to ensure statutory and host-community requirements are met.

Next steps: staff will file the amended plan and track any subsequent permit or land-use notifications tied to Pine Tree Acres and the proposed transfer operations.