Is It True? Or April Fools? PR Firm Says Toronto Trash Is Good For You!

For Immediate Release

LANSING—A coalition of environmental groups protested on April 1 outside a Lansing public relations firm's headquarters in an April Fools Day event aimed at exposing the Canadian waste industry's attempts to fool Michigan residents into accepting imported trash.

A spokesman for Don't Trash Michigan, a coalition of 24 organizations, said the 10:30 a.m. protest at the PR firm Marketing Resource Group Inc. was intended to send a message to the waste industry that Michigan won't be fooled by slick advertising, high-powered lobbying and corporate media spin.

"These guys think they can convince the public and the politicians that Toronto trash is good for Michigan," said Dan Farough, Don't Trash Michigan spokesman. "We're here to say 'rubbish' to that and to demand that our elected officials quit talking trash and start doing something about it."

The Don't Trash Michigan campaign wants Governor Granholm and the Michigan Legislature to enact new waste standards and landfill fees that would reduce the amount of imported waste coming into Michigan and expand recycling programs. Thus far the Michigan Legislature has failed to act on any proposals to reduce imported waste. Meanwhile, the waste industry has stepped up its lobbying and public relations efforts with the hiring of MRG, whose well-heeled clients include the Perrier water bottlers and the Phillip Morris tobacco company.

"MRG are the same folks who are promoting tobacco and selling us on the wonderful benefits of giving our west Michigan groundwater to a French water bottling corporation," said Brad Van Guilder of the Ecology Center. "Now they think they can sell us trash." Besides Phillip Morris USA and the Perrier Group of America, MRG's clients have included WorldCom, the insurance, mobile home and telephone industries in Michigan.

Don't Trash Michigan organizations include Central Detroit Christian, Citizens Environmental Alliance of Southwestern Ontario, Clean Water Action, Detroiters Working for Environmental Justice, East Michigan Environmental Action Council, Ecology Center, League of Conservation Voters, Michigan Environmental Council, NO WASTE, PIRGIM, Sierra Club, and West Michigan Environmental Action Council. A complete list and more information on the campaign can be found at www.stoptrash.org.

Contacts:
Brad van Guilder, Ecology Center, 734-761-3186 x114
bradvg@ecocenter.org
Dan Farough, Sierra Club, 517-484-2372

Links:
www.stoptrash.org