HB 5438 Summary

• Amends the definition of "solid waste" under Michigan's Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Act to exclude paper mill waste treatment sludge when stored and applied to land for agricultural or silvicultural purposes.

• Paper mills claiming the exclusion must prepare and maintain records for 5 years identifying storage and application sites, site owners, and volumes applied, with records available to the department upon request.

• Application of paper mill sludge must comply with Parts 31 and 55 of the act, not create a nuisance, occur at agronomic rates, and be consistent with the Michigan Right to Farm Act.

• Revises and reorganizes subsections (g) through (l) of the solid waste definition to add paper mill sludge exclusion while maintaining existing exclusions for food processing residuals, wood ashes, lime from pulping, and aquatic plants used in agricultural or silvicultural applications.

• Modifies provisions for fly ash and coal combustion byproducts to clarify permissible uses in concrete, asphalt, road construction, and land reclamation projects with specific carbon content and placement requirements.