Michigan buries more trash per person than any state in the country. What happens to it is mostly invisible. A landfill is sealed, and the waste inside keeps breaking down for decades — making methane, liquid and heat. Even on an ordinary day, it releases benzene and other chemicals into the air nearby, and when the waste heats up, those emissions climb with it.

One landfill west of Northville has been running hot since 2019. A well there hit 177 degrees last year, and the state approved running it hotter. Now the company wants to expand. Katherine Blauvelt of Full Circle Future joins host Robyn Vincent on what's underneath, what gets out, and who's supposed to be watching.

Michigan's environmental agency, EGLE, told The Metro the landfill is being properly managed. GFL Environmental said it couldn't answer our questions by deadline.

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