Severe Weather Alert

Customers and residents could experience temporary impacts following an unexpected weather event that damaged several buildings at Pine Tree Acres Landfill on April 15.  

A power outage has affected the facility and onsite services. Operations have been temporarily diverted to alternate facilities, and during that time, area residents may experience truck congestion as haulers to the site are rerouted for disposal at other locations.

We extend our sincere appreciation to all first responders that have responded and supported the facility. 

Please continue to check this page for updates. Thank you for your patience and understanding.

Pine Tree Acres

Pine Tree Acres Landfill is a regional facility that provides safe and convenient disposal services for various communities, businesses, and industries. 

WM: Who We Are

As North America’s largest provider of sustainability and environmental solutions, we’ve enabled sustainability progress for businesses and cities across the country for decades. 

Now, our industry-leading sustainability vision will drive transformative impact for our customers and the communities where we live and work. Leveraging our infrastructure, world-class operations, and expertise, we’re focusing our strategy on three bold ambitions: materials are repurposed, energy is renewable, and communities are thriving. 

To achieve these ambitions: We’re evolving waste and recycling solutions to expand the reuse of materials, giving new life to things we no longer use, and lessening our collective footprint. We’re making landmark investments in innovative technologies that turn waste into new forms of energy, which can be used to power our trucks and your homes. We are empowering the communities where we live and work with knowledge and resources so they can thrive within clean, resilient environments. Together, we’re reinventing what’s possible.

About Pine Tree Acres

Past & Present

  • • Pine Tree Acres is a Type II non-hazardous municipal solid waste disposal landfill, first permitted in 1986. Operations first began in 1987.  
  • • The only active landfill in Macomb County that provides services for Michigan communities located primarily in southeast Michigan.
  • • Owned and operated by Pine Tree Acres, Inc. and regulated by the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) and works with its host community, Lenox Township, to ensure compliance with all state and federal regulations.  

Community Collaborator

  • • Pine Tree Acres has provided funding and support for several community projects, including several miles of new public water lines, a donation of a fire truck, the rebuilding of a major intersection to improve public safety, and a foundation grant for public park signage. 
  • • Pine Tree Acres continues its ongoing first responder training program, working alongside local rescue personnel to prepare for disaster. 

Address & Hours of Operation

Address
36600 29 Mile Road
Lenox, MI 48048

Hours of Operation
6:00 am - 4:30 pm
Monday - Friday

7:00 am - 11:00 am
Saturday

Closed
Sunday

Environmental Features

Containment Design

Pine Tree Acres Landfill is constructed predominantly with a composite liner system comprised of a 2-foot-thick re-compacted clay liner (or equivalent) overlaying a 10-foot-thick natural clay soil barrier, followed by a 60-mil high-density polyethylene liner and a 1-foot thick granular leachate collection layer.

Leachate Collection and Treatment

Leachate is a combination of precipitation mixed with the liquid generated by waste as it decomposes. A majority of leachate is directly discharged to the local sewer system where it is treated at a publicly owned water treatment facility. 

Groundwater Monitoring

The site implements an Environmental Monitoring Program consisting of 20 groundwater monitoring wells, five surface water monitoring points, and 19 gas monitoring probes. All locations are monitored in accordance with EGLE-approved monitoring plans by trained technicians, and groundwater samples are analyzed by an independent third party laboratory. Monitoring reports are submitted to EGLE for review.

Containment Design

Pine Tree Acres Landfill is constructed predominantly with a composite liner system comprised of a 2-foot-thick re-compacted clay liner (or equivalent) overlaying a 10-foot-thick natural clay soil barrier, followed by a 60-mil high-density polyethylene liner and a 1-foot thick granular leachate collection layer.

Leachate Collection and Treatment

Leachate is a combination of precipitation mixed with the liquid generated by waste as it decomposes. A majority of leachate is directly discharged to the local sewer system where it is treated at a publicly owned water treatment facility. 

Groundwater Monitoring

The site implements an Environmental Monitoring Program consisting of 20 groundwater monitoring wells, five surface water monitoring points, and 19 gas monitoring probes. All locations are monitored in accordance with EGLE-approved monitoring plans by trained technicians, and groundwater samples are analyzed by an independent third party laboratory. Monitoring reports are submitted to EGLE for review.

Landfill Gas Management - Energy is Renewable

Pine Tree Acres is home to two, on-site energy plants that utilize our landfill gas-to-energy (17) engines, which in turn generate enough electricity to power over 19,000 homes. As the waste we receive breaks down, that gas is then captured and converted into renewable electricity to power homes and buildings, as well as renewable natural gas (RNG) to power vehicles - including our own fleet of compressed natural gas (CNG) trucks. Harnessing renewable energy is an important step to mitigating greenhouse gas (GHG) emission impact at our landfills and at our hauling facilities.

 

Pine Tree Acres has installed over 3.5 miles in gas collection pipe at Pine Tree Acres Landfill in the last four years.

  • More than 6 miles in depth of gas collection wells will be installed at Pine Tree Acres over the next 20 years.
  • In 2022, the landfill gas capture was equivalent to filling over 40,000 hot air balloons.
  • Pine Tree Acres helps power over 19,000 homes.
  • This gas is also used to supply power to major employers and manufacturing facilities.

Take a Quick “Drone Tour” of Pine Tree Acres

Watch this video to get aerial views and an exclusive, up close look at the Pine Tree Acres landfill.

Wildlife Habitat Council

WM has been a member of the Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) since the 1980s, exemplifying their commitment to improving wildlife habitat through enriching existing and establishing new habitat on company land. 

The Wildlife Habitat Program at Pine Tree Acres provides important habitat for native wildlife as well as allowing employees and local community members to become engaged in outdoor education.

For more than 20 years, WM has collaborated with Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) to promote sustainability, wildlife preservation, biodiversity, and environmental education at the company’s WHC-certified sites.

At Pine Tree Acres Landfill, employees actively manage 100 acres for conservation projects focused on birds, landscaping, and wetlands, phragmites management, awareness, and community engagement. The conservation program at Pine Tree Acres Landfill has been WHC-certified since 2010. 

The Wildlife Habitat Program at Pine Tree Acres provides important habitat for native wildlife as well as allowing employees and local community members to become engaged in outdoor education.

For more than 20 years, WM has collaborated with Wildlife Habitat Council (WHC) to promote sustainability, wildlife preservation, biodiversity, and environmental education at the company’s WHC-certified sites.

At Pine Tree Acres Landfill, employees actively manage 100 acres for conservation projects focused on birds, landscaping, and wetlands, phragmites management, awareness, and community engagement. The conservation program at Pine Tree Acres Landfill has been WHC-certified since 2010. 

Learn More About Pine Tree Acres

Where innovation and environmental protection meet. Watch to hear from District Manager, Lee Bilinsky, and learn more about the Pine Tree Acres landfill.