On Detroit’s east side, homes, schools, and places of worship stand beside the industries that keep the city running—plants that recycle waste, build vehicles, and process chemicals for the entire region. This same work, vital to Detroit’s economy and infrastructure, comes at a cost. The air here carries some of Michigan’s highest levels of particulate pollution, diesel exhaust, and industrial emissions, and nearby neighborhoods live with noise, odors, and truck traffic woven into daily life.

In 2019, Detroit’s waste-to-energy incinerator shut down after decades of complaints and violations. The closure was celebrated as progress, yet the surrounding industrial belt remained intact. Within months, plans advanced for the Stellantis Detroit Assembly Complex—a vast new manufacturing hub that replaced one symbol of pollution with another, trading smoke for solvents and truck exhaust.

Along the Conner Creek basin, Clean Earth (Nortru / Petro-Chem), Aevitas Specialty Services, and Stellantis (Crown) – Truck Yard manage wastewater, hazardous waste, and freight for the region. Moving inland, Stellantis – Jefferson North, Stellantis – Mack Engine, and PVS Chemicals / Transportation / Technologies anchor Detroit’s auto and chemical core. Farther west, Strong Steel, US Ecology Detroit North, FPT Schlafer LLC, and US Ecology Detroit South process scrap and hazardous materials. To the north, Kronos Concrete (Crown), AmeriTi Manufacturing, Fitzgerald Finishing LLC, and Metropolitan Alloys Corp extend the chain through the Mt. Elliott and Davison corridors, where foundries and concrete yards operate beside residential blocks—a zoning legacy that still places industry inside community space.

Across this belt, state and federal data show fine-particulate pollution, diesel emissions, and air toxics among the highest in Michigan (EGLE 2025 Ambient Air Monitoring Network Review) and confirmed through screening tools such as MiEJScreen and EPA EJScreen. Public-health data reinforce the disparity: Detroit life expectancy remains in the low 70s—about six years shorter than the statewide average (City Health Dashboard, CDC U.S. Life Tables) and even lower in predominantly Black neighborhoods (Brookings Analysis).

These profiles compile publicly verified information about east-side industrial sites with repeated compliance or enforcement histories. Each summary draws directly from Michigan EGLE and U.S. EPA ECHO records—including violation notices, consent orders, and environmental-justice screening data—to give residents a transparent view of the facilities shaping the air and water where they live, and to strengthen the case for a cleaner, more accountable industrial future on Detroit’s east side.