Michigan’s Bottle Return Reform

Michigan’s 1976 10-cent deposit law has significantly reduced the number of pop bottles and beer cans littering our our roadways and beaches. Modernizing this highly effective program to include more containers and improve convenience for consumers will help ramp up Michigan’s recycling rates and reduce pollution of our land and water.

Recycling & Reuse

A man pushes a plastic bottle into a bottle return machine

Michigan’s bottle deposit program only covers half of all modern bottles and cans that should be eligible for the program.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic, more than $200 million in bottle deposits went unclaimed due to declining returns, representing money that should be back in the pockets of Michiganders. This contributes to more than 22 million pounds of plastic pollution that ends up in the Great Lakes every year.

Our vision for change:

Expand the accepted containers in the program to include all beverage containers under one gallon, including water bottles.

Require beverage bottlers to use a minimum percentage of recycled content.
Establish universal redemption sites that accept any clean container with a deposit, regardless of where that container was originally purchased.
Increase accountability by requiring the Attorney General and Michigan State Police to enforce sanctions on non-participating return retailers.