Michiganders sound off on bottle returns
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Illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios
Readers had a lot to say about bottle deposits after our story this week on plummeting return rates and millions in unredeemed deposits that the state retains.
Michelle M.: "The law had two objectives: To reduce litter and help the environment, and it seems that we're still succeeding on both counts."
Brenda C.: "We always return our pop bottles. It isn't that much trouble and the money adds up. Maybe if the deposit was 25 cents, more people would return theirs. But even if people don't, the state of Michigan makes money and that's good too."
Mary T.: "Our household returns the cans because my spouse is thrifty."
Heidi S.: "I take back my returnables. My sons tend to recycle them more than I do."
Mike O.: "The purpose of the bottle law is to encourage recycling. If you decide to throw the bottle into a recycling bin, the outcome is the same, you're just out 10 cents."
Michael H.: "The bottle deposit is a nuisance. The recycling truck comes to my house, why should I have to put old smelly cans in the machine at a grocery store one by one to recycle carbonated drinks, but non-carbonated drinks can be recycled from home?"
Diane D.: "I always return my bottles because I paid that 10 cents in the first place! Plus, I need the money!"
Susanne F.: "I always return my empties. I love our bottle bill and worked to get it passed. If you compare the sides of our roads versus states with no bottle bill, the difference is immediate and amazing! People do have a choice, but if they choose to just roll the bottle on the side of the road, someone will pick it up and turn it back in and get that deposit."
Sherry W.: "The bottle/can return bins at Ferndale Foods too often are closed and I know I have cans that I bought there to return. The return room at Meijer on 8 Mile has been closed, too, during daylight hours. So blame the stores, too. And if the state coffers get the money — not the stores — because we're recycling instead, that's all good."
Julie K.: "I am becoming frustrated when specific varieties are not accepted. Wonder why schools or cities don't have donation bins for people who don't want to bother … would be a fundraiser opportunity."