Independent grocers want out of Michigan bottle returns
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Illustration: Aïda Amer/Axios. Stock: Getty Images
Michigan's famously annoying bottle return ritual is getting new pushback.
Why it matters: The state's once-vaunted bottle law isn't working nearly as well as it used to.
Between the lines: More consumers are passing up the 10-cent return because it's such a hassle.
- Stores can reject brands of empties they don't sell, turning the endeavor into a multi-stop nightmare.
Now a bloc of independent grocers is pushing to get out of the bottle return business, arguing the 50-year-old system is dirty, expensive and outdated.
- The group wants to phase out the current system over two years while the state develops an alternative, potentially including standalone redemption centers.
By the numbers: Only 69.4% of deposits were redeemed last year, down nearly 20 percentage points from 2019.
What they're saying: The funk from empties is a unique odor any grocery store shopper would recognize.
- "Let's take the trash out of grocery stores," Bill Wild, CEO of the Midwest Independent Retailers Association, based in West Bloomfield, told the Free Press.
Zoom in: Smaller grocery stores often lack the equipment for a dedicated return section like those at Kroger, Meijer and the like.
Case in point: Honey Bee Market in Southwest Detroit sorts its returns by hand.
- "It actually costs us money," owner Tammy Koehler told the Freep. "It takes a lot of time to sort them out … Not everyone wants to do the job because it's a dirty job."
Flashback: Axios readers flooded our inboxes with bottle-deposit thoughts last year when we highlighted the state's plummeting return rates.
The other side: "The law had two objectives: To reduce litter and help the environment, and it seems that we're still succeeding on both counts," reader Michelle M. said at the time.
Yes, but: Changing the 1976 law isn't simple. Because voters originally approved it through an initiative petition, any change would need to be voter-approved or gain the support of three-quarters of each chamber of the Legislature.
Your turn: Would you rather keep returning cans at the grocery store, take them to a standalone redemption center — or scrap the deposit and rely on curbside recycling?
- Email [email protected] and let us know.