Should Michigan Retailers Accept All Returnable Bottles & Cans?

Many people who live in the Grand Rapids area are not happy with how retailers do not accept all returnable bottles and cans.

Returnable Bottles and Cans: Then vs. Now

Have you gone to a major grocery store to return bottles and cans, but when you get there, the machines won't accept some of your returnable items? It's even worse when you know you bought the bottle or cans at the very same store you are trying to return them.

Bottle and can returns began in Michigan on December 3, 1978. Some bottles and cans were worth 10 cents while others were worth 5 cents. It was a big deal for kids back then since you could find them everywhere and it was like free money if you collected and returned them.

My friends and I would pick up what ever we could find along roads and return them for extra money. As long as the bottle or can said Michigan 10 cent or 5 cent returnable on the bottle or can, the store would take them. It was so convenient.

During the pandemic in June of 2020, retailers started restricting bottle returns to products sold in their specific store which really began making returns a pain, especially if you purchased items from multiple different stores.

The reason for the "Bottle Bill" that was passed into law in 1976 was because people were throwing bottles and cans out of the windows of their vehicles along roads, parks, beaches, parking lots, and anywhere a party would break out.

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Back then Michigan was littered in bottles and cans but as you can see now, the state is much cleaner because of the law.

Grand Rapids Residents Debate Retailers Rules on Bottle & Can Returns

Recently on the Grand Rapids Reddit page, a bottle return discussion was launched and many people expressed their anger with retailers' while suggesting the retailers go back to universal returns.

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Many suggestions were made to make all plastic bottles be universally accepted while others thought the returns should go away and just be a part of recycling. There are several thoughtful suggestions in the thread, which check out here.

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