Is Michigan About to Ditch the 10¢ Bottle and Can Return Law?

For nearly 50 years, Michigan’s 10-cent bottle and can deposit has been more than just a law — it’s a part of the state’s identity. When the program first went into effect in the late 1970s, roadsides that were once littered with bottles and cans were practically spotless overnight. Now, decades later, retailers are pushing to repeal the program, sparking a new debate over the future of recycling in Michigan.

Why Michigan Retailers Want to Repeal the Bottle Bill

The push is coming from the Midwest Independent Retailers Association, which argues the decades-old law drives up operating costs for stores and forces customers to haul dirty bottles and cans back into retail locations for refunds. The group is urging Governor Gretchen Whitmer to instead support expanded curbside recycling programs.

Bill Wild, CEO of the Midwest Independent Retailers Association, told Fox 2 Detroit that any repeal effort would need the governor’s backing to move forward.

“We’re asking Gov. Whitmer to consider starting the conversation about repealing the bottle bill in her final State of the State address this week,” Wild said. “Because it’s part of the state constitution, it would require support from the governor and a two-thirds vote of the Legislature to place a new initiative on the ballot.”

Environmental Groups Push Back

Kerrin O'Brien with the Michigan Recycling Coalition opposes abolishing the program, saying Michigan doesn’t yet have the infrastructure to support widespread curbside recycling.

"If we rescind the bottle bill, then people will have to depend on curbside and drop-off recycling programs," O'Brien said. "But the bottom line is that for the bottles and cans covered by the bottle bill, we don’t have the infrastructure to collect those from people very easily across the state."

For those who remember, the bottle law made a huge impact when it first went into effect. Roads that were once littered with cans and bottles were suddenly cleaner practically overnight — a memory many longtime Michiganders still recall.

Should Michigan ditch its famous 10-cent bottle and can law? (I call it famous partly because of that classic Seinfeld episode where Kramer and Newman tried — illegally — to cash in on Michigan’s rich payouts.)

Let us know what you think in the comments.