Why Aren’t Michiganders Returning Their Bottles?

Free money is my favorite kind of money. I understand the irony of "free money", but if I can get money for doing the simplest of tasks, I will do it. As a strapped-for-cash college student who worked at a public bar, I made it my mission to collect as many bottles and cans as possible. I would return entire gallon bags full of bottles and cans, earning over $100 each time. Even today, I still return most of the bottles in the office because no one wants to.

This is a sentiment that truly confuses me. Ten cents is 10 cents. That quickly adds up to a dollar. It's a ten-cent deposit you've already paid when you buy your drink, and it's being returned to you when you bring it back to your local bottle or can return location. However, fewer and fewer people are returning them, causing you to miss out on a significant amount of money. The State of Michigan REALLY wants you to return them.

How Bottle Return Rates Have Declined Since 2018

Since the Bottle Deposit Law was initiated in 1976, it has proven very effective in encouraging people to return their returnables. From 1990 to 2017, nearly 90% of all bottle depositable containers were being returned for their deposits. However, from there, an interesting and unexplained trend has emerged.

READ MORE: Billboards Are Ruining Michigan, And It's Time To Ban Them

2018 was the first year that return deposits fell below 90% for the first time, with 2020 marking a drastic drop from 88.70% returned to 73%. The obvious explanation for this drop was the COVID-19 pandemic, which has seen return rates hover in the lower 70s over the last 5 years. 2024 barely finished over 70%, and if trends continue, 2025 doesn't look great either.

What the State Is Doing to Fix This

This time last year, the State of Michigan held the "Take 'Em Back" campaign, encouraging Michiganders to bring those returnables lying around. Although the results of this campaign aren't yet known, it is discouraging that the rate continued to decline from last year.

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Why people are choosing not to return their bottles and cans, despite the Bottle Deposit Law having a 94% approval rating, is perplexing. One possible explanation is just pure laziness on the part of the consumer. Another possibility is that people became accustomed to not bringing their cans back during the pandemic and fell out of the habit.

Whatever the reason, it's time to get that number back up. Michigan is one of only 10 states that offer a bottle deposit law. It's time we take advantage of it. Your wallet and Mother Nature will thank you.