Kalamazoo Lawmaker Introduces Bill Expanding Bottle Deposits
In Michigan, we already pay a 10 cent deposit on bottles and cans of carbonated beverages, a measure introduced 42 years ago in order to incentivize recycling.
Now, a measure to spread that deposit to most other drinks is being considered.
House Bill 5486 was introduced last month by Democrats Jon Hoadley from Kalamazoo, and Abdullah Hammoud from Dearborn; it would expand Michigan’s deposit law to cover all beverages, except milk, in metal plastic or glass containers of less than 1 gallon. The Detroit Free Press says that of all of the containers currently under the law, 97% of those are returned for the refund.
Rep. Hoadley says that since Governor Rick Snyder mentioned Michigan’s recycling efforts are falling behind the rest of the nation in his State of the State address, he decided to introduce a bill “that addresses this exact issue.”