(WXYZ) — With Gov. Gretchen Whitmer announcing the state is moving into phase 4 of reopening, which means some stores will reopen as well, this means bottle deposit returns will be available again.
The Michigan Treasury Department announced Monday that some retailers will be allowed to reopen bottle deposit returns on June 15.
"This applies to retailers with bottle return facilities located at the front of the store or housed in a separate area and serviced exclusively by reverse vending machines requiring minimal or no person-to-person contact," a release states.
Those retailers opening up for bottle returns must still follow state guidelines in accordance with health and safety measures. They must:
- Limit the number of beverage containers that may be returned by a single individual per day to a deposit refund amount of $25, pursuant to MCL 445.572(10).
- Establish special or limited hours of operation for bottle return facilities.
- Limit the number of available and operating reverse vending machines.
- Periodically close bottle deposit facilities as needed for cleaning and supply management.
- Implement such other procedures or restrictions as each retailer may determine are necessary or advisable to promote safety and/or efficiency.
Additionally, the volume of weekly returns for beverage containers is limited to no more than 140 percent of the retailers' average weekly collection volume for the period of April and May 2019.
People can also opt to recycle their returnable bottles if they don't want to return them for a deposit.
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