(WXYZ) — Michigan is one of 10 states in the U.S. with a beverage container deposit law to encourage recycling, but since the pandemic when return sites were shut down for months, Michigan's bottle redemption rate has dropped.
Eighty-eight percent of beverage containers were returned for refunds in 2019, according to the Michigan Department of Treasury.
The redemption rate dropped to 73% in 2020 and has ticked up, holding steady at 75% for the last two years.
With that, the number of bottle deposits not redeemed now adds up to nearly $100 million a year.
Nate Conn, a teacher in Wyandotte, has seen many student fundraisers boosted thanks to refunds from bottle returns, but he also banks on the financial boost in his households.
"How much would you say you get in bottle refunds?" I asked.
"It just depends on how long you wait. Today, I'll probably get $20, and that'll be great," he said.
Amy McQuaid of Birmingham said her family goes through a case of carbonated water daily, and with the deposit of 10 cents per bottle, it adds up to more than $67 a month in bottle return refunds.
"The refunds are great. It's a great incentive. I do it weekly," she said.
Dyrllissyana Plair of Detroit has a different routine. They just recycle, because they use non-carbonated water, which is not part of the bottle returns.
Also, some retailers aren't noticing a drop in returns.
"We're still getting about 30,000 cans a week, which is was what we were getting in 2019 prior to COVID. So, we really haven't noticed that," Craig Mangold, the owner of Holiday Market, told us.
However, he said pop sales are down and water sales are way up.
Michigan's bottle bill was enacted in 1978. It requires stores that sell deposit containers to take them back for a refund.
I reached out to the Michigan Department of Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy, asking about recycling trends. According to EGLE, recycling in Michigan has reached an all-time high of 21%, up 35.4% from pre-2019 levels.
EGLE said the state has nearly doubled the number of households with available curbside recycling carts and drop-off sites, with nearly 3 million households having easy access to recycling in their communities.
The drop in the state's redemption rate means Michigan consumers lost $97.2 million in unclaimed deposit refunds.
Schupan, a recycling company that handles cans and bottles, is encouraging Michiganders to redeem them. A spokesperson said "it means more money in the consumers' pocket and a cleaner, greener state."
In the broader recycling picture, EGLE said Michigan is now capturing over 500,000 more tons of cardboard boxes, milk cartons, plastic bottles, organic material and other recyclables, equating to more than 110 pounds per person each year.
