Michigan’s bottle deposit law, which was once among the most effective container recovery programs in the country has been slipping.
The state’s redemption rate fell to 69.4% in 2025, well below the 90%-plus levels it held for decades. A new bipartisan bill introduced on June 5 aims to stop the decline by giving consumers clearer access to refunds and giving retailers clearer expectations about what the law’s requirements are.
State Reps. Julie M. Rogers (D-Kalamazoo) and Doug Wozniak (R-Shelby Twp.) introduced the legislation, which was referred to the House Committee on Regulatory Reform.
Three’s a company
HB 6053, sponsored by Rogers, would establish designated hours of 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. for bottle return, or during a store’s regular operating hours if shorter, so that consumers have a reliable window to redeem deposits.
HB 6054, sponsored by Wozniak, would strengthen existing requirements for counter redemption service when vending machines are down. It would also mandate a Consumer Bottle Bill of Rights sign at retail locations. The Department of Attorney General would serve as the enforcement agency, with a notice-and-cure process before fines are issued.
HB 6055, which is also sponsored by Wozniak, would require the Department of Attorney General to send retailers an annual written notice outlining their obligations under the Bottle Deposit Law.
Access denied
A constituent complaint about being turned away while trying to return deposits prompted the legislation, Rogers indicated.
“For many families, especially low-income residents, that 10-cent refund adds up,” she said in a statement. “People should not be forced to go to multiple stores or told to come back during a narrow window when the law is supposed to give them a clear way to get their deposit back. Most retailers are doing the right thing. This package is about making sure consumers are treated fairly, retailers have clear guidance and Michigan’s bottle return system works the way people expect it to work.”
Michigan’s deposit law has been on the books since 1978, when the state became the first to adopt a dime deposit.
For most of its history, the program ran at redemption rates exceeding 90%. A 2025 University of Michigan report flagged structural gaps, which included a lack of dedicated redemption centers and inconsistent retailer compliance, as contributors to the decline.
The three bills are designed to address access and clarity without a structural overhaul, leaving larger reform questions such as redemption center infrastructure and unclaimed deposits reinvestment for future legislative sessions.
The legislation comes amid a push by the retail industry to scrap the deposit system entirely.
The Midwest Independent Retailers Association (MIRA) called on Gov. Gretchen Whitmer in February to seek repeal of the law during her State of the State address, arguing the 50-year-old system is past its useful life.
“It’s time to recycle the Bottle Bill,” MIRA president and CEO Bill Wild said in the release.
The group alleges the law creates public health hazards by routing dirty containers through food stores, costs the retail industry more than $127 million annually in operational pressures and diverts unclaimed deposit funds, $116.4 million in 2024, largely to non-recycling state spending rather than back to consumers.
