12/03/2018- That ten-cent return on your soda can in Michigan could be a thing of the past if new legislation introduced by the Representative for the 108th District is approved. Representative Beau LaFave of Iron Mountain has proposed a plan eliminating the state’s 40-year bottle bill in an attempt to bolster the state’s recycling rate. LaFave says Michigan has the lowest residential recycling rate in the nation at just 15%
The legislation would also reduce the burden businesses face trying to recoup the money paid to Wisconsin residents who cross the border to return containers illegally or Michiganders who buy cans in Wisconsin and return them in Michigan.
LaFave says the legislation would phase out the container refund over the next five years by eliminating the printing of the return stamp on the can by the end of 2022 and giving people who purchase a product with a deposit before that date three years to return that container for their refund. LaFave’s proposal has now been referred to the House Michigan Competitiveness Committee for consideration.