Michigan Has the Highest Can and Bottle Return Rate in the Country at 97%
We may need a little bit of incentive with the 10 cent bottle deposit, but because of that, Michigan has the highest can and bottle return rate in the country! I've noticed a lot of people from other states give me crap about hoarding bottles, or claiming that their waste management systems work better than people taking their own cans and bottles back for recycling. Well, now I know they are wrong and Michiganders are right!
According to studies done that pit states with Container Deposit Legislation (a bottle deposit, also known as a 'CDL') against states without, states that have CDL on average recycle 40% more cans and bottles. On average The United States recycles cans and bottles at a rate of about 33%. States that have Container Deposit Legislation recycle at a rate of 70%, with Michigan leading all other states with a beverage container recycle rate of 97%! Go Michigan!
Having a bottle deposit also reduces the amount of roadside litter! And now Michigan wants to take this one step further and add more bottle types to their list of recyclables. The original law was passed in 1976 and now lawmakers and grocers want to include non-carbonated beverages and possibly different types of plastics and containers to the list.
What do you think? Should Michigan add more containers to the list of bottles and cans with deposits? Give us your opinion in the comments!