GREEN SPACE: Group pushes deposit law change to include bottled water, sports drinks

In the late 1970's, the Michigan United Conservation Clubs led the effort to enact Michigan's 10-cent bottle deposit law. And the effort paid off in spades. Michigan's rate of return for empties is 97%, the highest in the nation.

But 30 years ago, bottled water, iced teas and fruit juices weren't nearly as ubiquitous and Gatorade was found only on the sidelines of the Florida Gators.

Now, the stuff is everywhere -- it is even estimated that sales of non-carbonated beverages will exceed carbonated in just a few years -- yet only 20% of the waste it generates is recycled.

It might seem like a no-brainer to expand the law to include juices, water and sports drinks, and to many it is: it's estimated that 64% of Michiganders and 76% of voters support the concept, according to MUCC.

But there's always a downside. Grocers and party store operators are against the measure, and who could blame them? They wither at the thought of buying $20,000 machines or relying on manpower to sort everything out. The bottles and cans are often dirty and can smell less-than-appealing. Basically, they get stuck with the work of keeping our plastic and glass of the streets and out of the landfills.

Is there a happy medium here? That's what MUCC is striving for, says executive director Dennis Muchmore. "Our position is that bottle bill should be expanded and we know that it is already expensive to administer, we know they have cost involved in that," he says. "We’re willing to help them try to solve the problem of cost, but we're not willing to give up on our position."

Muchmore says he and the organization have some creative ideas they are willing to work through with grocers and acknowledges that bottle return is a cost to that industry. "They have a problem and we want to help them solve it.",

Changing the law will require a super majority in both chambers of the legislature -- that's 29 of 38 senate votes, and 83 of 110 house votes. It is attached to a fraudulent-redemption package under discussion (SB 1391-95) that would increase the penalties for fraudulent-bottle returners, which is supported by grocers.

Source: Dennis Muchmore, MUCC
Writer: Kelli B. Kavanaugh