LANSING — State Reps. Jon Hoadley (D-Kalamazoo) and Abdullah Hammoud (D-Dearborn) have introduced legislation to improve Michigan’s recycling laws.

Hoadley sponsored House Bill 5486, which would amend the Beverage Containers Law to call for an expansion of Michigan’s current bottle deposit law to include water and all beverages, except for milk, that are packaged in metal, plastic or glass of 1 gallon or smaller.

“In light of the governor’s message that our state lags behind in our recycling efforts, I propose legislation that addresses this exact issue,” Hoadley said. “Our current bottle deposit law has been a success, and it is time to broaden its scope and increase our recycling efforts. Like other good ideas not passed in the Legislature, we’ve recycled this from last session and reused the previous great reasons to pass it. Now we need to reduce legislative delays to get this into law.”

Hammoud sponsored HB 5485, which would amend the Housing Law of Michigan to require apartment buildings to provide renters access to recycling services. Apartment buildings are already required to provide access to garbage receptacles. Most homeowners and some renters have the option of recycling containers, which has led to an increase in recycling rates.

“In his State of the State speech, the governor mentioned the importance of recycling,” Hammoud said. “The goal of this legislation is to increase the accessibility of recycling, and as a result, significantly increase recycling rates. One of the most significant barriers to recycling is the lack of easy options. Therefore, a logical next step is to focus on increasing access in apartment buildings, as many renters to not have the option.”