 |
State Rep. Julie M. Rogers (D-Kalamazoo) testifies on behalf of her House Bill 5421 in the House Regulatory Reform Committee on March 12, 2024, at the House Office Building in Lansing.
LANSING, Mich., March 13, 2024 — Yesterday, state Representative Julie M. Rogers (D-Kalamazoo) testified in the House Regulatory Reform Committee for her recently introduced House Bill 5421, amends Michigan’s bottle deposit law to ensure that retailers that are required to accept bottle deposit returns do so at a minimum between the hours of 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. if they are open and operating, or during the hours they are open between those times if they operate during a shorter window. Currently, there is no minimum time period that a retailer must accept bottle deposit returns, which has led to some retailers making deposit return services available infrequently and for very short periods of time.
“Michigan’s historic bottle deposit law has been instrumental in reducing litter, landfill waste and promoting recycling since its inception in 1976,” Rogers said. “Retailers play a crucial role in this process, but some have not fulfilled their responsibility, especially for working people. While the vast majority of retailers have embraced this partnership and worked to make returns convenient for consumers, some retailers, particularly those serving our economically disadvantaged communities, have not lived up to their responsibility to support deposit returns.”
The bill puts all retailers on an equal playing field by requiring those who accept bottle deposit returns, do so at a minimum between the hours of 8 a.m. and 11 p.m., or whatever hours they are open in that range. Testifying in support of HB 5421 alongside Rogers were representatives from Schupan & Sons, UBCR, LLC. and the Container Recycling Institute.
###