Reddit Becomes Fascinated by Michigan’s 10 Cent Bottle Return Law
Living in Michigan, it's taken for granted that you'll be paying the state's 10 cent deposit on bottles and cans. But if you're not from Michigan, that ten cent tack-on might come as a big shock, as proved when the topic came up on reddit recently.
The Today I Leaned subreddit's top comment on January 27 was "TIL that Michigan has a bottle deposit of 10 cents, instead of the usual 5 cents. Their recycle rate is 97%, compared to 70% of states with bottle deposits, compared to 33% for states without any deposit laws."
Surprising, many of the redditors didn't learn this fact from the iconic Seinfeld episode when Kramer has a get rich quick scheme known as the Michigan Bottle Deposit Scam.
Ohio Once Mocked Michigan's Bottle Deposit Law
Just another shot in the 180-year-old war between Michigan and Ohio came a few years after Michigan enacted its 10-cent deposit. Ohio wanted to do the same, but the legislation was blocked by the beverage industry, which, according to reddit user kabanaga,
There was a massive, negative ad campaign, funded by the beverage industry, which made it seem like Michigan was drowning in rats and disease as a result of dirty, icky bottles and cans having to be returned to the grocery store. The measure failed.
Moved to Michigan a few years later and it was like, no big. And, bonus, less litter!
Now, when I'm back in Ohio, I notice all the cans and bottles on the sides of the roads and shake my head at what could have been.
No matter what you think of paying the extra 10 cents at the time of purchase. It's hard to argue with the results with our cans and bottles being recycled at a rate of 97%, far and away the highest in the nation.