29 Years of Bottle Deposits

Michigan implemented its Michigan Beverage Container legislation on December 3rd, 1978. Since then, roadside litter has been greatly reduced, as well as litter on our beaches and waterways. The first and only State to set that amount at $0.10, it has helped greatly.

The law was amended in 1989 to allow 25 percent of unredeemed deposits to go to the retailers for handling fees, and the other 75% of that money is returned to the State. In 2006, just about 96% of bottle deposits were returned, which means that around $16,000,000 was split between the State and retailers on the 75/25 split basis.

Michigan's Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) is the agency that administers this act. Livingston County is blessed with many lakes, rivers and large tracts of natural areas that have stayed so much cleaner because of this legislation.