Health

Michigan container deposit law critics stretch for a new argument -- virus risk

March 21, 2020, 7:04 AM by  Alan Stamm

The Mackinac Policy Center's free-market lovefest never takes take a break, even in a pandemic.

While Michigan grapples with a steadily climbing patient caseload (549 as of Friday), medical supply shortages, school closings and soaring unemployment from business shutdowns, the Midland crusaders seize the moment for a new attack on the 1976 bottle deposit law -- seen as a government intrusion on business.

Citing a study that says the virus causing COVID-19 can survive on plastic for up to three days, the center's news site has a post headlined "Amid Pandemic, Michigan Consumers Return Germ-Soaked Bottles to Food Stores."

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(Photo: DepositPhotos)

Not too sensational, right?

Managing editor Tom Ganter writes:

One trade association is wondering why Michigan residents are still allowed to bring dirty bottles back to places where they also buy their food. . . . The Midwest Independent Retailers Association has asked Michigan to suspend bottle returns at stores.

The center adds its voice by "making this recommendation to the governor and the state legislature: Suspend or repeal the bottle deposit law."

This pandemic has transformed the bottle-deposit scheme from a massively unsanitary idea to a potentially lethal one. At a minimum, the collection of bottle deposits and return of bottles for recycling at grocery stores must be immediately suspended for the duration of the pandemic for public health reasons, as Oregon, Iowa, Connecticut and Massachusetts have already done.

Coronavirus is used as a new way to revive a decades-old push against a regulation seen as onerous for merchants.

Under the Michigan Capitol Confidential post, two readers dissent. "Following up on your logic, we also need to suspend curbside recycling and garbage pickup," comments Dennis Damaske of Harrison Township. "I like most of your articles, but you're way off base here." 

Beth Thompson of Clare comments on the news site's Facebook page: "We just returned $28 worth of bottles. We put each bottle in the bin ourselves before you actually enter the store." 

Susan Findsen pushes back at greater length at Capital Coinfidential's site:

Every place I have ever gone to return my beverage containers is self-serve. So the person who may have left germs on the container is the person putting those containers in the machines.

Second, every worker I've ever seen working with the bottle return machines has always worn gloves. The machine puts the returnables into large plastic bag-lined cardboard bins that are attached to wood pallets. The pallets are moved onto the beverage trucks and returned to distributors. Actually, less chance of germ exposure than handling canned goods in the grocery aisles. ...

The information in this commentary appears to be an attempt on the part of retail beverage companies and organizations to repeal a law that they strongly fought against. ... "Germs" on returnables didn't just appear when coronavirus did, they've always been there. Seems a bit self-serving on the part of those who want this law to go away, especially during the current health crisis.

Similarly, Ron Lemming of Berkley comments on Facebook: "Shame on the retailers association for using the pandemic to do an end run around the bottle return law."


Read more:  Michigan Capitol Confidential


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