What's the Deal With the 10-Cent Bottle Deposit?
Michigan's voter-approved bottle law adds a 10-cent deposit to covered drinks. Return an eligible empty to a retailer that sells that kind, size, and brand to get the dime back.
If you buy a covered drink in Michigan, the store adds a dime to the price of each can or bottle. Bring the eligible empty back and you get the dime back. That is the basic bargain.
The part that trips people up is what counts. Michigan’s law covers carbonated soft drinks and water, beer and other malt drinks, plus certain mixed wine and mixed spirit drinks. A retailer must take an empty container if it sells that kind, size, and brand. Keep the label readable and the container empty; returning it dry and uncrushed usually makes the machine and the store happier.
Michigan voters approved the law on November 2, 1976. Because voters adopted it at the polls, changing or repealing it generally takes another vote of the people or three-fourths of the elected members serving in each chamber of the Legislature.
The $25 rule is often explained backward. A retailer must accept up to $25 in eligible returns from one person in a day. It may choose to take more. And containers bought outside Michigan cannot legally be brought here just to collect the deposit.
One last bit of useful caution: you may see precise Michigan return-rate percentages quoted elsewhere. EGLE says the state does not collect a beverage-container return-rate statistic. Treasury tracks deposits collected and refunded, but EGLE warns that those totals do not account for fraudulent out-of-state returns, so they should not be presented as an official return rate.
Where to see it
Try the return area at a Michigan retailer that sells the same kind, size, and brand. Many grocers use reverse-vending machines; ask store staff if an eligible container is rejected.
Sources
Last reviewed against the listed sources: July 14, 2026.