Dive Brief:

• The Department of Environmental Quality is looking to improve the recycling rate in the state of Michigan, and is releasing a proposal to expand recycling efforts.
• It is estimated that the state recycling rate is 14.5%, with a future statewide goal of achieving 50%, according to the proposal.
• According to reports, if the state reached the 50% recycling rate goal, Michigan could potentially generate $500 million in revenue from recyclables. 

Dive Insight:

The bottle bill that was adopted by the state in 1976 only accounts for 2% of recyclables but does serve to provide Michigan with one of the highest bottle recycling rates in the nation. The average bottle recycling rate is around 95%, according to statistics via Michigan.gov. The new proposal outlines recommendations such as keeping the bottle bill but encouraging retailers to invest in redemption centers.