SENATE BILL No. 859

 

 

December 2, 2003, Introduced by Senator OLSHOVE and referred to the Committee on Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs.

 

 

        

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                

                                                                                 A bill to amend the Initiated Law of 1976, entitled                               

                                                                                

    "A petition to initiate legislation to provide for the use of               

    returnable containers for soft drinks, soda water, carbonated               

    natural or mineral water, other nonalcoholic carbonated drink,              

    and for beer, ale, or other malt drink of whatever alcoholic                

    content, and for certain other beverage containers; to provide              

    for the use of unredeemed bottle deposits; to prescribe the                 

    powers and duties of certain state agencies and officials; and to           

    prescribe penalties and provide remedies,"                                  

                                                                                

    by amending section 2 (MCL 445.572), as amended by 1998 PA 473.             

                                                                                

                THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF MICHIGAN ENACT:                      

                                                                                

1       Sec. 2.  (1) A dealer within this state shall not sell,                     

                                                                                

2   offer for sale, or give to a consumer a nonreturnable container             

                                                                                

3   or a beverage in a nonreturnable container.                                 

                                                                                

4       (2) A dealer who regularly sells beverages for consumption                  

                                                                                

5   off the dealer's premises shall provide on the premises, or                 

                                                                                

6   within 100 yards of the premises on which the dealer sells or               

                                                                                

7   offers for sale a beverage in a returnable container, a                     

                                                                                

8   convenient means  whereby the  where a person may return                    


                                                                                

1   containers of any kind, size, and brand sold or offered for sale            

                                                                                

2   by the dealer,  may be returned by,  and receive a refund of the            

                                                                                

3   deposit,  refunded in cash to, a person  whether or not the                 

                                                                                

4   person is the original customer of that dealer  ,  and whether or           

                                                                                

5   not the container was sold by that dealer.                                  

                                                                                

6       (3) Regional centers for the redemption of returnable                       

                                                                                

7   containers may be established, in addition to but not as                    

                                                                                

8   substitutes for, the means established for refunds of deposits              

                                                                                

9   prescribed in  under subsection (2).                                       

                                                                                

10      (4) Except as provided in subsections (5) and  (7)  (8), a                  

                                                                                

11  dealer shall accept from a person  an empty  a returnable                   

                                                                                

12  container of any kind, size, and brand sold or offered for sale             

                                                                                

13  by that dealer and pay to that person its full refund value in              

                                                                                

14  cash.                                                                       

                                                                                

15      (5) A dealer who does not require a deposit on a returnable                 

                                                                                

16  container when the contents are consumed in the dealer's sale or            

                                                                                

17  consumption area is not required to pay a refund for accepting              

                                                                                

18  that empty container.                                                       

                                                                                

19      (6) Except as provided in subsection  (7)  (8), a distributor               

                                                                                

20  shall accept from a dealer  an empty  a returnable container of             

                                                                                

21  any kind, size, and brand sold or offered for sale by that                  

                                                                                

22  distributor and pay to the dealer its full refund value in cash.            

                                                                                

23      (7) Each beverage container sold or offered for sale by a                   

                                                                                

24  dealer within this state shall clearly indicate by embossing or             

                                                                                

25  by a stamp, a label, or other method securely affixed to the                

                                                                                

26  beverage container, the refund value of the container and the               

                                                                                

27  name of this state.                                                         


                                                                                

1       (8) A dealer or distributor may  , but is not required to,                  

                                                                                

2   refuse to accept from a person  an empty  a returnable container            

                                                                                

3   which does not state on the container the  that meets any of the           

                                                                                

4   following:                                                                  

                                                                                

5       (a) The refund value of the container and the name of this                  

                                                                                

6   state is not stated on the container.  This  subsection                     

                                                                                

7   subdivision does not apply to a refillable container  having a              

                                                                                

8   that has refund value of not less than 10 cents,  having  has a             

                                                                                

9   brand name permanently marked on it, and  having  has a securely            

                                                                                

10  affixed method of indicating that it is a returnable container.             

                                                                                

11      (b) The container contains residue of any substance other                   

                                                                                

12  than the original contents of the container.                                

                                                                                

13      (c) The container is crushed or mutilated to the extent that                

                                                                                

14  the bar code is not legible.                                                

                                                                                

15      (d) The container presents an unacceptable health risk to a                 

                                                                                

16  dealer or distributor or any customer or employee of the dealer             

                                                                                

17  or distributor.                                                             

                                                                                

18      (9)  (8)  A dealer within this state shall not sell, offer                  

                                                                                

19  for sale, or give to consumers a metal beverage container  ,  if            

                                                                                

20  any part of  which  the container becomes detached when opened.             

                                                                                

21      (10)  (9)  A person, dealer, distributor, or manufacturer                   

                                                                                

22  shall not return an empty container to a dealer for a refund of             

                                                                                

23  the deposit if a dealer has already refunded the deposit on that            

                                                                                

24  returnable container.  This subsection does not prohibit a dealer           

                                                                                

25  from refunding the deposit on an empty returnable container each            

                                                                                

26  time the returnable container is sanitized by the manufacturer              

                                                                                

27  and reused as a beverage container.                                         


                                                                                

1       (11)  (10)  A dealer  may accept, but  is not required to                   

                                                                                

2   accept  , from a person,  empty returnable containers from a                

                                                                                

3   person for a refund in excess of $25.00 on any given day.                   

                                                                                

4       (12)  (11)  A manufacturer licensed by the commission shall                 

                                                                                

5   not require a distributor licensed by the commission to pay a               

                                                                                

6   deposit to the manufacturer on a nonrefillable container.                   

                                                                                

7   However, a manufacturer licensed by the commission and a                    

                                                                                

8   distributor licensed by the commission may enter into an                    

                                                                                

9   agreement providing that either or both may originate a deposit             

                                                                                

10  or any portion of a deposit on a nonrefillable container if the             

                                                                                

11  agreement is entered into freely and without coercion.                      

                                                                                

12      (13)  (12)  A manufacturer shall refund the deposit paid on                 

                                                                                

13  any container returned by a distributor  for which  if the                  

                                                                                

14  distributor has paid a deposit  has been paid by a distributor              

                                                                                

15  on that container to the manufacturer.                                      

                                                                                

16      (14)  (13)  Subsections (4), (6), and (7) apply only to a                   

                                                                                

17  returnable container that was originally sold in this state as a            

                                                                                

18  filled returnable container.