GRAND RAPIDS, MICH. - Meijer began accepting beverage containers for return on June 15 after discontinuing the program in March due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
The grocer is taking several steps to ensure the safety of accepting used bottles and cans for return that include asking customers to:
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Separate bottles and cans before coming to the store to help keep the flow of customers moving.
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Drain all cans and bottles and place them in clean bags/containers before coming to the store.
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Only bring beverage container brands that are sold at Meijer stores.
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Understand the maximum amount of returnable beverage containers is $25 each visit.
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Plan accordingly before you arrive as the bottle return rooms will be busy.
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Please be patient, practice social distancing and wear a face covering.
Meijer estimates that there’s approximately $65 million in unreturned beverage containers across Michigan, and they anticipate customers will bring in large volumes of bottles and cans that were stockpiled while the program was out of commission.
"These last few months have posed numerous challenges, but we appreciate the patience of all our customers and team members as we navigated through them together," said Todd Weer, senior vice president of stores for Meijer. "We know there is an abundance of beverage containers waiting to be recycled, so we're asking all of our customers to please be patient and respectful toward each other as we deal with a volume of returnable containers that we've never seen before."
