LANSING-The supermarket industry and its allies are continuing to attack proposals to expand the scope of beverage container returns and improve recycling efforts in Michigan, while recycling groups are still fighting to push it through the Legislature.

The proposals introduced early this year - one in the House and two in the Senate-would require 10-cent deposits on more beverage containers, like juice and bottled water, as well as a variety of alcoholic beverages.  They have been stalled in committee since February.

Sen. Patricia Birkholz, R- Saugatuck Township, chair of the Natural Resources and Environmental Affairs Committee said that her panel is busy with water withdrawal issues and won't be picking up the bills before the end of the year.

They would cover sports and tea drinks that were not on the market when Michigan adopted its current deposit law to promote recycling and curb litter problems more than 20 years ago. 

According to the Container Recycling Institute in Washington, D.C., about 20 percent of beverage containers are used for non-carbonated drinks.  Maine and California are the only two states with laws that include these containers.

"Michigan is missing a significant percent of the containers that are out there," said Pat Franklin, executive director of the institute.  "This will bring the bottles back."

While many environmental and labor groups support deposit bill expansion, they are traditionally opposed by retailers and beverage distributors.  They often consider it an expensive hassle to designate employees to take in, count and sort the containers.

"It's going to affect retailers significantly and hurt them in a number of ways," said Tom Scott, vice president of public affairs and communications for the Michigan Retailers Association.  "They'll be faced with having to take back a larger number of bottles and that forces them to add storage space and equipment.  We've always felt it's unfair for retailers to bear the brunt of this."

Although retailers are currently allotted 25 percent of the state's unredeemed deposit money to help cover the costs of those efforts, Eric Rule, the association's director of governmental affairs, said that it doesn't come close to the time and money retailers spend.  Retailers receive about one cent in compensation for every 10 containers they take in.  However, it costs about 30 cents to process and store those 10 cans, a loss of 29 cents that the retailer must take, Rule said.

The other 75 percent is spent for litter and pollution cleanup throughout the state.

Instead, the Retailers Association and the Michigan Grocers Association advocate more comprehensive curbside recycling programs.  Rule said that expanding the deposit law would keep only 0.7 percent of  containers out of the municipal solid waste stream.

Sponsors include Sens. Michael Switalski, D-Roseville, Gilda Jacobs, D- Huntington Woods, Dennis Olshove, D- Warren, and Rep. Alexander Lipsey, D- Kalamazoo.

The first state to introduce a bottle and can deposit, Michigan is now among 11 states that do so.  According to Franklin, it is also the most successful state, a title that she said is directly proportionate to the amount of the deposit.  While all other states give a refund of 4 or 5 cents for single-serving cans and bottles and up to 15 cents for wine bottles, Michigan has a 10-cent redemption for all containers that are covered.

According to the Center for Marine Conservation, Michigan consistently has the nation's lowest percentage of bottle and can litter on its beaches.