Michigan Meijer Stores Introduce New Bottle Return Machines

Returning bottles is one of my least favorite things to do. You stand there feeding in one bottle at a time, everything gets sticky, and that smell in the return room is just brutal.

Meijer is piloting a new bottle return machine that skips the slow part entirely. Instead of sorting cans and bottles and feeding them in one by one, you just dump everything into a bin, close the door, and let the machine handle it. Seconds later, you get your count and your slip.

According to WZZM, the machine is called the Tomra 1, and it’s currently being tested at two Michigan Meijer locations. The company behind it has been making bottle return machines forever, but this one feels like a major upgrade compared to the slow, one-can-at-a-time setup we’ve all dealt with for years.

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The whole concept is pretty simple. Returns are faster and easier, so more people actually bother to do it. Bottle returns took a big hit during and after Covid when a lot of return rooms shut down or became a hassle. This pilot is meant to help change that.

One thing to know. Plastic and aluminum cans go straight into the bin together with no sorting required. Glass bottles still need to be loaded separately. Tests showed the counts were accurate, which is kind of the whole point.

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There’s no word yet on whether this will roll out statewide, but if you hate bottle returns as I do, this definitely feels like a step in the right direction.