Michigan Invention Could End Dealing With Bottle Returns To The Store
Don’t you just love carrying bags full of returnables to the grocery store, standing in front of the bottle return machine feeding all those old cans and bottles into it one at a time. Certainly not a fun task, but you need to get them out of your garage, and you will get some money for them. But they are still a pain to deal with, and there are other things we would rather be doing. One man in West Michigan hopes to improve that experience for all of us, including businesses. What if you could do that process at home?
Great news, a West Michigan emergency physician has invented Nessie, a machine that allows you to recycle those sticky cans and plastic bottles right from the comfort of your home. He is taking advantage of what’s already in place, curbside recycling. Just drop your can or plastic bottle in and just like in the grocery store, it will read the barcode then crush the can or bottle. You are limited to 250 cans or plastic bottles per day, and Nessie does not allow large amounts to be deposited in short periods.
Nessie is actually coming on the market, the business sector will see availability this summer, and home service by the fall.
“No one wants to buy a machine that’s hundreds of dollars,” said Arnold. “But as a lease, essentially we’ll lease it to a home or business for $5 a month. Then each can that goes through the consumer or business receives seven cents from that.” The money would become store credit, placed on a card for a participating retailer. In 2019, which is the last year data was collected for returnables in Michigan, there was a 12% loss in them just being thrown away. Nessie could be all the course correction needed.
Arnold says “i’m trying to tap into the circular economy of Michigan in keeping the raw materials in the state and processing them in local recycling facilities.” These actions promote growth in Michigan. If you want to learn more about “Nessie” click here.
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