A Walmart on the West side of Kalamazoo rejected dozens of my cans at the bottle return leaving me very frustrated this weekend. Has this happened to you?

Last Sunday morning I cleaned out my garage and took nearly 200 Mountain Dew cans to the bottle return section of the Walmart on 9th Street.  Yes, that's a lot of Mountain Dew cans.  And yes, I have a problem.  Don't judge me.  I was shocked that 36 cans were rejected by Walmart out of 197 total cans.  That means 18% of my return was not accepted.  I took those 36 cans to the Meijer on 9th Street and they accepted 32 of those cans.

Kalamazoo Walmart Rejects Dozens of Cans at bottle return
Photos courtesy of Dana Marshall
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Correct me if I'm wrong but, as long as the store sells that product and it was sold in Michigan, by law the store must accept the returns.  I know for a fact that Walmart sells Mountain Dew and the top of each can is clearly marked "MI 10¢."

Michigan Bottle Return Law
Photo courtesy of Dana Marshall
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I'm assuming by the large number of cans and bottles I've noticed over the last few weeks simply left behind in carts in the bottle return area that I am not alone.  Sure, it's not a big deal for me to be out $3.60.  But that adds up over time.  Not to mention, we're forced to pay the 10-cent deposit on each container, not getting it back at the bottle return is stealing from the customers.

Kalamazoo Walmart Rejects Dozens of Cans at bottle return
Photos courtesy of Dana Marshall
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If a Michigan store is rejecting your bottle return you can report them to the Michigan Consumer Protection Team by tapping here.

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