Michigan People (Or other states with can deposit's)

(Hopefully this is the right forum, I looked around, Albiet new here, And figured this would probably be the closet to the right forum. If i'm wrong mods im sorry please move it to the right forum.)


Now i used to work at a grocery store here in Michigan Actually have worked at a couple over the years, But at one of the stores one of my jobs over the years was working 'bottles'. Which here in Michigan we got a .10 cent deposit on any carbonated beverage you buy. Be it aluminum or plastic pop/beer/energy drinks ect. Over time i seen alot of 'regulars' coming in and would go through the garbage cans or 'shamrocks' (big plastic rectangle shaped garbage cans on wheels) and pick out cans and bottles that other customers threw away. Alot of times it would be homeless people ect which at the time i'd save cans and bottles for them and on the side leave them out in the open for them without giving them to them when they came around, To help them out. So i wouldn't get in trouble with my job and they could make some extra money.

The longer i did so, I seen more n more people going through the garbage's, Probably just payed more attention, And i'd see people with gold teeth doing so, So i knew more then just the homeless did it to make money.

Now alot of people would throw away cans the machines wouldn't take, Because here in Michigan alot of big grocery type stores have machines you feed the cans/bottles into to get the .10 cents on each back and it prints a receipt out which you take to a register and get your money for it. Alot of times people bring in bottles to say a Kroger store with Walmart store brand bottles/cans. And so the store wont take them and the people are too lazy to take them to the right store and throw them out. Also the machines sometimes aren't updated so some cans/bottles will just not go through. Other times if the bar codes dirty or covered up with something they wont scan them, All get thrown out.


After awhile i got to talking to some of these 'pickers' as they were called, And i found out they'd make decent money. I know one man who i even ran into today, Who'd come to me daily and bring in anywhere from $3-25 every 1-3 hours during my 8-10 hour shift. Thats decent money.



Now i've come on hard times and began doing so myself. Have been doing so for 2-3 weeks now trying to do anything to make money thats legal.

Just today i brought a bunch of cans/bottles in to one store. I went to this store with my trunk full of empty's, And i last brought back a trunk full 5 days prior, So this was 4 days worth of collecting empty's. Made $31 at one store, Then hit another store and made $3 and another store and made another $2. Plus change. So all together i made over $35 today.

And i've only been hitting 3 grocery stores once or twice a day. Alot of people do it all day long because people throw out bottles/cans all day long.

Last day i went was monday i returned another trunk load and made $25ish dollars if i remeber right.


Not a bad little hustle.





Now my question is, Are there other people from Michigan or other states with bottle deposit's who do the same? I know Michigan has the highest bottle deposit at .10 cents, All the other states are .05 cents. But it all adds up.

I'd love to hear other stories of people who do the same thing, Tips and tricks, Insight or anything. Even people from other states without deposit's i'd love to hear any insight or anything from you aswell.


(Also, Today i was at the one store bringing back the majority of empty's when i ran into a younger man my age who did the same thing i did, And he told me he was running out of time because he was on a tight schedule today and i seen him throwing cans into the garbage and i told him anything he didn't want to throw in my buggy, He gave me about $2.50 originally. Then he said he had to go and gave me another buggy filled with plastic emptys, 2 liters and 20 oz's, And i made another $6.50ish off that buggy. Believe i thanked him sincerly before he left.)

I'd advise not to focus on just cans either. Not sure if in a car/bike/or on foot, but you're probably coming across other items worth a little money. If you're on foot (I'm saying this cause you said you're using a buggy) any small electronics should be going in the buggy and at the very least get yourself a pair of cutters, nothing huge just enough to cut a cord, and if something is too big take those cords with you.

Keep grinding and be on the look out for anything you can scrap while out there no need to limit yourself.

Thanks for the advice.

I got a car, The buggy is just to take cans into the grocery store from the parking lot.

Basically what ive been doing with this hustle is going through the garbage's at the bottle return/recyleing sections of grocery stores and picking out cans/bottles that have deposits that other people have thrown out. Say i go to a wal-mart, They wont take K-Mart brand cans/bottles so i take them and bring them to the right store for the .10 cents on each bottle/can. Also theres just some brands stores dont take or the machines wont be updated so they dont go through though.

I just wondered if anybody else who lives in a state with bottle deposits does this and has any stories or tips.

Had my best day doing this so far.

In about 45 minutes total went to three different grocery stores and the 45 minutes involves the driving and the picking, Made $18.

Best prior day was $10.50. Which i know is nothing compared to what some of ya'll do, But this is just picking bottles.

The 45 minutes includes going to a liquor store and dropping off 34 32oz beer bottles for $3.40 so i wasnt hauling around the big ass bottles.