The improvement is an effort to shore up returns on beverage containers with 10-cent deposits, which took a big nosedive during COVID-19 shutdowns.

TOMRA's R1 machine allows for bulk sorting and deposit return, improved technology over machines that require feeding in one can or bottle at a time.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. Michigan's 10-cent beverage bottle and can deposit program was once the envy of the recycling nation, boasting a return rate above ...