News Photo by Crystal Nelson Customers line up outside of Walmart on Monday to return bottles and cans.

ALPENA — Eager Alpena-area residents waited patiently to return their empty bottles and cans on Monday, many of whom had accumulated large stockpiles during Gov. Gretchen Whitmer’s shutdowns meant to prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Monday was the deadline for stores with bottle return machines to resume activity after Whitmer banned returns in March. Of the 10 states in which residents pay a deposit on bottles and cans, Michigan was the only state to ban returns because of the pandemic.

State officials previously told The News there could be as much as $80 million in deposit refunds waiting to be returned as of Monday.

The bottle return areas at many local grocery stores were at capacity on Monday, with customers waiting in line outside of the Alpena Meijer and Walmart, even in the heat of the day.

Employees at Meijer and Neiman’s Family Market were present to explain the process and guide customers through any changes.

News Photo by Crystal Nelson Customers return bottles and cans on Monday at Neiman’s Family Market.

Many of the grocery stores limited the number of return machines customers could use and limited the number of bottles and cans that could be returned in a day.

Diane Daggett, of Lincoln, was waiting in line outside Walmart with a cart heaping-full of bottles and cans. Daggett had other things to do while in town and brought her bottles and cans to return with her.

“We live in Lincoln, so it’s not just a five-minute drive,” she said.

James Colby, of Oscoda, who was also waiting outside of Walmart, expressed frustration that state officials didn’t stop accepting the 10-cent deposits when they closed the returns.

“If Walmart was open during COVID, like it was,” he said, referring to COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, “then we should have had the ability to return these things.”

Crystal Nelson can be reached at 989-358-5687 or cnelson@thealpenanews.com.