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Iowa House OKs bottle bill update; now back to Senate

cigaretteman

HR King
May 29, 2001
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After years of debating, negotiating and rejecting proposals to change the state’s 44-year-old bottle bill, lawmakers are on the cusp of approving major modifications to how — and where — Iowans redeem their beer and soda cans and bottles.
“It has taken a while to get to this moment,” Rep. Brian Lohse, R-Bondurant, said Tuesday afternoon.
“I understand there's a little angst that perhaps we're going to try this and it's going to fail,” he said, acknowledging Senate File 2378 wasn’t everything that Iowa House members wanted or hoped for. “At some point, we got to have a little faith.”
By a 70-14 margin, the House approved the bill that includes changes the Iowa Senate will have to agree to before SF 2378 goes to the governor to be signed into law.


In addition to raising the handling fee from 1 to 3 cents per container and letting retailers that meet certain condition opt out, Lohse explained SF 2378 increases enforcement through the Iowa Attorney General’s Office, offers distributors a 1-cent credit against their taxes for each container they handle and increases legislative oversight.


The bill, he said, is a bipartisan attempt to address long-standing issues with the bottle deposit law “to make the system sustainable for consumers into the future.”

However, others said consumers are being ignored.


“While I know reforms were needed, I fear the reforms being proposed today will make it more difficult for Iowa consumers,” said Rep. Mary Mascher, D-Iowa City.

Supporters talked about what grocers, distributors and redemption centers want, “but what I have not heard is what the consumers want.” Reducing convenience by letting retailers opt out will reduce the success of the bottle bill, Mascher said.
Even supporters had their reservations. As a restaurant owner and a consumer, Rep. Shannon Lundgren, R-Peosta, had difficulty embracing all of the changes. Her concern has been ensuring that consumers in her rural district have a place to return their empties to get their 5-cent per container deposit returned.
“If it were up to me, we'd be repealing this law today,” Lundgren said. “So I think that anything that we're doing that allows an option for our consumers and our constituents to return their cans is a good move forward.”


Rep. Amy Nielsen, D-North Liberty, who worked on the bill with Lundgren and Lohse, agreed critics had valid points.
“But it's been a great collaboration and I really feel that we have come up with some good things in this bill,” she said.
Raising the handling may lead to more redemption centers, and opening up opportunities for mobile redemption centers in convenient locations, including grocery store parking lots, are positive changes, Nelsen said.

And, unlike the Senate version, the House did not include a sunset provision “because the public does like the bottle bill, overwhelmingly supports the bottle bill,” Nielsen said.

 
We likely have less that $10 a year in bottle returns. I consider it a huge pain.

our town has a bin to donate them. I think I will utilize this Avenue all the time.
 
It's amazing to me how much time and energy (and press) has been put into this law and the change. I clearly don't really understand all the forces at play.

I just put my empties in my regular recycling. God Damn Iowa City won't take glass or I'd do the same. Not worth the hassle to store empties and haul them in.
 
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It's amazing to me how much time and energy (and press) has been put into this law and the change. I clearly don't really understand all the forces at play.

I just put my empties in my regular recycling. God Damn Iowa City won't take glass or I'd do the same. Not worth the hassle to store empties and haul them in.
The 5-cent deposit should be repealed and ended. Retailers want no part in this anymore and a lot are going to opt-out making it more difficult to get cans returned for the money back. This impacts lower-income people the most. Nearly all towns in Iowa have recycle bins now that are being used or could be used for cans. The original intent of the deposit was to keep Iowa roadsides clean. With recycling what it is today I think it's safe to remove this and move on to more important matters.
 
The 5-cent deposit should be repealed and ended. Retailers want no part in this anymore and a lot are going to opt-out making it more difficult to get cans returned for the money back. This impacts lower-income people the most. Nearly all towns in Iowa have recycle bins now that are being used or could be used for cans. The original intent of the deposit was to keep Iowa roadsides clean. With recycling what it is today I think it's safe to remove this and move on to more important matters.
Go to any state that does not have a redemption law and you can immediately see the difference. States without a redemption law always have more trash laying around.
 
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I don’t know what the answer is, but you repeal this bill I guarantee tons of cans are going to the landfill. I know many without curb recycling, so if the stores won’t take them back….or the local charity down the street is not collecting them….they’re going in the trash….(or the ditches just like they used to….)
 
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I don’t know what the answer is, but you repeal this bill I guarantee tons of cans are going to the landfill. I know many without curb recycling, so if the stores won’t take them back….or the local charity down the street is not collecting them….they’re going in the trash….(or the ditches just like they used to….)

If they really want to get people to do it, they should raise the deposit. $.60 on a 12 pack doesn't move the needle for most people. That's why I don't give a shit and just put it in my curbside. It's not worth having the big "Can Shed" box taking up space in my garage, the smell of old beer, etc.
 
If they really want to get people to do it, they should raise the deposit. $.60 on a 12 pack doesn't move the needle for most people. That's why I don't give a shit and just put it in my curbside. It's not worth having the big "Can Shed" box taking up space in my garage, the smell of old beer, etc.
Same here. I just put in the recycle bin. Can't remember the last time I redeemed a can.
 
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