Meeting Public Comments

Pam Mackey-Taylor [Sierra Club, Iowa Chapter]

I encourage you to oppose HF814, changes to the bottle deposit law. This bill would gut Iowas Bottle Deposit Law. Iowas Bottle Redemption program is wildly successful and popular. The changes being proposed will make it less convenient for people to recycle and the result will be more litter in our rivers, lakes, and ditches. It is not convenient to require a consumer to travel 20 or 30 miles roundtrip from a grocery store or convenience store to a redemption center in order to redeem empty cans and bottles. Furthermore, by making recycling inconvenient and almost impossible, people will give up on recycling and will lose their nickels. That is an automatic increase in the price of the beverage. If it costs more to travel to the redemption center than the return of the deposit, then it is not costeffective to return the bottles and cans. If the redemption center is not open at the times a person is free to stop by the redemption center, then the person loses their nickels. We should be encouraging the recycling, not discouraging it.When people cannot conveniently return their empty containers, it is like adding a 5 cent tax to every beverage container. With a coupon, I recently purchased some pop for slightly over 29 cents per bottle. If I can't get my nickel back, then I am paying almost 17% in tax for that pop.One of the things you will hear is that the grocers do not want dirty containers in their stores. However, they are renting and storing dirty rug machines in the stores. Further they have inhouse pharmacies that are not walled off from the rest of the store. That encourages sick people to come into the stores and loiter, which puts everyone in the store at risk.The dealers should be encouraged to use their excess windfall from unredeemed bottles and cans to set up convenient ways to recycle, including reverse vending machines and including convenient kiosks close to the stores.I urge you to oppose HF814.

Paula Vaughan

Legislators, I am writing to encourage you to include certain key elements in HF 814, the Bottle Bill. After 40 years it is time to update and upgrade the efficacy of this legislation to make it a winwin situation of all involved parties and the environment:Increase the deposit and handling fees by at least two cents and build in a cost of living automatic adjustment at timed intervals for a revenue stream that keeps pace with the timesAssign administration of the container deposit law to the Department of Revenue to track unclaimed deposits, and enforce the law (fines and collections). Proceeds could be used by retailers to purchase technologicallyimproved equipment for returns. Some monies could also go to environmental programs within the state.Expand the types of beverages in the program to include those that use the same containers as allowed now.Make the distance for people to redeem containers doable, within 5 miles, preferably so they will use the service.Thank you for the time and energy you have put into working on this important bill.

Jay Freeman

Many people clean the environment and help supplement their income through this financial incentive to redeem cans, glass, and bottles. This is, in part, why there is less littering along Iowa roads than other nearby states. Keep the payment/reward piece to this bill!

Gaylen Wobeter [League of Women Voters ]

Please expand the bottle redemption to include water, tea, juice and sports drinks. Please raise redemption and handling fees and tie them to the cost of living. Expanding the bottle bill for the 2020s is important to all Iowans who care about our environment. People need to be able to redeem their bottles and cans without a long drive. Thank you.

Jim Mart

Leave the bottle bill as is. It has kept our ditches and parks cleaner than states that don't have it.

Dan Gall

I write in support of the bottle bill and encourage you to make it more convenient for consumers to participate. Retailers, even small retailers, can and should continue to collect recyclables for the convenience of retailers. If changes are made, those changes should be focused on making it easy and costeffective for retailers to participate. Thank you for your attention to this issue and our shared environment.

Terese Grant [League of Women Voters of Iowa]

It is past time to make improvements to Iowa's bottle bill. There definitely needs to be an increase in the handling fee as well as an increase in the deposit fee. It would be more appropriate to move data collection and civil penalties to the Department of Revenue rather than the DNR. Another improvement for the bottle bill would be to include all beverage containers. The people of Iowa deserve a bottle bill that continues to protect the environment and is at no cost to the taxpayers.

Anne Johnson

Please, please maintain the bottle bill!! I remember the days of garbage in parking lots, ditches, roadways. We must keep this motivation fir recycling and redeeming.

Linda Schreiber [League of Women Voters of Iowa]

HF 814 (successor to HSB 252)Your efforts to develop a new bill are appreciated. However, HF 814 is complicated and does not address concerns and future needs. The League of Women Voters of Iowa would prefer a clean bill that favors Iowa consumers over business. In addition to a requirement that consumers must drive to redeem, that we oppose, two primary issues are of concern: 1. The proposed bill does not provide indexing tied to a cost of living to create a deposit and/or handling fee adjustments at an appropriate time so a future Legislature and Iowans don't have to experience this uncomfortable process. 2. HF 814 does not propose moving the deposit fee system to a stateregulated agency or department out of the distributors' hands. A transparent deposit system would allow the state to regulate unclaimed deposits and offer grants from unclaimed deposits to a) retail for technology updates for reverse vending and b) environmental groups for environmental projects.While this bill does add penalties, it does not include water, tea, juice or sports drink containers to the statute. The "department" that has authority for the bill is not clearly identified. Must the Attorney General seek the Governor's permission for redress? Additionally, page 1 of the proposed bill indicates "... the dealer agent shall return the amount of the refund value to the consumer within a reasonable time." Lowincome individuals who collect empty containers to redeem deposit moneys may have immediate needs for the funds. Clubs and organizations collecting cans may face similar issues with a delayed payment system. HF 814 does not do enough to encourage redemption. If Iowans dont redeem, manufacturers may experience a supply chain shortage and will need to generate new containers using limited natural resources. A clean bottle bill should put Iowa consumers first. The current bottle bill is netneutral for taxpayers. A modernized bill should also be netneutral and should motivate customers to redeem by offering convenience. Three simple steps can create a fair bottle bill update for all:1. Increase handling and deposit fees and tie increases to the cost of living to initiate an automatic adjustment at appropriate points to provide a timely revenuegenerating mechanism2. Expand allowable containers redeemed to include water, tea, sports drinks, and juice that use the same materials as currently redeemable containers3. Move the administration of the container deposit law to an Iowa department suited to follow the money and create procedures to track unclaimed deposits; enforce and collect fines; and establish a fund from the unclaimed deposits for granting purposes for: Retail operators to assist with the purchase of modern technology for redemption Environmental groups to assist with environmental projects and protection Recycling, while good, is not a complete solution too many rural communities do not have recycling programs. Adding more recycling programs is a cost for municipalities that are ultimately passed on to taxpayers. Redemption is critical to preserving natural resources and maintaining an adequate supply chain for manufacturers. Asking consumers to drive to redeem is an unreasonable burden especially because the current law requires all sellers to redeem. An updated bottle bill can be a winwin for everyone. Encouraging redemption over litter control provides grocers and redemption centers opportunities to operate fiscally sound operations while keeping containers in the supply chain and allowing containers to be used at the highest levels. Three simple steps will maintain costs within the industries affected, and wont raise or pass costs to taxpayers or consumers.Sincerely Linda SchreiberLeague of Women Voters of Iowa

Cathy Eisenhofer [- Select -]

It's time to modernize the 1978 bottle bill.Iowa's bottle bill passed in 1978 and was approved by the Governor on May 12, 1978. The Act became effective May 1, 1979, for beverage containers purchased from state liquor stores in Iowa, and on July 1, 1979, for all remaining containers covered by the Act..Raise the handling fee to 2 cents. 3 cents and/or tied to inflation would be even better. This will make the program more attractive to retailers and independent recycling businesses. .Increase the deposit fee. This will make the program more attractive to consumers, lowerincome collectors of roadside cans, and will keep more containers in the supply chain..Assign the collection of data on unclaimed deposits and any penalties to the Department of Revenue. Collection of these monies should be as automatic and transparent as possible..Dedicate the income from unclaimed deposits and any penalties to the recycling goal: offer grants to vendors to modernize their equipment and to entrepreneurs to open recycling centers in areas with little or none."

Loro Bouska

I use these as a fundraiser for several organizations. Also, I have lived in Pennsylvania when they did NOT have a deposit on cans. The roads and sidewalks were filthy with litter, because without a deposit, why should anyone care enough to put it in a proper trash can?

Patty McGillin [(senior citizen)]

Please consider expanding the bottle bill to include water, juice, tea and sport drinks. Also continue to provide convenient locations (near sellers of same) for redemption. Please continue this program that has served our state so well for so long! Thank you!

Liza Alton

Please continue the Bottle Bill. Please make it easier for people to turn in their bottles and cans for refunds. Do not make it more difficult. I would like to added other drink and juice containers added to the bill. The current bottle program has lessened the trash alongour roads and added an income source for individuals and school and community organizations.

Billie-Sue Riley

I oppose getting rid of the bottle deposit/redemption program. While I am not one to take my bottles back I do collect them and then reach out to groups that use them in their fundraising efforts. Getting rid of this program would be taking away an incentive to keep the environment clean. It also provides an opportunity for non profits and groups such as high school sports teams a way to easily raise money by offering to collect cans and bottles for redemption. Just keep it intact.

Jean Perri [Sierra Club]

I am opposed to forcing Iowans to travel out of their way to return beverage containers. Those stores that sell beverages should have to take them back. If the grocers don't take back the containers, they shouldn't be allowed to sell the beverages.

Ireland Mahoney

In order to be effective, can and bottle redemption needs to be convenient. This bill takes the convenience out of recycling and the result will be more cans and bottles in our rivers, ditches, and streams. Any entity that sells cans and bottles should be required to take them back.

P Kaufman

I support the existing bottle bill that is popular with a majority of Iowans. It has kept rivers, streams & nature generally cleaner. It is time to update the bill from the nickel deposit to a dime, as some other states have. It is time to update the bill and add other types of containers, for example water bottles were not an item when the original bill was created. Any business that sells beverages to make a profit should be required to have recycling on site. An increase to a dime deposit, with businesses receiving an increased percentage would make it more workable for them. Many non profits use the nickel deposit as fund raising for their profits. Some low income people use the deposit to stretch their modest finances. Many consumers will not drive 20 minutes to get their nickels refunded, and our parks & rivers will be messier for it.