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Permanent LinkMeeting Public Comments
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A bill for an act relating to beverage containers control provisions, including handling fees, refund value, applicability to certain beverages, and acceptance of beverage containers, and providing penalties.
Subcommittee members: Brown-CH, Klimesh, Quirmbach
Date: Tuesday, January 25, 2022
Time: 5:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Location: Room G17
Comments Submitted:
Download CommentsThe purpose of comments is to provide information to members of the subcommittee.
Names and comments are public records. Remaining information is considered a confidential record.
01-24-2022
Margaret Whiting []
It should be very convenient for people to return their bottles and cans to a store or redemption center in Iowa, otherwise too many cans and bottles will end up in our ditches and landfills instead of being recycled.This bill is written to allow a dealer not to be a participating dealer if their place of business is in a 15 mile radius of a redemption center. 15 miles is not convenient, since this would be a 30 mile round trip for some people to return their bottles and cans, and not everyone owns a car. The distance should be 10 miles or less.It is great that this bill increases the handling fee from 1 cent to 2 cents. More redemption centers could be built and actually stay open for business. Our current 1 cent handling fee is not enough. I dont understand why the 2 cent fee should be reduced after 2032.
01-24-2022
Jean Perri []
Why would you change the bottle deposit law to require a drive of 15 miles to a redemption center instead of a 10 minute drive to redeem your can/bottle deposits? Inconvenience is a priority?
01-24-2022
Richard Siefers []
Im writing to you today about Iowas bottle deposit law and the push to make changes to the law during this years legislative session. From what Ive read, Im concerned that the changes being promoted by the grocery store lobby will significantly undermine the effectiveness of this 1978 law. Although I agree that the law needs to be updated, it needs to be updated in a way that keeps this law working for all Iowans. I support changes to the law that include:Increasing the deposit amount from 5 cents to 10 cents,increasing the redemption fee to a level that makes the redeeming business an attractive enterprise, expanding the law to include juice and water containers, andpenalties for grocery and convenience stores that fail to abide by the laws empty container redemption requirements.I strongly believe that empty container redemption should remain a responsibility of grocery stores and convenience stores that sell beverages subject to the bottle bill deposit, so that all Iowans have a convenient location to return their empty containers. An exemption to this responsibility should be made if there is a redemption center within a 10minute drive of the grocery or convenience store.
01-25-2022
Thomas Reardon []
As I fish, hike and photograph in western Iowa a usually pick up trash found in the area. From my unscientific survey it looks like Iowas bottle law has been a success most of the bottles found have no deposit markings on them, seemingly coming from the Nebraska side of the river. But the bill could be strengthened. The proposed bill has some good points, increasing the redemption fee and penalizing store not in compliance. However, we need to strengthen incentives, not weaken them. The distance from store to redemption center should most definitely not be increased and, in addition, the fee should be increased to 10 cents.