Bottle Deposit Law
LEGISLATURE MUST RELEASE REPORT ON BOTTLE DEPOSIT LAW CHANGE EFFECTS -
Sierra Club Iowa Chapter calls on legislature to expand Bottle Deposit Program -
In 2022, Governor Reynolds signed changes to the Iowa Bottle Deposit Program into law. The changes included increasing the handling fee paid by distributors to redemption centers, which Sierra Club Iowa Chapter supported. However, the bill also allowed retailers the ability to refuse to participate in the program altogether, making it harder for Iowans to participate in the program.
The Legislative Fiscal Review Committee, which last met in 2019, is required to hold a meeting to review how the changes have affected the program and submit a report to the legislature by the start of the 2026 legislative session. It is now November and as of now, the committee has not scheduled a meeting to review the bottle deposit changes, as required by law.
Sierra Club Iowa Chapter polled its members in 2024 to see how the changes to the bottle deposit program have affected their ability to participate in the program.
60% redeem 76-100% of eligible containers
60% find it harder to redeem cans and bottles since the change
62% said a redemption center or collection site has closed in their area
21% travel more than 10 miles to participate in the program
94% support increasing the number of places that accept redemptions
Some respondents commented:
“It’s very difficult to redeem bottles here: limited number of places, reduced hours, long lines and limit on the amount you can bring in at a time.”
“Taking cans to a redemption center that has fluctuating, part time hours is VERY inconvenient when I'm a resident of rural Iowa and have to haul cans somewhere. I used to be assured that I could take them any time I went to the grocery store, but that ended and the can redemption became a pain in the rear.”
“I remember when it was enacted in the 1980s and how proud I was of Iowa at the time. It was a source of pride but recently it has become increasingly difficult to return and I fear the change in 2022 was just a preamble to revoke the law. I would be disappointed in Iowa if that is what happens.”
“We want to expand the Bottle Redemption Program and make it more accessible. We hope the Legislative Fiscal Review Committee will hold their meeting soon so we can get to work improving the popular and important program. It’s time to schedule the meeting now so they can do a thorough review and not violate Iowa law.” said Jess Mazour, Sierra Club Iowa Chapter.
Chapter 455c requires the committee to review:
the enforcement of chapter 455C by the department of natural resources, including the collection of civil penalties
the report submitted by the attorney general
whether and how many redemption centers have been approved by the department of natural resources
the adequacy of the reimbursement amount under section 455C.2, and
any other information the committee deems important.
Read more about the Sierra Club Iowa Chapter’s survey here.
