Consumers kept out of Iowa’s ‘bottle bill’ discussions

James Lynch's extensive article in the March 21 Gazette ('5 cents a can, but millions at stake”) raises a number of issues about legislative attempts to change, or effectively repeal, Iowa's bottle deposit law. The main focus of the article is the negotiations and influence on the legislative process of what the article describes as the 'big players.” These big players are grocers, bottlers, wholesalers and redemption centers. Unfortunately, the most important players, the consumers and the environment, seem to be locked out of the process.

Everyone acknowledges that the bottle bill has been a success and is popular with Iowans. So why change what's working?

The problem is that the grocers have been relentless in pressuring the Legislature to change the law so they won't have to accept their responsibility under the law. And they don't care about the consequences.

It was disappointing that The Gazette article bought into the grocers' argument that the returned containers are 'dirty.” In fact, the grocers don't have to accept dirty contaminated containers. Likewise, the grocers' argument that the containers are unsanitary and should not be brought into the grocery area falls flat. Customers bring dirty laundry to the dry cleaning service in many supermarkets or return used dirty rug shampoo machines to those stores. Finally the stores have pharmacies that are not walled off from the rest of the store, allowing sick people to linger while waiting for their prescriptions to be filled - which can sicken all of us who are in the store.

One significant question left unanswered by the article was, why do legislators need the 'big players” to reach an agreement? Why can't the legislators just pass legislation to improve the bottle bill? Legislators are sent to Des Moines to do their job, and not expect interested parties to help the legislators avoid difficult decisions. The answer to this questions is found between the lines. To quote, 'For some legislators, changes to the program mean choosing between friends,” i.e., the 'big players.” In other words, the special interests making significant donations become 'friends” to the legislators. Of course, members of the public are left on the outside looking on.

Indeed, increasing the handling fee from a penny to two cents would significantly help the redemption centers who sort the empties and deliver them to recyclers.

But was is missing from Sen. Ken Rozenboom's bill are ways the bottle bill can be changed and improved, such as using the unredeemed deposits to improve access to redemption centers, reverse vending machines, or kiosks that can process returns; changing the law to include more beverages such as water, sports drinks and tea would keep those containers in the recycling stream and not in our ditches.

Finally, returning empty containers should be convenient. Driving 20, 30 or 40 miles round-trip from the store where you bought the containers to the redemption center is not convenient, considering that the current requirement is that the redemption center be only 10 minutes or less travel time from the store selling the beverages.

Pam Mackey Taylor of Marion is director of the Iowa Chapter of the Sierra Club