Possible Changes to Iowa’s 5-Cent Redemption Laws

For the past couple of years, both the Iowa Senate and the Iowa House have been discussing possible changes to Iowa's 5-cent redemption law.  The 5-Cent deposit has been required on pop and beer bottles and cans sold in Iowa since 1978.

Both versions of the new legislation include an increase in the handling fee that redemption centers receive.  The House bill would increase the 1-cent handling fee to 2-cents.  The Senate version would increase the fee to 3-Cents.

Both versions would give retailers like grocery stores and convenience stores, the option to opt out of taking back bottles and cans.  The Senate version would allow stores to stop accepting returns starting July 1st of next year. They say it's a food safety issue, especially for stores and locations that sell fresh food.

Despite current law requiring stores to accept the empty containers and return the 5-cent deposit paid by Iowans when they purchase pop or beer, some stores have been refusing the returns.

There have also been conversations about adding "mobile return" systems where Iowans could use an electronic scanner to return cans and then receive payment directly into an account at a later day

Read more on this story in the HERE