Take One Down and Recycle It
The Daily Iowan provides an overview of Iowa’s bottle bill and proposed changes from Gov. Chet Culver, who wants to double the deposit to 10 cents per container and include additional drink containers such as water bottles.
In his Condition of the State speech last week, Culver proposed revising Iowa’s bottle bill, which would charge consumers an additional 10 cents per container when they are purchased. Consumers would then receive eight cents for each can or bottle recycled, with one cent covering sorting fees for redemption centers and the last penny donated to state environmental funds.
Since Iowa passed the bottle bill in 1979, it has shown recycling participation as high as 95 percent per year for drink containers. The new deposit would generate an estimated $20 million for Iowa’s environmental programs.
The benefits of recycling go beyond finances. To learn more, visit Earth 911’s Recycling page.
Kyt Dotson
posted on January 24th, 2008 at 9:44 am
Michigan bottle deposit is 10ยข for most plastic bottles; the incentive, I think, it an excellent one to cause people to actually recycle. If the production and re-use of the bottles benefits the city, it benefits the residents, the extra cost can be recouped easily enough by simply returning the bottles and the non-return of the funds (which is often many) could go to support environmentally friendly dumping and sorting of trash already coming out of homes.
Michigan, however, does not take money out of the deposit upon return. Frankly, that’s stupid. It makes the consumer think that they are being charged extra for the bottles without recompense. The “we’re going to charge thee 10 cents and only give back 8 cents” makes it feel like the consumer is losing something. It would work the same way to have an 8 cent deposit and tack on an extra two cent tax to these items because then there is no sense of loss to the consumer.
airna
posted on May 4th, 2008 at 9:57 am
I think this is a great idea! and I have no complaints about the extra two cents going towards operating costs of recycling and redemption centers and towards the Iowa environmental funds. I of course already recycle my cans but would gladly donate the extra two cents for the benefit of the state, country and ultimately the world.