Editorial

Who's clamoring for a new bottle bill?

For most families, every dollar counts at the grocery store. With the rising price of everything from wheat to corn impacting what we pay for groceries, that’s more true now than ever.

See a coupon in the paper, you’re going to cut it out. Have a choice between a generic and a name brand, odds are you’re going for the generic. Those little indulgences we’ve treated ourselves to, whether gourmet coffee or a choice cut of meat, don’t even make the grocery list.

Of course, our economic woes don’t stop there. We see it at the pump, the department store and the pharmacy. With the word recession being bandied about, we’re all doing some necessary belt-tightening.

Then there’s the bottle bill.

Despite no palpable push among the populace for a change, Iowa Gov. Chet Culver and Lt. Gov. Patty Judge are continuing to press for expansion of the state’s bottle bill. In fact, the only people who appear interested in this bill are Culver, Judge, a few environmentalists and redemption centers looking for a raise.

Yet, it seems to have become one of the crown jewels of Culver’s 2008 platform.

There’s no doubt we can be better stewards of the environment with which we’ve been blessed. In fact, Culver’s bill has some merit. The goal of increasing the amount of material we recycle in this state is a laudable one. The timing, however, couldn’t be worse.

Initially, Culver called for an expansion of the types of containers covered while doubling the deposit from five cents to a dime. Consumers who returned their containers would only get eight cents back. Redemption centers would see the rate they are paid for handling the containers double from one cent to two cents. Since the original bottle program was created 30 years ago, redemption center rates have remained flat.

That plan died a quick death.

Now, Culver wants to add juice, water, sports drink and tea bottles and cans to the state’s nickel-per-container redemption program and give redemption centers a raise.

Earlier this week, Judge defended the plan by saying that Iowa’s original program was seen as “a champion for the environment” and that “it’s time for Iowa to once more be a champion ...”

We disagree.

Now is the time for Iowa to take care of its citizenry. Now is a time of need. We already pay enough at the grocery store. Consumers are getting pinched at both ends. Pay isn’t keeping up with the spike in prices for gas, groceries and other consumer goods.

Parents need to be able to buy a bottle of already-too-expensive orange juice without the government tacking on another nickel so we can call ourselves “a champion.”

There may very well be a time to expand the bottle bill. But right now Iowans can’t afford to be environmental trailblazers at the expense of providing for their families.

http://www.siouxcityjournal.com/articles/2008/03/21/news_opinion/editorial/a01f050309ce310e8625741200784f5a.txt