March 6, 2008
Mason City teens back bottle bill
By CHARLOTTE EBY
DES MOINES — High school students from Mason City brought photos depicting empty drink containers littering their community to try to convince Iowa lawmakers to widen the state’s recycling efforts through the can and bottle deposit law.
Consumers currently pay a 5-cent deposit when they purchase carbonated or alcoholic beverages. The deposit is returned to the consumer when they bring back the empty containers to a retailer or redemption center.
A proposal by Gov. Chet Culver would expand the state’s law to include more types of beverage containers such as juice, tea, water and sports drinks.
The students joined Culver at a news conference to advocate for the measure.
Jordan Adams, a junior at Newman Catholic High School in Mason City, pointed to pictures showing bottles that are now being thrown away.
“We hope that you will all help us support this bill so that we can all live in a cleaner and healthier environment,” Adams said.
Taylor Johnson, a junior at Mason City High School, said many high school athletes drink sports drinks and janitors throw away the empty bottles after games that could be recycled.
“It would be great if we could just all work together to get the job done,” Johnson said.
State Rep. Bill Schickel, R-Mason City, is still undecided whether he will support expanding the state’s can and bottle deposit law.
“I’m keeping an open mind on it,” Schickel said.
The measure cleared the House Environmental Protection Committee this week, beating a crucial deadline. Leaders say they don’t know whether the idea will gain support needed to pass the Legislature this year.
Culver has pushed for an expansion of the state’s can and bottle deposit law this year and renewed his call Wednesday.
Currently, 330 million containers per year are not redeemable under Iowa’s can and bottle deposit law, Culver said.
“I think the overwhelming majority of Iowans agree that we should do something about getting those 330 million bottles and cans out of the landfills and out of ditches and off the roads and sidewalks,” Culver said.
http://www.globegazette.com/articles/2008/03/06/news/local/doc47cf794a8d8b9275066732.txt
