House Study Bill 734 was approved Monday by the House Environmental Protection Committee. It would expand Iowa's current 5-cent deposit on bottles and cans to include water, juice, tea and sport drinks.
That would likely encourage Iowans to recycle more containers, which is good for the environment - though no money will go toward outdoor recreation. According to a report from Food & Water Watch, about 86 percent of plastic water bottles end up in the landfill rather than being recycled.
Besides, an expansion of Iowa's popular bottle bill is overdue. When enacted into law nearly 30 years ago, the goal was to reduce litter. It was a success. Within a year, roadside litter was reduced by 38 percent. Had Iowans been buying plastic containers filled with bottled water and flavored tea in the 1970s, lawmakers probably would have included them in the bottle bill.
Times have changed. And Iowa's bottle bill should change with the times. Expanding it is a move in the right direction.
The legislation also increases the handling fee paid by distributors to dealers from 1 cent per beverage to 2 cents. That will provide additional funds for grocers and redemption centers collecting the containers.
Jerry Fleagle of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association said the additional penny isn't enough to cover the costs to grocers and redemption centers because the number of distributors would greatly increase under the proposed expansion, creating more work. He said the change would ultimately increase costs for consumers. Instead of expanding the current bottle bill, he wants lawmakers to find other ways to encourage recycling.
That's certainly a worthy endeavor, especially in some rural areas where recycling opportunities are limited. But expanding the bottle bill is also a worthy endeavor. It's been estimated an additional 335 million containers would be covered - which could reduce the plastic and glass Iowans are sending to landfills.
