All of these editorials have been printed in different papers. If you are unsure how to go about writing one feel free to use the ideas you get from these. If you would like to write one for your local papers, make sure that what you say is factual, keep them reasonably short most papers prefer them to be between 200-300 words, they will ask for your name address and phone number. Don't worry they use the phone number to call you to make sure you are the person who wrote the editorial. They only print your name and town.
Dear Editor
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| By:Deb Wycoff, Carroll |
01/29/2007 | |
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On July 1, 1979 the current Iowa Bottle Bill became law and has been in effect for the past 28 years. This law is the deposit on cans and bottles which the consumer pays five cents upon purchase and receives a five cent refund upon redemption of the empty containers. During the past 28 years, there has not been a change in the law or the handling fee paid to redemption centers. The handling fee has remained unchanged at one cent for those same 28 years.
Yet during the past 28 years, many more brands and sizes of containers have been added to the distribution channel of beverages, including but not limited to carbonated soda and alcoholic containers. Also, during the past 28 years, many more types of beverages and containers have been added to the industry, such as water bottles, juice bottles, sport drink bottles, lemonade and teas, etc. The volume has increased as more beverages are consumed today, but the costs of doing business has not kept pace with the increased volume to remain profitable. Change is a constant in every aspect of business and life and we must adapt to that change to survive. We are asking for change.
As an owner of a redemption center, I do not know of another industry that has had it's income potential frozen for 28 years by Iowa legislative members. The following are a few comparisons from 1979 to 2007.
A postage stamp was .15 cents. Today it is .39 cents
A gallon of gas was $0.86 cents. Today it is $2.29
The minimum wage was $1.80 per hour. Today it is $5.15 per hour.
The consumer price index was 72.6 Today it is 201.5
We have all had increased costs of doing business in the past 28 years, such as increased prices of utilities, labor costs, fuel costs, insurance rates, tax assessments, etc. Every other business entity affected with the redemption process is able to pass those increased costs via their price of goods, such as the distributors of beverages. There has not been an increase based on the simple inflation factor for 28 years for the redemption centers and their respective handling fee. Can you survive on your 1979 wages in 2007?
It is obvious the Bottle Bill is good for Iowa. We are able to recycle goods and keep our state clean. It is absolutely essential for our environment going forward in this state.
In the past, we have asked for an increase in the handling fee paid to the redemption centers to be fair. Each year it gets bogged down in legislation and nothing changes. Without an increase, more centers will be forced to close due to economic reasons. We used to have 400 plus centers, now we have less than 150 sites across the state.
Please contact your state legislative leaders and ask for their support of an increase in the handling fee for redemption centers. We appreciate your continued support of the Iowa Bottle Bill. |
Dear Editor,
Last night Iowa legislators passed the minimum wage bill, on top of the higher wages is also the higher company paid payroll taxes like Social Security, Medicare, Unemployment etc. Leaving redemption centers in big trouble without an increase in the handling fee. Redemption centers have no way of raising their wages on their own the state won’t allow it. So now what? It’s time for a handling fee increase, the sooner the better.
Tuesday redemption center owners went to the state house and talked to their representatives and most are for the increase. They know something needs to be done they just don’t know where the money should come from. That’s the easy part, the distributors should pay it. They not only make, sell, and profit from the items, they also keep all unreturned deposits along with all the scrap aluminum.
Some of the things the distributors are saying is that an increase would cost the public an extra 1.20 per case of pop or beer. No matter how you count it, a case only has 24 cans raising the handling fee a penny is still only .24 cents. Their greed is showing. We also overheard one large distributor saying that if the handling fee increased they would open their own centers around the state. Its funny how when we are losing money they want no part in the bottle bill but when they think there is a chance of upping their profits suddenly they want in the business.
With roughly 2000 jobs surrounding the bottle bill something needs to be done before it’s too late. I believe that if something isn’t done this year, you will see an end to redemption centers and thousands of jobs.
Dear Editor,
On July 1,1979 minimum wage increased from $1.80 per hour to $2.35 per hour and Iowa became a bottle bill state. To encourage private investment in Redemption Centers, The Iowa legislature created a handling fee of 1 cent per container. Paid for by the wholesale beverage distributors. That fee has not changed since 1979. Once again the new legislative session is about to begin and nowhere have we seen or heard any plans for increasing the handling fee for redemption centers.
There are approximately 125 small business in Iowa depending on a handling fee increase. With talk of an increasing the minimum wage many of these business will have to close without a raise. No other business in the world is forced to stay at the same rates for 27 years, not welfare, not social security, and not minimum wage. Thousands of jobs across the state of Iowa depend on our legislators finally doing what is right, for the future of Iowa.
The bottle bill cost the state nothing, it is totally self funded. The beverage distributors like you to believe that they are losing money. Not so, they not only keep the scrap aluminum they also keep any unreturned deposits which amounts to millions of dollars a year windfall for them.
Redemption centers support the economy by employing thousands of people, including the handicap. They support individual groups with can drives, donation cages etc. These donations help insure that food banks, animal rescue leagues, church youth groups and proms continue all over the state.
Call or write you legislator and ask them to do the right thing and vote for an increase in the handling fee. You can also stop in most redemption centers and fill out a postcard to be mailed to your legislator.
Rosemarie Shepard
To the Editor;
July 1, 1979. Minimum wage in Iowa increased from $1.80 per hr to $ 2.35. A person making minimum wage had their wages increased from $ 72.00 to $94.00 for a 40 hr week, or $3,744.00 a year to $4,480.00. Many people working today make $4,480.00 in less than 2 months . It only takes a wage of $13.00 per hr. or 3 months at $9.00.
Thanks to the foresight of the 1979 legislature, and Governor Robert D. Ray on July 1, 1979 Iowa became a Bottle Law state. For the last 27 years Iowa has been a leader in , energy and natural resources conservation. Reclaiming better then 93% of the 2 billion glass, plastic, and aluminum beverage containers currently covered under the bottle law. Protecting our waterways, and roadsides. and conserving our landfill space. And most importantly, requiring corporate responsibility by making the companies that profit from the sale of these products responsible for cleaning up the residue packaging materials.
To encourage the public to return their containers the legislature decided that the containers should be returned to the stores that sold them . They also created a new cottage service industry, called a redemption center. Redemption centers are privately owned operated and funded. They do not receive any state funds, grants or loans. To pay the store or redemption center for their time and investment the legislature decided a .01 cent per container fee would be paid by the wholesale dist. for each can returned. To fund this fee the dist. gets to sell all the recyclable material, which amounts to 1000 of tons a year, and he gets to keep the deposit from any can that is not redeemed. Toss a deposit can in the trash, you are out the 5 cents, and the company that sold it to you just made another 5 cents. Doesn’t sound like much but, 7% of 2 billion is in the range of 7 to 9 million dollars a year.
This $.01-cent rate of reimbursement has not changed in the last 27 years. It has never been updated or adjusted for inflation. While the wholesale dist. ARE cashing in on the windfall profits .
10 years ago Iowa had over 400 redemption centers. Today that number is between 100 and 150. Stores have tightened their policies, because the .01 cent handling fee no longer covers their costs. These conditions make it harder for you the public to do the right thing , by returning your cans for refund, and recycling.
10 years ago stores and redemption centers started to lobby the legislature for an increase in the handling fee. The Republican held legislature turned a deaf ear, and a blind eye to the problems and choose to ignore, the requests of 66,000 Iowan‘s ,signatures on petition to provide more places to redeem containers, by increasing the handling fee. It is yet to be seen if the Democrats will do the same, or if they will do the right thing by protecting the stores and redemption centers that redeem containers. As talk turns to increasing the minimum wage,let us hope they will remember that the redemption centers and stores have not had an increase in their wage rate in 27 long years. I urge you to call or write your representatives and ask them to vote for an increase in the 27 year old handling fee. Bring some justice back into the system.
Lana Sargent
To the Editor;
As a long time redemption center owner( 1983) I feel the need to respond to the comments that we need to go to the legislature for help, rather then just charge the consumer a penny.
Well, we have gone to the legislature over and over,and over again. I personally have lobbied for over 15 years. and we get nothing in return. 6 yrs. ago we collected 66,000 signatures in support of the bottle bill, and presented them to Brent Segrist at a news conference and rally at the capitol. We shut the governors email down for 4 days in support of the bottle bill. That year we had over 100,000 emails, letters, and phone calls to the capitol. In the last 6 years we have had lobby days, legislative hearings, press conferences, news releases, and public hearings. . At one of those hearings there were 188 speakers. We were allowed 3 minutes each to speak. 3/4 of the speakers were in favor of the bottle bill and expanding it. This hearing was so long that we did not get out of the capitol buildings till way past 11:30 pm.
For the last 10 years there have been 3 to 10 bills a year introduced to the legislature for consideration. These bills have promptly gone into committee never to be seen or heard from again. Last year Rep. Don Shultz introduced the perfect bill to protect the bottle bill, close the loopholes, color the grey areas, and protect the redemption centers. Disappeared into committee, never to be heard from again. I do believe it is tabled in Ways and Means as we speak, but, I could be wrong. There was even a last minute attempt by Rep. Cele Bodler (Winterset) to attach an increase to the Natural Resources budget. It was voted as ungermain to the issue and tabled. That way none of our legislative representatives, had to actually stand up and vote on whether or not to support the bottle bill.
We have been told Nope, not this year. Well, we can't work on it this year it is an election yr. Nope, not this year we just got done with an election and we have to settle in. Nope, not this year because we don't know what you want. So we told them in simple language. (1) Increase the handling fee, and set up some type of review system to combat inflation. (2) Give the DNR the authority to enforce the law. Which by the way they claim they do not now have. (3) increase the penalties for all those violating the law ( 4) After the rest of this is done add the waters, teas, coffee, and sports drinks to the deposit list. And if you will notice we left off the juices, and milk. Even we understand that those products would overwhelm the system, although other states seem to be doing ok with them on the deposit list. They promptly came back with we can't do all that at once just pick one thing. And it goes on and on.
Then we were told WE must get all the sides to the bargaining table and work it out ourselves and present a 10 minute done deal to the legislature. Now, just tell me how we poor little redemption centers are supposed to get the HY-Vees, Dahls and Kum &go's of this world to the bargaining table? It is well understood in this business that the grocery/ convenience industry wants the bottle bill gone. No bottle bill, no obligation to help clean up the 2 billion + containers sold each yr. Make the profit from the sales and walk away. The beverage industry again doesn't want anything to change. The huge windfall profits from the unclaimed, and the materials sales in their pocket why would they want to give up the big bonus every yr. They have no motivation to barging.
And the legislature runs for cover every time the bottle bill is mentioned. Why, you ask? well they know if they vote to repeal the bottle bill, the 84% of us Iowans that support the bill will remember how they voted come November. And if they vote to expand and support the Big money grocery/convenience/beverage lobby will remember how they voted come Nov. Get it? So nothing gets done, and the debate goes on with the poor little hard working redemption center owner caught, and getting the life squeezed out of them squarely in the middle.
The only ones that can fix this problem are those we elected to do the job. call them and give them an ear full. it is not to late to fix this problem this year. all they have to do is pull shotz's bill out and passed it. 10 minute deal , it could be done before coffee break in the morning.
Lana Sargent
722 Market St.
Harlan Iowa 51537
1-712-755-2895
Dear Editor,
Once again Senate Republican Leader Stewart Iverson is playing games with the bottle bill. He wrote Senate Study Bill (SSB) 3262 which gives redemption centers permission to keep one penny of the five they would otherwise refund to the customer. SSB 3262 was introduced on Tuesday, March 28th and is in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
What he is not saying is that he isn’t even acting on his own bill, or the fact that it is pitting the grocery stores against redemption centers. By allowing redemption centers to only return 4 cents and making grocery stores continue to pay the 5 cents. Which we all know will hurt the bottle bill in the end. Grocery stores and redemption centers need to work together, not be torn apart by our own legislators.
For some reason he is against making the distributors pay their fare share of the cost to clean up the mess. Those same distributors who make, sell and profit from the beverages they sell, and continue to make millions of dollars from the un-refunded deposits. Not only do they keep the un-refunded deposits they also keep the aluminum and resell it. They not only keep the 5 cents but they are getting right at 1.70 a lb for the cans. Because they sell it in bulk directly to the shredders. Most people believe the state pays the redemption centers, this is not true. Redemption centers are paid by the distributors and while they have raised their prices continually over the last 27 years, they have conveniently left out the redemption centers that clean up the mess they make.
Jim Riddell
Po box 71
Montezuma Iowa 50171
641-990-5612
Dear Editor,
Senate Republican Leader Stewart Iverson has decided that instead of telling the legislators that he would not allow the bottle bill to be debated. He decided to write his own bill. Senate Study Bill (SSB) 3262 which gives redemption centers permission to keep one penny of the five they would otherwise refund to the customer. SSB 3262 was introduced on Tuesday, March 28th and is in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
Unfortunately he is not even acting on his own bill. The way I see it, it is a way for him to say he is not against the bottle bill all the while keeping it stalled, knowing that he is putting redemption centers against the grocery stores. By allowing redemption centers to only pay 4 cents while grocery stores must continue to pay the full 5 cents. He has already said he would not allow the bottle bill to be debated and this is his way of backtracking, because so many people got angry at the thought of our leaders not allowing debate on issues so important to the state.
He has also said that he doesn’t believe the distributors should pay the extra penny to help clean up the mess they help to make. Why not? The bottle bill has made those companies millions with all the un-refunded deposits going into their pockets and well as selling the aluminum when they are done. All the while they are starving out the small business owners who run redemption centers, while they and their employee’s wind up in the unemployment lines. There is something wrong with this picture, do our legislators not work for the taxpayers or only for the big business who pad their pockets.
Gina Simmons
610 480th Ave
Searsboro Iowa 50242
641-990-1412
Dear Editor,
The bottle bill is one of Iowa’s best laws, it not only helps to keep Iowa beautiful, it keeps people working and small business operating. House Senate Leader Stewart Iverson keeps saying he is for small business but unfortunately he has proven over and over that he is only for big business and their lobbyist. The people that work hard to keep at redemption centers helping to keep Iowa clean are being told to make do with wages from 1978 all the while the companies that are making the messes are making millions and raising their prices whenever it suits them. Redemption centers are paid by the distributors, not the state. Mr. Iverson has said he doesn’t want the distributors to pay more. Why not? They make and profit from the mess.
Last month Mr. Iverson told a large group at Fort Dodge that he would not allow the bottle bill to be debated, now after all the outrage he decide to write his own bill. Senate Study Bill (SSB) 3262 which gives redemption centers permission to keep one penny of the five they would otherwise refund to the customer. SSB 3262 was introduced on Tuesday, March 28th and is in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
This same bill that he sent to the ways and means committee is also one he is refusing to act on. Why because he knows it was just a way to get the public to be quiet so he could say he wasn’t against the bottle bill. All the while he is causing the redemption centers and the grocery stores to fight against each other. By allowing the redemption centers to pay back only 4 cents and making the grocery stores pay the full 5.
Redemption centers and grocery stores need to go with 4 cents for survival but it should be coming out of the pockets of the distributors not the public. It is very important for redemption centers and grocery stores to work together not be torn apart by the state legislators.
Judith Sumner
PO Box 682
Montezuma Iowa 50171
641-623-0227
Dear Editor,
Here the legislative session is almost over and once again the bottle bill was put on the back burner. Why because certain legislators have decided that no matter what the public says, they decide the issues. Senate Leader Stewart Iverson has even gone as far as to say he would not allow the bottle bill to be debated. After hearing this there was such and outrage from the public that he decided to try to make it look like he cared.
Senate Study Bill (SSB) 3262 which gives redemption centers permission to keep one penny of the five they would otherwise refund to the customer. SSB 3262 was introduced on Tuesday, March 28th and is in the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
While it looks like Mr. Iverson is working to save the bottle bill all he is really doing is pitting the grocery stores against the redemption centers. By allowing the redemption centers to pay only 4 cents and forcing the grocery stores to continue to pay 5. But then again he isn’t even acting on his own bill.
For reasons only known to Mr. Iverson he has come out and said that the distributors should not have to pay anymore toward the bottle bill. Why not? They have continually raised their prices over the years. They make millions on the un-refunded deposits as well as the aluminum and the public pays for the redemption cost in their price hikes. The bottle bill cost the state nothing so why is it that the legislators are against helping a proven recycling system that works?
Several redemption centers across the state have started asking for donations from the public just to stay open. If our legislators were as committed to small business as they say, redemption centers would not have to beg for help.
A letter was also sent out by the DNR threatening redemption centers with fines and jail, if they did not make the 5 cents available. Since when does the state have the right to set individual company policy? The 5 is available at all redemption centers, some centers are just asking is that the customer donate a portion of their refund to help defer cost. Jail time for being honest, hard working business people, boy that is sad.
Rosemarie Shepard
4872 103rd St
Montezuma Iowa 50171
641-623-2277
