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It is clear that the public opinion is varied on the subject of the bottle bill, most people want to see the bottle bill continue and at the same time most people are totally unaware of just what is expected of redemption centers, how they are paid and by who. Please click on the below link and leave your opinion, you can bet it is being watched.
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Redemption centers do a great job of helping to keep Iowa clean and they deserve to be paid for the job. I know some people are selfish and only care about the nickel but you really have to look past just the deposit. There is no other business who spend as many dollars to make pennies. Most companies spend pennies to make dollars. It is very hard and dirty work and I bet most of those complaining about the penny are the same ones who don’t rinse their cans or tip the person counting their cans. |
- Nikki Lynnville
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Saving the bottle bill should be one of the Iowa legislators main objectives. Iowa can not afford to allow this state to have the litter mess of some other states. By paying the redemption centers a fair wage they are able to save hundreds of jobs, keep Iowa clean and more importantly it gives the people of Iowa pride in knowing that our state can work together to do what is best for the state. |
- Judith Sumner
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After I started reading these posts it was clear to me how uneducated the general public was on the way the bottle bill was funded. The later posts did a good job of explaining it.
The bottle bill is mainly supported by environmental groups, redemption & recycling centers, people who pick up empties along roadways, and some lawmakers. The bottle bill is mainly opposed by retailers, bottlers, beverage manufacturers, and some lawmakers. Each group has different reasons for support or opposition. The biggest being a financial gain or loss.
Most can collectors want all they can get for their hard work walking and picking up cans along the roadside. The redemption centers need to make ends meet as the cost of doing business keeps rising. The retailers, bottlers and beverage manufacturers would just rather sell product than mess around with the deposit and redemption. You can’t blame any of these groups. They all probably have some points. Some stronger than others. You can’t blame the DNR. They are just trying to do their job.
The problem we have is the lawmakers are on both sides of the fence. They are the ones who must come together and finally make a decision, instead of putting it off again & again.
I agree with the solution stated in earlier posts:
“The solution to the problem is simple:
1) Increase the handling fee.
2) Increase the fines for offenders in both the business and private sectors.
3) Give the DNR authority to impose these fines.
4) Expand the bottle bill to include those newly developed non-deposit items like water.”
Bottom line is — if the redemption centers are going stay open for the convenience of the general public, who choose to redeem their empty containers there, they must increase their revenue to survive. |
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- Bill, Cresco
May 4th, 2006 at 7:28 am |
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For all of you saying that the beverage companies or the DNR should just raise the handling fees for the redemption centers from 1 cent to 2 or 3 cents don’t understand that if they raise it to 2 or 3 cents for the handling fee that WE all as the CONSUMER will be paying much much more than the 2 or 3 cents that that the beer and pop companies have to pay out to the redemption centers. I am all for DONATING A PENNY FROM EACH CAN AND BOTTLE IF THE ALTERNATIVE IS HIGHER PRICES FOR A BOTTLE OF POP. Cause you can’t tell me that lets just say Pepsi now has to pay 3 cents for every container for a handling fee to the redeption centers. that is a 2 cent increase. Pepsi will then raise the price of a bottle of pop from $1.29 to $1.35 or $1.40 for ONE BOTTLE now tell me would you rather just get the 4 cents back from your cans or would you like to pay more for a bottle of pop or beer or what ever it is you drink. The way people have been complaining about gas prices I’m sure you don’t want to have to pay more for anything else do you. So just leave the redemption centers alone. IF YOU DON’T WANT TO DONATE A PENNY AND ONLY GET 4 CENTS BACK GO STAND IN LINE AT THE GROCERY STORES WHERE YOU EITHER HAVE TO PUT THEM ONE BY ONE INTO A MACHINE OR YOU HAVE TO PUT THEM INTO FLATS SORTED OUT BY BRAND. Oh and by the way if you are willing to do that at a grocery store did you know that most of the redemption centers that are only paying out 4 cents will give you your whole 5 cents back if you want to do that there. Bet you didn’t know that. |
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- Jason, Nevada
May 4th, 2006 at 11:48 am |
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Jason, The raise won’t matter the distributors have continued to raise their prices whether they pay the redemption centers 1 or 3 cents. Budweiser raised their prices in January. Last year right after the legislation session ended the Pepsi raised their prices 15 cents a soda. Pepsi also had record profits this year, even with the high fuel prices. |
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- Jim Riddell Montezuma
May 4th, 2006 at 3:15 pm |
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I am a employee of the redemption center in Nevada(thanks bonnie)and i will say that if a redemption center were to be open the hours the public wanted them to be open then every center would be open 24 hours a day 7 days a week.
The Bottle bill has been in effect for nearly 30 years and has been the same the whole time.Nobody has ever worked that long without a raise.I know for a fact that when the owners of the redemption center go to the statehouse when its time for the bottle bill to be voted on they get met by people from the pop and beer companies that have more money than the redemption centers do which means the legislaters vote against the bottle bill because the pop and beer companies have more money.
The thing Bonnie said about the people at the Nevada Redemption Center being unpleasant and not able to count.My response is that if you think you are being shorted money then say something about it instead of assuming they did it on purpose,it takes real nerve to post it on the internet where you dont think certain people will see it.The redemption centers count alot of cans a day and are BOUND TO MAKE A MISTAKE which has happened and will happen they dont do it on purpose.Take into consideration that there are cans that dont have the 5 cent refund on them which means that they dont get counted.I guess that the only ones that aren’t allowed to make a mistake are the can counters
As for the unpleasant comment goes i will say that dealing with unpleasant customers tends to get on nerves.Try dealing with cans or bottles that have not been drained or that have nasty garbage in with them and see how pleasant you will be.When you ask a customer several times to clean their cans and they dont and have a not so nice attitude about it will make a person very testy.It says right in the rules of the bottle bill and the rules of the redemption center in nevada that cans HAVE TO BE CLEANED.Then people complain because we close for lunch.Sometimes in 8 hours lunch is the only time we get to sit down for a break.
The people of Nevada raised a big stink when the redemption center there went to 4 cents and they werent even the first to do it.Here is a thought.Instead of complaining about it and causing problems,do something to help the centers instead of hurting them.
97 or 98% of the customers that go to the redemption center in Nevada say that they are happy its there and are happy to take 4 cents rather than waste gas going to the grocery stores that dont even want them anyway. |
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- Jeff,Mc Callsburg
May 4th, 2006 at 9:53 pm |
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To S. Granzow in Eldora, what is your point? For your info the redemption center in Eldora will take more than 500 cans/day, but they do assess a 10% fee, which is totally legal, from my understanding the rules/laws can not be changed until it goes through the legislature, and getting anything done about the Bottle Bill through the Legislature is a joke. Also, the 1 cent fee passed onto to dealers is another option that redemption centers have. Eldora’s redemption center is a clean, friendly environment and is open 6 days/week to accomodate the community. I would/will gladly give 1 cent/can to that business to stay open so that I do not have to return my cans to a grocery store or drive 20+ miles to a redemption center that charges 10% on every can that you bring in, with the price of gas these days it is well worth it in my opinion. |
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- TS
May 5th, 2006 at 1:51 am |
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No one is forcing anyone to take their cans and bottles back to a place that does not pay the full 5 cent refund. Instead, why doesn’t everyone stop drinking canned or bottled beverages and just not worry about this problem, oh that’s right, everyone WILL continue to buy pop/beer no matter what the pop and beer companies charge, but when asked to give up 1 cent/container to the redemption centers everyone whines and complains. I think there are bigger problems in the world to worry about, support your local small businesses and stop whining about 1 penny! |
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- HF
May 5th, 2006 at 2:01 am |
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I challenge any of you who are against the bottle bill or the penny increase to come and work in a redemption center for one day, the majority of people would not make it. I have worked in a redemption center for 10 years and have found in bags of cans used syringes, dirty diapers, snakes, mice, cockroaches, cans filled with chew spit that gets all over you when you throw the can into the can box, urine filled bottles, vomit all over cans and in the bags of cans, used condoms. Not to mention broken glass because people are too ignorant not to put glass in the bags with cans. I could go on, but I think you get my point. Yes, there are a few good people who actually have clean, counted and some even have sorted cans and bottles, and we APPRECIATE that, but the majority of the cans and bottles are not. The redemption center I work in will close next year if the handling fee is not increased. Please really consider what one penny per container really means to you, will it put you out of a job? Have you worked 25+ years w/o a raise? How about 5 years? Could you run a business of your own w/o any way to make more money and keep it afloat with today’s rate of inflation? I don’t think so, every successful business’ prices reflect the rate of inflation, if not they would not be in business today. Kellie Butler, Eldora |
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- KB
May 5th, 2006 at 2:20 am | |
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