Can/Bottle Redemption

[mkadl]

You spend hours in line returning those cans. To get money back that you were charged for when purchasing. I believe we would all hate to see how many aluminum cans and bottles are not redeemed for the 5 cent refund and end up in the landfill anyway. There is no county redemption center in my county. No one cares. There are many counties with only one. Our legislature thinks this is too hard of a problem to solve. It is not a partisan issue. This is a consumer issue created by antiquated legislation. Consumers are paying a Nickle for each can or bottle. I think the only reason the law is left in place is to keep roadsides a bit cleaner. Other than that I dont think it is saving our landfills.

 

[Pat]

Adjusted for inflation, the deposit would be $0.20. No one is going to vote for that, but I might reconsider taking the time to deal with redemptions if this were the case.

 

[brianhos]

I bag mine all up and give them to the boy scouts that come by twice a year. Get rid of the deposit and just have us put them in the recycling bin.

 

[Urbandale2013]

I think there is a issue of access in rural and urban counties. Here in the metro it just needs to be removed and let people recycle them. Others have had concerns about lack of recycling programs in rural areas. I guess my answer is how is that any different than now. Still offer redemption centers in those places

 

[IceCyIce]

Can redemtion pisses me off. The governor will say its to keep roads clean, thats garbage. With todays recycling efforts and ease of recycling, we could eliminate the can redemption tax. We never take ours back they go straight landfill or recycling. Where does the $$$ go for cans not returned, state fund? Answer that and that is the sole reason can redemption is here to stay.

 

[AgronAlum]

Mine go in our recycling bin. Not wasting the effort for like 3.65 every few months.

 

[Stormin]

Bottlers in Iowa are making a fortune on unredeemed cans and bottles. They keep the unredeemed bottle and can money. Grocery store pays deposit fee upfront to supplier. Consumer purchases product and grocer recoups the deposit money. Consumer gets screwed.

 

[Yellow Snow]

Can redemtion pisses me off. The governor will say its to keep roads clean, thats garbage. With todays recycling efforts and ease of recycling, we could eliminate the can redemption tax. We never take ours back they go straight landfill or recycling. Where does the $$$ go for cans not returned, state fund? Answer that and that is the sole reason can redemption is here to stay.

I think that was one of the major driving factors in the tax being implemented in the first place. What year was that enacted? I don't remember.

They should get rid of the tax. People's habits have generally been changed regarding just throwing stuff out of the car window. As a little kid in the 70's I remember my mom gathering all of our "fast food" bags, cups, burger boxes, etc. and just chucking them out the window. That was common in rural Iowa.

Habits have been changed enough that it seems totally ridiculous now looking back.

I just donate my cans to the local prom fund raiser.

 

[IceCyIce]

If I knew someone would come pick them up, I'd save them. Or a # to call to come get them. A local church used to take them, but they stopped due to the nastyness and work to take them to Perry which may or may not be open.

 

[CYDJ]

I find your comment interesting.

I will comment within.

You spend hours in line returning those cans. To get money back that you were charged for when purchasing.

1) If your investment in time is hours at a time. I suggest you find the mass redemption center closest to you. Once I did this it cut my time tremendously and made the experience much more pleasant. Even if you have to travel some distance, you will likely save a lot of time. However, this does open a potential waste of energy, so it depends on your exact situation. Maybe see my point #3.

I believe we would all hate to see how many aluminum cans and bottles are not redeemed for the 5 cent refund and end up in the landfill anyway.

2). I know in a microcosm, I am VERY disappointed in the amount of recyclable materials I see dumped by my renters (I am responsible for their trash and recycling) and the recyclable materials I see at the dump when I dump or materials. So yes, people still don't recycle like they should. Do you propose that since some people break rules, that you should just get rid of them? Sounds rather short sighted. I am also concerned about how wasteful our society is. It would completely disappoint our conservative (from a frugality perspective) forefathers and mother's if they saw how we waste our materials. There would be no need for this kind of system if people did not litter and cared for our limited resources. But, unfortunately, they don't, so this is a proven method to help encourage many of them to do so. Is it an unnecessary hassle for those that would do the right thing without it, sure. But, sometimes there are things most of us have to abide by because some or a few of us wouldn't if not told/required to.

There is no county redemption center in my county. No one cares. There are many counties with only one.

3). I feel bad for you in this circumstance. Do the locations you purchase these materials from refuse to take the containers? I don't believe that is allowed and you should be bringing that up to the powers that be. If you are complaining about the amount of time or energy it takes to redeem the containers, then I would suggest you coordinate your redemption with your purchases. That has worked for me since they installed this law.

Our legislature thinks this is too hard of a problem to solve. It is not a partisan issue. This is a consumer issue created by antiquated legislation.

4). So what you are saying is providing an incentive for our fellow state brethren to help protect our limited resources and keep our state just a little cleaner is antiquated? Then I suppose we have a difference of opinion.

Consumers are paying a Nickle for each can or bottle. I think the only reason the law is left in place is to keep roadsides a bit cleaner.

5). It is a proven fact that it does. It is also a fact that it keeps an important resource from being buried in landfills because of people who either don't understand our earth's limitations or don't care about them.

Other than that I dont think it is saving our landfills.

6). You may be correct about this. So, I propose we start a new program that expands this program to all packaging types, requiring us to redeem every kind of consumer packaging. If your concern is saving the landfills that would go a long way toward it.

Now, let me help you understand my point here. There is no way people would put up with this. They would cry bloody murder if they had to redeem every stupid, unnecessary clamshell package manufacturers spit out. Maybe then we would see better packaging practices by manufacturers, a reduction in completely unnecessary waste, the use of less fossil fuels to price then and the saving off the landfills you believe need saving.

OR everyone could act responsibly and we wouldn't have to have any of these carrot and stick methods. Unfortunately, society has not come that far yet.

I liked how you stated your thoughts in your opening volley. I don't necessarily agree with you, but you made a nice opening statement.
I am interested in your well thought out rebuttal to my response.

 

[tman24]

i just chuck mine in the donation bins outside the redemption center. not worth the $20/year i would get.

 

[cyclone87]

They need to modernize/increase the deposit or do away with it all together. There is like less than 25 percent of the redemption centers compared to the peak and many people don’t want to go feed single cans into machines and have a quarter of them get rejected.

 

[madguy30]

Mine go in our recycling bin. Not wasting the effort for like 3.65 every few months.

I think it's weird how the options seem to be either redeem them or they're in the landfill when recycling bin is super easy.

 

[madguy30]

I think that was one of the major driving factors in the tax being implemented in the first place. What year was that enacted? I don't remember.

They should get rid of the tax. People's habits have generally been changed regarding just throwing stuff out of the car window. As a little kid in the 70's I remember my mom gathering all of our "fast food" bags, cups, burger boxes, etc. and just chucking them out the window. That was common in rural Iowa.

Habits have been changed enough that it seems totally ridiculous now looking back.

I just donate my cans to the local prom fund raiser.

This still is common although I'm sure it's cut way back but stuff I see in the ditches on walks is crazy.

The main option for many people back home of a certain generation is to just burn it and they look at me sideways when I talk about recycling bins.

 

[Clonedogg]

This is a hot topic for me. Around here most stores no longer will take the cans back for deposit. They state we are to go to the a redemption center (CanShed), out of concerns for cleanliness of the store. Which I thought was against the law, if you sell a beverage with a deposit, you have to be able to return that deposit, but it seems the lawmakers are just looking the other way.

The CanShed is paying you by weight, not the nickels per can you paid. Their weight formula insures they make a profit, so you're only getting back 60-75% of what you paid in deposit. What a racket!

Just get rid of the deposit, the .05 isn't worth it to most anyway. I think most will get recycled.

As someone mentioned, the state is making money they wont part with, whether its bad for its citizens or not.

 

[MartyFine]

We're dumping poison in our rivers in Iowa and nobody seems to care. Who cares about cans littering the highways?

 

[cyfanatic]

We're dumping poison in our rivers in Iowa and nobody seems to care. Who cares about cans littering the highways?

Well...good point actually! Sad but true!

 

[isu_oak]

A little off topic, but does anyone know of a place in Ames where you can throw a bunch of cans for donation?

 

[cyclone87]

A little off topic, but does anyone know of a place in Ames where you can throw a bunch of cans for donation?

Reliable Street in NW Ames has a donation bin or in Gilbert behind the car wash there is a bin for the school. Those are the two I know of in the area.

 

[SCNCY]

When I was in college, all those cans and bottles went in the garbage. I thought it was weird coming from Illinois where we had recycling bins.

Iowa needs to get with the times and just go recycling. Is there anything preventing a trash company from offering recycling service?