2008 Woodie Awards
From nickeled to dimed in Iowa
Maggie Te Grotenhuis & Chase Becicka
Issue date: 2/14/08 Section: News
Students may get a surprise later this spring when they go to their local can redemption center or grocery store with their three-month collection of bottles and cans.
Recently Iowa Gov. Chet Culver proposed a plan to Iowa lawmakers aimed at increasing the bottle deposit in the state from five to 10 cents.
"Doing nothing is no longer an option. After 30 years it is time to modernize the bottle bill," said Culver in a Jan. 31 press release.
Culver initially proposed a five-cent increase; two of the extra five cents would not be returned to consumers but instead would go to helping fund local redemption centers. That has since changed because the proposed legislation is now focused solely on increasing the deposit value and expanding the scope of what is recyclable.
Local Iowa business owners have a lot to say about the issue Can Shed owner James Hagen said he believes the increase will be positive for Iowa.
"It will be an incentive for more people to recycle. But it's not necessarily a positive for redemption centers. It doesn't really help out our business financially," said Hagen.
Hagen said he has seen a vast change through the years on the bottle deposit and believes it would only be fair to have coverage of all bottles.
"It would be easier [if all containers have the same recyclable charge]," said Samantha Dickens, bakery major.
Hagen said he also believes that some of these bills and legislations are outdated.
"Technically it's all the same anyway-same glass, same cans. It's time we modernize the bottle bill," said Hagen.
He also said it will make the jobs of local businesses a little easier. "It will increase the handling fees, which will make things a lot better for, say, grocery stores and redemption centers," said Hagen.
Overall though, Hagen said he believes the change will be for the better. "I really don't have any worries about change return. I think overall this bill will be a positive change for the state of Iowa. It will definitely make it easier to recycle," he added.
Some Kirkwood students feel the same way. "I think it would make people recycle more. I drink a lot of soda so I think that would help," said Hope Gericke, culinary arts major.
Other students disagree, "It really doesn't sound too good although it will raise money for these redemption centers and other programs," said Jere Off, horticulture major.
Recently Iowa Gov. Chet Culver proposed a plan to Iowa lawmakers aimed at increasing the bottle deposit in the state from five to 10 cents.
"Doing nothing is no longer an option. After 30 years it is time to modernize the bottle bill," said Culver in a Jan. 31 press release.
Culver initially proposed a five-cent increase; two of the extra five cents would not be returned to consumers but instead would go to helping fund local redemption centers. That has since changed because the proposed legislation is now focused solely on increasing the deposit value and expanding the scope of what is recyclable.
Local Iowa business owners have a lot to say about the issue Can Shed owner James Hagen said he believes the increase will be positive for Iowa.
"It will be an incentive for more people to recycle. But it's not necessarily a positive for redemption centers. It doesn't really help out our business financially," said Hagen.
Hagen said he has seen a vast change through the years on the bottle deposit and believes it would only be fair to have coverage of all bottles.
"It would be easier [if all containers have the same recyclable charge]," said Samantha Dickens, bakery major.
Hagen said he also believes that some of these bills and legislations are outdated.
"Technically it's all the same anyway-same glass, same cans. It's time we modernize the bottle bill," said Hagen.
He also said it will make the jobs of local businesses a little easier. "It will increase the handling fees, which will make things a lot better for, say, grocery stores and redemption centers," said Hagen.
Overall though, Hagen said he believes the change will be for the better. "I really don't have any worries about change return. I think overall this bill will be a positive change for the state of Iowa. It will definitely make it easier to recycle," he added.
Some Kirkwood students feel the same way. "I think it would make people recycle more. I drink a lot of soda so I think that would help," said Hope Gericke, culinary arts major.
Other students disagree, "It really doesn't sound too good although it will raise money for these redemption centers and other programs," said Jere Off, horticulture major.
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