Iowa

Name Beverage Container Deposit Law
Purpose Litter Control
Enacted 4/1/1978
Implemented Beer, soft drinks - May  1, 1979; wine/liquor - July 1, 1979
Beverages Covered Beer, carbonated soft drinks & mineral water, wine coolers, wine & liquor
Containers Covered any sealed glass, plastic, or metal bottle, can, jar or carton containing a beverage
Amount of Deposit 5¢
Reclamation System Retail stores and redemption centers
Unredeemed Deposits Retained by distributor/bottlers
Handling Fee 1¢, paid by distributor to retailer or redemption center
Deposit Beverage Container Recycling Rate

2017*:
PET 60%
Aluminum 69%
Glass 83%
Overall 71%[iv]

Details

Deposit containers banned from landfills in 1990; retailer can refuse containers if agreement exists w/licensed redemption center.

The redemption rate was estimated at 93% in the year 2000[ii], but has decreased to an estimated 86% in 2009-2011.

Updating the estimated redemption rate is not done every year due to a lack of resources - the 86% redemption rate that was estimated for 2009-2011 is still substantially true.[iii]

Footnotes

[i] Source: Iowa DNR, Waste Management Division, as per e-mail correspondence with Bill Blum on 2/27/15 & 1/7/16 (year 2009-2011 estimate) http://www.iowadnr.gov/Environment/LandStewardship/WasteManagement/BottleDepositLaw.aspx

[ii] Source: Iowa DNR, Waste Management Division, as per phone conversation with Jeff Geerts on 8/29/01 (year 2000 estimate).

[iii] Source: Iowa DNR, Waste Management Division, as per e-mail correspondence with Bill Blum on 2/27/15

[iv] Note: these are recycling rates that include both redemption refund and collection of deposit containers at curbside. Source: "Study shows new recovery rate of containers in Iowa." Press released issued by Iowa Department of Natural Resources, January 18, 2018. 

Updated February 7, 2019