Iowa’s grocers today presented nearly 200-thousand petition signatures to state officials, calling for drastic changes in Iowa’s bottle and can deposit law. Iowa Grocery Industry Association president Jerry Fleagle says the petition calls for junking the Bottle Bill, and establishing different recycling sites for bottles and cans. He says the petitions represent the voices of Iowans who’re telling legislators they want to see changes in the beverage container deposit law. He says, “they’re tired of seeing their grocery stores turned into garbage dumps by this law.”Fleagle says the petitions were circulated in over one thousand Iowa grocery stores.Critics say customers were misled about the petitions. Some say grocers asked customers if they’d sign the petition to “get filth out of their grocery store” and made no mention of getting rid of the Bottle Bill. Fleagle says the petition drive was “very upfront” and anybody who asked for an explanation was given one.Fleagle says a Minnesota company is currently testing some bottle and can redemption areas in Iowa grocery stores to check for contamination. State health officials say the cans and bottles Iowans take back to the grocery store create no health risk.
