A legislator who started drinking a different flavor of a popular beverage was surprised she couldn’t return the empties for a nickel deposit, so she’s sponsoring a bill to expand Iowa’s Bottle Bill.
Republican Representative Devon Wood of New Market consumes a lot of CELSIUS, which contains caffeine. “I fell in love with a flavor to start with that happened to have been carbonated and was throwing it in my box of redeemables to redeem as usual and then switched to a flavor that was not carbonated and hadn’t even thought about the difference,” Wood said.
There is a difference. Aluminum cans that contain alcoholic or carbonated beverages are part of the “Bottle Bill” and subject to a five cent deposit, which can be redeemed. Wood’s bill would make cans with non-carbonated beverages subject to the Bottle Bill as well.
Critics call the nickel deposit a tax on Iowans. Supporters of the Bottle Bill say it encourages recycling, so bottles and cans don’t wind up in the trash.
Wood’s bill is eligible for consideration in a House committee this week.
