Ask Mr. Answer Person: Why doesn't Winneshiek County Recycling recycle beverage cans & bottles?

Dale e-mails Mr. Answer Person: "I have read how successful the recycling center is, and how it is known as an "upper tier" recycling center because they operate "differently" than the others.  Then wouldn't it make sense for them to start recycling 5 cent bottles and cans? Wouldn't that fit right into the recycling program they now operate? Plus the revenue wouldn't hurt either I'm sure."

Mr. Answer Person says: "Recycling beverage cans and bottles is a task hardly anyone wants to do!  That's because the state legislature started the program in 1978—and hasn't made any changes to it since then.  As you might imagine, costs have risen just a wee bit in the intervening 34 years.  But recyclers still get one cent per can or bottle.

Winneshiek County Recycling Director Terry Buenzow calls that "a tough mathematical equation."  He points out that the redemption system was put in place back then for litter control purposes, NOT for recycling (A lot of people threw their beer cans out the car window at that time!). While that type of behavior happens significantly less now, the economics of the situation have gotten worse.

Notes Buenzow, "A redemption center made one cent per can then and makes one cent per can now. In 1978 I made $2.10 per hour doing farm work. Could you go 34 years without a raise?"

In addition, the Winneshiek County Recycling building is set up to be a high speed bale production facility.  In order to accommodate the type of traffic that would be bringing in containers for a five cent payout, there would have to be expensive construction and additional staff.

Buenzow's opinion is that if the Iowa legislature does not ever want to update the redemption system by increasing the fee redemption centers get for each can or bottle, then the legislature should get rid of the redemption center system. Says Buenzow, "This is not the position a lot of people would like to hear but at the end of the day it acknowledges what is going on anyway. Better to do that then let it continue dying a slow death."

He concludes, "Cans and plastic bottles that are put into our recycling containers will be baled and set to processors where they will be turned into new aluminum and plastic products. We have more than enough capacity to bale every single can and plastic bottle in NE Iowa and a lot of the area around it."

Buenzow says he would welcome phone calls about the issue at 563-382-6514 .