Iowa Litter May End Up Back in the Ditch
Des Moines Register
Stores don't want messy returns. Give redemption centers a chance, but if litter mounts, require grocers' participation.
Fareway [and now some HyVee stores] began telling customers at some locations [they are] no longer accepting
empties. Convenient drop-off at groceries has been a critical part of
the success of Iowa's quarter-century-old “bottle bill,” which has kept
roadside ditches clean and increased recycling.
Given
some grocers' desire to get out of the return business, the state needs
to do two things: First, assure that redemption centers really are
convenient before allowing groceries to quit taking returns. And if the
reality proves otherwise, insist groceries take back the bottles. Then,
in the 2005 Legislature, open the debate on how to keep Iowa as
litter-free as possible and whether this law is still the best way to
do that.
…All
Iowa law requires is that groceries make arrangements for nearby
redemption centers to take the cans and bottles, with state approval –
a step Fareway neglected to take in some cases.
(Click here to read the complete article.)
Blog For Iowa 
Progressive Iowans should not shop at Fareway anyway. The store is owned by some ultra right wing folks. They have fleeced cities all over Iowa extorting tax increment financing from them with threats to leave their communities. Fareway is not one of the businesses we should patronize.
Most people don't even know that their religious convictions dictate how the stores are run. That is why they are closed on Sundays. There are products they won't carry that evidence their bigotry.
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Iowa grocers should not be required to accept beverage containers for deposit returns. This practice introduces filth into the very locations that we purchase our produce and other staples. A different solution must be found and I am confident that the Iowa legislature will do so.
As a former employee of Fareway Stores, I take offense to what Mr. Lewis insinuates about the impact of religion on store policies. The closure of stores on Sundays is a practice that has been followed since Fareway began business some 60 plus years ago when all businesses in a small town where closed on this day. This business has simply not bowed to the almighty dollar and has decided to stay closed on Sunday.
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