Open letter to Iowa House Representative Ross Paustian
Representative Paustian:
I was dismayed earlier this week when I read about your committee's consideration of House Study Bill 163 in the Cedar Rapids Gazette and am writing to voice my opposition to the proposal and any effort to dismantle Iowa's bottle deposit law.
Iowa's bottle deposit, like those used in many other states, is a very successful recycling program that promotes recycling, keeps recyclable material out of landfills, and protects our environment from unsightly litter. A short trip into any of Iowa's neighboring states, where roadsides and ditches are often choked with discarded cans and bottles (especially in Missouri and Illinois), is proof of the program's success. A repeal would no doubt send more reusable (and valuable) material into landfills and pollute our great state.
While I applaud the effort to create a comprehensive, statewide recycling strategy, the bottle bill should be considered a cornerstone for any recycling initiative. An expansion of the program — to cover even more bottles and cans, and an increase in the deposit — is long overdue.
I urge you and your committee colleagues to vote against HSB 163 and any other proposal that dismantles the state's bottle bill.
[The Quiet Man]
I was dismayed earlier this week when I read about your committee's consideration of House Study Bill 163 in the Cedar Rapids Gazette and am writing to voice my opposition to the proposal and any effort to dismantle Iowa's bottle deposit law.
Iowa's bottle deposit, like those used in many other states, is a very successful recycling program that promotes recycling, keeps recyclable material out of landfills, and protects our environment from unsightly litter. A short trip into any of Iowa's neighboring states, where roadsides and ditches are often choked with discarded cans and bottles (especially in Missouri and Illinois), is proof of the program's success. A repeal would no doubt send more reusable (and valuable) material into landfills and pollute our great state.
While I applaud the effort to create a comprehensive, statewide recycling strategy, the bottle bill should be considered a cornerstone for any recycling initiative. An expansion of the program — to cover even more bottles and cans, and an increase in the deposit — is long overdue.
I urge you and your committee colleagues to vote against HSB 163 and any other proposal that dismantles the state's bottle bill.
[The Quiet Man]
