Iowa's Beverage Containers Control Law, also known as the "Bottle Bill," helps reduce and clean up litter by recovering beverage containers for recycling.

Iowa's bottle bill deposit law covers all carbonated and alcoholic beverages. Consumers pay a five-cent deposit when purchasing a beverage container and receive a five-cent refund when returning the container to a store or redemption center.

The high level of participation by Iowa's businesses and Iowa consumers is the key to the program's success. An estimated 86 percent of beverage containers, or 1.65 billion, are redeemed annually in Iowa.

Redemption Center Approval Updates
The following document lists all DNR-approved redemption center sites and is updated regularly. Before dealers, such as grocery stores and convenience stores, can stop accepting cans and bottles, they are required by Iowa law to have a redemption center approved by the DNR.

• Approved redemption centers for stores exempt from redeeming containers:
  
  • By city (*.pdf)
  • By county (*.pdf)

Resources and Information

• Summary of Iowa's Beverage Law (*.pdf)
• Code of Iowa on the Deposit Law
• Iowa Administrative Code on the Deposit Law(*.pdf)
• Redemption Centers by City (*.pdf)
• Redemption Centers by County (*.pdf)
• For redemption center operators
  • Registering For Business (*.pdf)
  • Registration Form (*.pdf)
  • Becoming an Approved Center (*.pdf)
  • Refund Memo to Stores and Redemption Centers (*.pdf)

• "I got canned..."
• "Don't cause a bottleneck"(904KB)
• "Drink..Rinse..Return..Recycle.."

DNR Contact
Bill Blum
(515)281-8176
Bill.Blum@dnr.iowa.gov

Bottle Bill Facts

• It takes more energy to make a bottle from virgin materials than to make a bottle from recycled materials.
• Energy savings from Iowa's Bottle Bill could heat 42,845 average Iowa households.
• The current deposit law prevents litter and recycles 82,352 tons or 190,850 cubic yards of material per year -- equivalent to a line of 784 large railroad box cars stretching more than 68,000 feet long.