Sioux City Times

Fears that the novel coronavirus could spread on any type of surface gave grocery stores and other businesses in Iowa a temporary reprieve from accepting empty beverage containers.

Gov. Kim Reynolds earlier this month lifted the requirement that stores take back cans and bottles to aid the Hawkeye State’s response to COVID-19.

The suspension capped more than four decades – the state’s bottle bill has existed since 1979 – of lawmakers and lobbyists unsuccessfully trying to undo a constant known to many Iowans. There has been little opposition to Reynolds’ order, which was implement ed despite the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) saying empty beverage containers are unlikely to inflict people with the respiratory illness that originated in China.

The Iowa Grocery Association (IGA) was at the forefront of securing the temporary suspension. IGA president Michelle Hurd is reportedly open toward a permanent end to container redemption at grocery stores.

Iowa has 3,159 cases of COVID-19 as of April 20, according to the CDC. It is one of the few states that did not issue a stay-at-home order.

Reynolds, however, has placed restrictions around the state and has other mitigation efforts in place, with certain areas enforcing stricter measures than orders, KIMT reported. Schools statewide will stay closed for the rest of the 2019-2020 academic year.

Brad Epperly, who lobbied for the grocers, told the Sioux City Journal that COVID-19 is why the bottle bill should be halted since people purchase their food at grocery stores.

Even State Rep. Andy McKean, a proponent of the bottle bill, agreed that grocery stores should stop accepting containers in light of the pandemic.

Aside from container redemption, the short-term suspension could lead to more discussions regarding Iowa’s redemption centers.