DES MOINES, Iowa – The Iowa Beverage Association and the Iowa Grocery Industry Association want to eliminate the nickel bottle deposit law and instead expand the state’s recycling program, the Des Moines Register reports. Iowa’s bottle deposit law has been in place for almost 40 years.

“Iowans recognize that while the can and bottle redemption law has worked well in the past, we need a different approach to take us to higher levels of recycling and more effective litter prevention,” said John Otterback, president of the Iowa Beverage Association and chief customer officer for Atlantic Coca-Cola Bottling Co.

Supporters counter that jettisoning the deposit law would create more litter. “We have very strongly supported the bottle bill. In fact, during the last legislative session when there was some talk about the bottle bill being modified or eliminated, we sent an action alert to our members and got almost 1,000 emails to legislators and to the governor from Sierra Club members,” said Wally Taylor, an attorney for the Iowa state chapter of the Sierra Club.

The proposal being pushed by the grocery and beverage associations during the 2018 session would ditch the current 5-cent deposit on carbonated cans and bottles, which would mean grocery stores wouldn’t have to redeem bottles or cans. The measure includes incentives to expand access and use of curbside recycling with funds from the beverage industry.

Michelle Hurd, president of the Iowa Grocery Industry Association, noted that the state’s existing bottle bill needs to be revamped with a “modern, sustainability law” that would encourage residents to recycle.