Bottle Deposit Law

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Beverage Containers Control Law

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.

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Redemption Center Directory

Redemption centers have until January 31, each year to complete the approval process.  The Approved Redemption Center Directory is updated throughout the year. 

Approved Redemption Center Directory

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Redemption Center Registration

If you wish for your facility to be considered an approved redemption center, you must complete and submit the electronic application between January 1 and January 31 each year.  Only approved redemption centers will appear in the directory of redemption centers that is provided to the public, dealers, and distributors/manufacturers.

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Recovery Rate Report for Deposit Beverage Containers

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) contracted with the Container Recycling Institute to calculate the statewide recovery rate of deposit beverage containers covered under the Iowa Beverage Control Law. The 2022 Recovery Rate Report for Deposit Beverage Containers describes the calculation methodology and results of the study.

DNR hosted a virtual meeting on May 29, 2024 to present a summary of this study along with a second study performed by SCS Engineers that surveyed Iowa recycling facilities to develop a better understanding of existing programs and infrastructure.

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