Iowa Code r. 567-107.13 - Refusing payment of the refund value

A distributor, participating dealer, or redemption center may refuse to pay the refund value and, if applicable, the handling fee in the following situations:

(1) Nonparticipating dealers. A dealer may refuse to accept any beverage container and pay the refund value on a container if the dealer is in compliance with one of the requirements of Iowa Code section 455C.4 that allows the dealer not to participate in the bottle redemption program established in Iowa Code chapter 455C, and the dealer has complied with those provisions requiring proper notification to consumers of the approved redemption centers where the containers may be redeemed.

(2) Refusal of certain brands (e.g., store brands).

a. For any beverage container subject to the Iowa beverage container control law, all distributors and manufacturers must charge a 5-cent deposit for each container delivered by that distributor or manufacturer to a dealer and must pick up, or facilitate the pickup of, the container from a participating dealer or an approved redemption center. This includes, at a minimum, reimbursing the participating dealer or approved redemption center for the refund value and the applicable handling fee. The requirements of this paragraph apply regardless of the relationship between the distributor or manufacturer and the dealer.

b. Any approved redemption center may refuse to accept containers for redemption if there is no distributor or manufacturer providing reimbursement and paying the requisite fee for the given container. In such cases, the redemption center shall notify the department and must post a notice of the brands it will not accept.

(3) Redeemed containers must be reasonably clean and intact. Consumers shall return containers in a reasonably clean and intact condition. For a refillable beverage container, the container must hold liquid, be able to be resealed and be in its original shape. A nonrefillable glass container may be chipped, but it may not have the bottom broken out or the neck broken off. A nonrefillable metal container may be dented or partially crushed but may not be crushed flat. In order to be redeemed, an empty beverage container shall be dry and free of foreign materials other than the dried residue of the beverage. Redemption centers and participating dealers may refuse to redeem containers that are not reasonably clean and intact, as well as containers that do not have an Iowa 5-cent redemption label and containers that have had the Iowa 5-cent label removed or if the label is illegible for any reason.

Notes

Iowa Code r. 567-107.13

ARC 6791C, IAB 1/11/23, effective 12/16/22

Amended by IAB January 11, 2023/Volume XLV, Number 14, effective 12/16/2022