(Spirit Lake)– Two Spirit Lake grocery stores will no longer be redeeming cans and bottles now that the Iowa Department of Natural Resources has approved Echo-Plus as an official redemption center for the community. Both Fareway and Hy-Vee have indicated their Spirit Lake stores will soon quit redeeming cans and bottles now that there’s a state-approved redemption center in town. State law allows the stores to do that as long as a state-approved redemption center is nearby.
Dan Youngbluth, Director of Echo-Plus of Spirit Lake and Estherville, tells KUOO news they’ve been operating as a state-approved redemption center since December 30th, 2004. He adds they’re no strangers to the redemption operations. He says they’ve been sorting cans and bottles for lakes area bars and restaurants already since 1980.
Youngbluth says he likes Iowa’s redemption law–with one exception. He says the one cent per bottle or can the centers are allowed to keep isn’t enough to cover their costs of doing business. He says they’ll be lobbying the legislature to increase that to a cent and-a-half or two cents in the upcoming session.
About 12 to 14 clients work at the Spirit Lake Echo-Plus sorting cans and bottles.
You can start bringing cans and bottles effective immediately to the redemption center, located on the south side of the Echo-Plus building at the corner of Jackson Avenue and Highways nine and 71 in Spirit Lake. Use the south door marked “Can Entrance”. The redemption center is open Monday through Fridays from 9:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. and Saturdays from 8:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m.
