Sanitation issues associated with redeeming used bottles and cans have some grocers seeking a way out.

Supporters of bottle redemption, however, have said the charges of unsanitary conditions are unfounded.

Citing a need to eliminate health hazards at their stores, Fareway grocery stores across Iowa discontinued their redemption services Nov. 22. The change in policy encouraged a handful of Hy-Vee stores to follow suit. Twenty-two Fareway stores and 12 Hy-Vee stores now direct their customers to other redemption centers approved by the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.

“It’s always been a sanitation issue,” said Gary Linahon, store manager of the Ames Fareway, 619 Burnett Ave. “We just want to rid the environment that we work in of it.”

Linahon’s store began redeeming bottles and cans again Jan. 7.

“We know that it’s a sanitation problem,” said Ruth Comer, spokeswoman for Hy-Vee Food Stores. “From that standpoint, in our efforts to ensure food safety, we take look at all potential hazards.”

Comer said her company doesn’t want to wait for someone to get sick to act on these potential hazards.

“There’s only so much we can do, especially when we’re fighting a situation that isn’t always visible,” Comer said.

Horror stories from Hy-Vee redemption centers include antagonists like bugs, rodents, snakes, tobacco spit, blood, urine, feces, used hypodermic needles and dirty diapers.

“You name it, it’s in there,” Comer said.

In early 2002, results of a laboratory analysis commissioned by the Iowa Grocery Industry Association were released detailing various bacterial contaminants found in the vicinity of redemption centers in grocery stores.

FreshCheck, located in St. Paul, Minn., conducted the tests at 11 Iowa supermarkets in December 2001 and January 2002. Test results indicated the presence of E. coli and other bacteria on the recycled items and surfaces with which the items came in contact.

Comer said there is a real risk for cross-contamination, especially from grocery carts used by customers to shuttle their recyclables from their car to the redemption site. She said food may be exposed to bacteria when those carts are used inside the store.

Potential health hazards are not the only problems associated with redeeming bottles and cans that cause grocers headaches in Iowa — these services come at a cost.

“We look at the cost factor as adding insult to injury,” Comer said. “It makes it so much more difficult for us to maintain sanitation at our stores, and then on top of that, it costs us money.”

Despite the risks, no health citations have ever been issued in Iowa relating to redeeming deposits.

“We’re not aware of any cases in Iowa where someone has become sick because of cans or bottles that were brought to a redemption center,” said Kevin Teale, communications director for the Iowa Department of Public Health.

Teale said the health department has not tested any redemption centers and would only if an outbreak occurs.

“Personally, it seems that this is some sort of red herring,” said Pat Franklin, executive director of the Container Recycling Institute in Virginia. “I’m not saying they don’t have some legitimate gripes, but what happens to the bottles and cans once they are used has to be a problem for someone.”

Franklin said the deposit systems in Iowa and nine other states are fair to everyone involved.

“With the deposit system,” Franklin said, “essentially everyone who benefits from the sale of the containers pays part of the cost to recycle those containers.”

Franklin said the risks of contaminants from fresh produce pose a far greater risk to public health than those found on recyclables.

Iowa’s “Bottle Bill” has received overwhelming support from citizens since it was introduced a quarter-century ago. A 2004 poll conducted by the University of Northern Iowa’s Center for Social and Behavioral Research revealed that 90.5 percent of Iowa citizens mildly or strongly support the recycling law.

“It is the most successful recycling program — bar none,” Franklin said.