The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is urging local police to ticket stores that refuse to accept can and bottle returns or contract with a local redemption center under the state’s bottle deposit law, Iowa Public Radio reports. The problem is that many redemption centers are cutting back hours, forcing customers back to stores, which sometimes turn them away. That can lead to misdemeanor violations, the DNR reported. The state has a committee that is looking at overhauling the bottle bill, a perennial issue. Some want to extend the deposit to juice and water containers, some want to raise fees paid to redemption centers, and many store owners want to shift the containers to curbside recycling programs to avoid dirt in the aisles. The interim committee began meeting this week. Read more