(Radio Iowa) – Legislative leaders from both parties say there’s no agreed-upon plan yet, but momentum is building for changes in Iowa’s bottle deposit law. House Democratic Leader Todd Prichard of Charles City says something needs to happen with the so-called “Bottle Bill.”

A 1979 state law established the nickel deposit on bottles and cans containing alcoholic and carbonated beverages. Retailers selling those beverages are to accept the empties and pay back the deposit fees. Grocers say the empties are unsanitary and shouldn’t be brought into their stores. Senate Republican Leader Jack Whitver of Ankeny says the redemption system set up by the Bottle Bill is complicated, but that doesn’t mean legislators should shy away from trying to address concerns.

House Speaker Pat Grassley, a Republican from New Hartford, says the Bottle Bill has worked as a litter reduction tool.

Grassley says he hears about the Bottle Bill from constituents and lobbyists “constantly,” but there are 100 different opinions on how to fix it. The three lawmakers made their comments on the “Iowa Press” program on Iowa P-B-S.