DROPPETT Can, Bottle Redemption Facility Coming To Glenwood In March

Mills County residents will soon have a new place to recycle and redeem their cans and bottles.

The City of Glenwood has agreed to allow DROPPETT, a Des Moines-based redemption business, to place a drop-off building on the parking lot near the city’s Vine Street baseball and softball field.

The facility will be open to both residents and non-residents of the city, however, those who utilize the unmanned facility will be required to create an online account with DROPPETT. Once an account is created, the person or organization creating the account will receive a welcome packet from the company that will include a membership card and barcode stickers that can placed on bags of items brought to the site.

The barcode sticker not only identifies who the items in the bag belongs to, but must also be scanned to open the deposit door on the 10-foot by 24-foot building. 

Persons or organizations with DROPPETT accounts, will be credited through their online account for the Iowa recyclable beverage containers they bring to the facility. Once accumulated funds in an individual DROPPETT account have reached $15, the money is transferred into the account holder’s checking account. 

Non-refundable and non-Iowa  beverage containers – plastic, aluminum and glass – are accepted by DROPPETT but no compensation will be given for those items. DROPPETT employees will collect the bagged items from the site on a regular basis and transfer the containers to Des Moines for sorting.

The Mills County Chamber Of Commerce was instrumental in bringing the program to Glenwood. Executive Director Jennie Davis said other than paying for the monthly electric bill associated with operation of the container (expected to be $35 - $40 per month), the city will incur no additional cost for the service.

DROPPETT currently operates facilities in several Iowa communities, including Red Oak.

Davis said the program will help address a need in the community following the recent loss of local can redemption options and also provide an opportunity for local organizations, youth groups and service clubs to use the facility as a fundraiser. Any bag dropped off with the organization’s bar code sticker on it are credited to that group’s account. Organizations setting up an account with the program will be provided as many stickers as needed to distribute in the community.

“I think that’s one of the neatest things about this, the fundraising opportunity for groups,” Davis said.

The collection container at the site will feature a painting created by artist Emily McQueen, who also created a series Mills County paintings for communities throughout the county. The artwork chosen for the redemption center will depict the Loess Hills.

“We thought it would be a good idea to pick something that encompasses the county,” Glenwood City Administrator Amber Farnan said. “We just want to make sure that those from outside the city limits know it’s OK they can use it.”

Davis said DROPPETT’s goal is to have the Glenwood site up and running by March 1.

Additional information about DROPPETT’s program can be found on the company’s website.