Iowans for Returnable Beverage Containers began in 1977 with the goal of gaining support for the passage of a bill for a returnable beverage container program in Iowa. In 1962, ninety-five percent of pop containers sold in the United States had been in returnable containers, but by 1977 that figure was down to thirty percent. Iowans for Returnable Beverage Containers wished to increase that number of available returnable beverage containers. The group consisted of individuals and public and private organizations including Citizens United for Responsible Energy (CURE), Community Action Research Group (CARG), Iowa Wildlife Federation and the Iowa Public Interest Research Group (IPIRG). The group organized local meetings, informed bottling companies about the bill, and contacted a variety of groups including the media and county conservation boards.

On October 19, 1977 the Iowa Senate Energy Committee voted in favor of legislation for mandatory deposits on beverage containers, the first time such a bill had left a committee since its first introduction about five years before. Iowa passed the Beverage Container Deposit law in 1978. It was the fifth state to pass such a law and the first to include wine and liquor bottles.

The collection (1971-1978, n.d.) contains meeting minutes, newsletters, news clippings, correspondence, legislation materials, and materials related to legislation and similar efforts in other states (including bills, reports, and newsletters). Most of the collection concerns efforts to gain support for the legislation in Iowa, but files relating to efforts in other states and national legislation are also included.

For a related collection, see the Citizens Committee to Eliminate Litter in Iowa Records (MS 88). This organization worked in opposition to the bill.

The files are arranged alphabetically with materials related to Iowa at the front and nationally and individual states at the end.