WasteLine August 2004

Bottle Bill Update

As of this month, beverage containers stamped with "HI 5¢" began appearing on Hawai‘i store shelves -- a result of Hawai‘i's beverage container deposit law. Throughout November and December, convenience and liquor stores, supermarkets and wholesale membership warehouses will stock both deposit and non-deposit beverage containers as "bottle bill" implementation commences and the last of the non-deposit beverage containers are sold. By January 1, 2005, retailers will be required to sell only marked deposit beverage containers. Expect to see all glass and plastic bottles and aluminum cans (under 64 ounces) stamped with the Hawai‘i deposit label. The November-December early labeling window allows Hawai‘i retailers ample time to get ready for the program's hard launch in January.

As retailers begin to stock their shelves with deposit bottles and cans, they will begin to charge the five-cent deposit for each beverage container (stamped with "HI 5¢") purchased by customers. During November and December, consumers are urged to check both their receipts and the beverage containers themselves to ensure they did not pay the deposit on unmarked, non-deposit containers.

Hawai‘i residents must wait until January 1, 2005, to redeem their bottles and cans for the nickel deposit. You can expect to see deposit "redemption centers" in operation within a few weeks, however, accepting non-deposit containers to put their systems through a dry run. As the program grows, and participation and redemption patterns emerge, individual stores may begin to offer redemption service and host reverse vending machines. The state Department of Health has a website devoted to the beverage container deposit law -- check there for the latest information, including a list of redemption centers. An estimated 30 to 40 certified redemption centers will be operational by January 2005. There are recycling sites in place now that will become redemption centers including all Reynolds Recycling trailers and Island Recycling's Dillingham Boulevard site.

This year's "School Recycling Challenge" is a great way for O‘ahu students and parents to familiarize themselves with the "bottle bill." A total of $75,000 will be awarded among the schools that recycling the most non-deposit beverage containers -- empties that, excluding the aluminum cans, would not be worth anything except to participating schools. For more information, including a list of participating recycling drop-off locations, check out the Department of Health website or call 586-4245.

There is no doubt that the "bottle bill" will take some time to adjust to -- on behalf of consumers, wholesalers, and retailers alike. But, in time, once we see fewer and fewer bottles and cans littering our roadways and beaches, we'll wonder why we didn't pass the law years ago.

It's New, It's Blue, It's the Right Thing to Do
Curbside Recycling Goes Islandwide with Starts and Stalls

What do Mililani, Wahiawa, Waialua, Haleiwa, Kahuku, La‘ie, Hau‘ula, Ka‘a‘awa, and Kahalu‘u have in common? A new, blue, 64-gallon recycling bin was recently delivered to each household (currently serviced with automated refuse collection) in those communities as part of the City's launch of an islandwide curbside recycling program. Beginning in October, and continuing through June 2005, the City is rolling out a new recycling program in which your mixed recyclables will be collected every other month by automated or semi-automated refuse trucks. The program is similar to trash collection but utilizes the new blue carts.

The City Recycling Office has fielded a handful of questions concerning the simultaneous launch of the "Bottle Bill" and the curbside recycling program. Most callers and e-mailers question what will happen to their nickel deposit when they put deposit beverage containers in the blue cart for curbside collection. First of all, while recycling will be mandatory under the new program, some households may choose to use other recycling options -- community recycling bins, buyback/redemption centers. That's fine, as long as the recyclable materials are not placed in your refuse cart. Deposits from beverage containers left in your blue cart will help fund the curbside program, thereby reducing the amount of tax dollars earmarked for recycling.

For more information about the new curbside recycling program, including route maps, a roll-out schedule, results of the Mililani pilot project, and a factsheet, please visit the main curbside recycling webpage on opala.org. To view an animated television spot announcing the new program, click here (3.3 MB; requires Quicktime Player).