Posted on: Friday, October 29, 2004
EDITORIAL
Let's get the kinks out of bottle bill program
Two years ago, the state Legislature, under then-Gov. Ben Cayetano, passed a landmark recycling bill targeting disposable beverage containers. Under the state's "bottle bill," retailers would charge a nickel deposit on the containers, and consumers would be able to redeem the empties at established sites and recoup their deposit.
To learn more about the Hawai'i Deposit Beverage Container Program go to: www.hawaii.gov/health; www.opala.org or www.bottlebillhawaii.org. Or call the state Health Department's Solid and Hazardous Waste branch at 586-4226. It would seem that two years is ample time to work out some of these kinks, and there are established programs working in other cities to provide guidance.
Supporters of the new law, including the Sierra Club and other environmentalists, warned last month that the state had not made key hires nor begun a public education campaign. And should the program be delayed or get off to a rocky start, the new Legislature would then have an opportunity to repeal the act.
State health officials say they have been working diligently to prepare for the program, and that they will move forward as planned.
As with any recycling program, there's much at stake from the get-go. Consumers need to be able to easily navigate the program so they are encouraged to participate. And public outreach and education are key.
It's no secret that Gov. Linda Lingle is less than thrilled with the bottle law. But let's hope that the state's ill-prepared kickoff won't jeopardize a much-needed program designed to preserve our fragile environment.
Already, recycling experts say more than 800 million of these plastic containers are sold in Hawai'i each year. Without proper recycling incentives, those containers will turn up in overcrowded landfills, or worse yet, in our parks and on our beaches.
Of course, the bottle law won't solve all of our trash-disposal woes. We'll still need an aggressive curbside recycling program, and a clear and innovative plan to address our landfill issues.
The bottle recycling program is a step in the right direction. It's a workable law already on the books — and it's time for the governor to get with the program.
Yet, here we are, three days away from the agreed-upon date when businesses can begin charging the fee, and still confusion prevails. Retailers say the transition is too short, and consumers aren't clear on how or where to recoup their deposits.
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