State bottle law proves gold mine for groups
By Suzanne Roig
Advertiser East Honolulu Writer
'AINA HAINA — An army of yellow-shirted moms were up to their armpits in trash bags filled with plastic bottles and aluminum cans. Like miners panning for gold, they struck it rich.
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Reynolds Recycling paid $1,757 for 1,008 pounds of aluminum cans and 281 pounds of plastic bottles that the moms collected last week at 'Aina Haina Elementary School.
Volunteer moms organize recyclable items left by donors at 'Aina Haina Elementary School. Through the state's new can and bottle deposit law, nonprofits are discovering a new source of income.
Not bad for three hours work.
Hawai'i's recycling law had started slowly as consumers complained about the hassle of collecting cans and bottles and having to wait in line to redeem the deposits. But it appears that many do-gooders are putting some steam into the recycling effort.
As more groups collect bottles and cans, people who want to raise money for their schools, charities or nonprofit groups can feel good about cleaning up the environment and donating to their favorite cause at the same time.
"We were very pleased with the results," said Roslyn Chun, a parent organizer of the 'Aina Haina drive. "Quite a number of people from the community came out ... and expressed how happy they were that we were doing this. Many asked when the next drive would be."
The school's parent group isn't alone. Other nonprofits such as Kama'aina Kids, an after-school and preschool organization; the American Association of Zoo Keepers; the American Red Cross and the Wai'anae Coast Comprehensive Health Center are recycling to raise money, Health Department officials say.
The Aloha Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the ARC of Hawai'i, both nonprofit organizations, are also considering recycling drives to make money and reduce the amount of rubbish going to the landfill.
Movement growing
The state Department of Health doesn't have any concrete proof but believes more groups are taking advantage of recycling, said Genevieve Salmonson, office of environmental quality control director.
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Consumers began paying a 5-cent deposit and a 1-cent administration fee on all containers on Nov. 1. Since Jan. 1, they've been allowed to redeem the 5 cents on bottles and cans at recycling centers. The state has been collecting about $2.5 million a month in deposits. The state paid back $1.59 million to consumers in March, a big increase from about $300,000 in each of the two previous months.
Students at 'Aina Haina Elemen-tary help with donated cans and bottles that will be turned into cash for nonprofit organizations.
"Giving people the added incentive of helping their favorite school or charity is encouraging more people to participate in the redemption process," Salmonson said. "Every bit helps."
HUGS — Help, Understanding & Group Support, a 23-year-old nonprofit agency that helps families with seriously ill children — is expecting a check next month, thanks to Hawai'i Baptist Academy students who have been collecting cans for about a month now, said Donna Witsell, agency executive director.
"We had never considered this kind of fund-raiser before, but it sure makes sense," Witsell said. "It's a win-win for the nonprofit and the environment. Kind of a slam dunk. It's brilliant."
City Hall lends a hand
The city is helping by giving schools and other nonprofits the recycling containers that were used in a curbside recycling pilot project in Mililani.
To date, nearly 50 O'ahu schools have containers on campus, and many nonprofits and condominiums are using these containers, said Eileen Helmsetter, city Department of Environmental Services Refuse Division recycling specialist.
"It's a win-win situation," Helmsetter said. "We want to use the containers to promote the beverage container recycling program and to make it easier for groups to collect the material in."
The growing involvement of nonprofit groups in recycling has even created a niche for one money-making venture. Charitable Ventures sprang up two months ago specifically to help nonprofits make money from the state's bottle law.
Kama'aina Kids, which worked with the firm, just received $500 after two weeks of collecting, said Ray Sanborn, company president.
The firm picks up bottles and cans from businesses that have agreed to donate the material to a nonprofit and splits the nickel with the nonprofit. How much the company keeps from the 5-cent deposit depends on how many pickups are required, said Jill Tokuda, company president.
"It's great for both the charity and the business, which is required to recycle by law," Tokuda said. "The charity gets the cash in hand, the business gets rid of its recycling and gets a tax deduction, and Hawai'i benefits because less trash is going to the landfill."
Dirty work pays
Parents and Children Together, a nonprofit that helps low-income people find jobs or start businesses, also recently partnered with Charitable Ventures. It takes the mess out of the recycling effort, said Kathy Eber, PACT economic developer program director.
"It's working out beautifully for us," Eber said. "It's a great source of revenue for us."
You don't have to tell the parents at 'Aina Haina Elementary School that. It was worth the dirty work of sorting and bagging the recyclables, especially since they were able to get one of the recycling companies to come to the school and pick up the items as long as they got 1,000 pounds of materials, Chun said.
The money will go to pay for a year's subscription and curriculum with Weather Bug Achieve, a program connecting 8,000 schools to weather stations in the United States and Canada.
"People just don't want to stand in line for one hour to get $2.50," she said. "We've heard from members of the community who have been saving up their bottles for this. Some want to know when we'll be doing it again."
Reach Suzanne Roig at sroig@honoluluadvertiser.com 395-8831.
