The bottle law, launched Jan. 1, places a 5-cent redeemable deposit on each beverage container sold in the state. Consumers get back the nickel when they return their containers to a redemption center.

The program got off to a shaky start partly because there were few redemption centers, which meant long waiting lines. The redemption rate appeared to pick up during March and is now believed to be considerably higher.

"The recyclers are reporting to us that they are getting a lot more material," said state recycling coordinator Jennifer Tosaki.

Rep. Mina Morita, D-14th (Kapa'a, Hanalei), who helped shepherd the bottle law through the Legislature, said she believes that the statewide redemption rate is near the numbers attained by Kaua'i and Hawai'i counties during the early months.

"We've been hitting close to 40 percent right now, and we're hoping for 80 percent," she said.

On all islands, new redemption centers are planned or being installed, and recyclers expect returns to keep climbing as it gets easier to get refunds — or as alternative ways develop for disposing of containers.

"We're only five months into the program and I think the program still needs to evolve and mature further," said Suzanne Jones, recycling coordinator for the City and County of Honolulu. "But I think it's picking up, recovery-wise, everywhere."

Neighbor Islands report the same increased level of activity.

"More and more people are visiting our redemption centers," said Diane Rosenkranz, Kaua'i's recycling specialist.

But many rural areas still have limited redemption sites, and some residents must drive to other communities. Some sites are open only for limited periods, many one or two days a week. But that is changing.

Stores, including Times and Foodland supermarkets, have arranged for mobile redemption facilities to be available at certain times.

The state is issuing a request for proposals and expects to provide financial assistance for the establishment of new redemption sites in areas that are underserved.

In some communities, entrepreneurs have stepped in, offering to take recyclables off consumers' hands. James Higginbotham and Peter Manos' Kaua'i Community Recycling Services has signed up approximately 450 customers who pay $10 a month to have the company do the family's recycling.

"People have good intentions and they want to recycle, but they don't have time to. We provide them bins and we take glass, aluminum, plastics No. 1 and 2, newspaper, cardboard, even junk mail and catalogs," Higginbotham said.

When the company collects container deposits, it donates a portion of the money to local public schools.

Fundraising by schools, nonprofits and community groups also is fueling an increase in bottle redemption numbers.

Rosenkranz said that a Kaua'i church and school groups are collecting bottles and cans to cash in on the deposits. One class at Kapa'a Elementary School is recycling beverage containers to help pay for an interisland trip.

The Windward Ahupua'a Alliance, an O'ahu group focusing on environmental, cultural and economic development programs, operates regular "Recycling for Change" events and will make pick-ups for a minimum of 100 containers. The organization is even planning to open its own certified redemption center later in the year.

"I think we're seeing the fundraising side building right now," Jones said.

Morita said one of the biggest problems is that the recycling has gotten ahead of the program's capabilities.

"The current infrastructure is not adequate to keep up with the increase in redemptions. We know a lot of people are frustrated, especially on O'ahu," Morita said.

There are 26 redemption centers and 12 mobile sites on O'ahu and only 10 on the Big Island. Maui also has 10 plus two mobile facilities, Kaua'i has six, and Moloka'i and Lana'i one each.

Despite the need for improvements, Morita said the system is working.

"There has definitely been improvement," she said. "We are diverting more beverage containers from the waste stream."

One sign of the success of the redemption process may be that it has generated an illegal market in stolen containers.

"People are stealing containers out of the bins. Some recyclers are welding steel bars on their bins so it's harder to take them," Jones said.