Posted at 12:31 p.m., Thursday, November 10, 2005
Stores should redeem bottles, groups say
Advertiser Staff
State Rep. Brian Schatz and the Sierra Club Hawai'i Chapter today proposed requiring grocery stores and other retailers to redeem deposit containers at the stores.Schatz said Hawai'i is the only state of 10 with a bottle law that does not require retailers to "take them back."
Sierra Club director Jeff Mikulina said the bottle law so far has been successful, with the recycling rate tripling since in first took effect Jan. 1.
"But we can do better, it is time that our grocery stores help to close the loop on recycling," Mikulina said.
State officials said as of August, the overall redemption rate since the Jan. 1 start of the program rose to 54 percent.
Schatz called the change to the law a simple fix with potential to eliminate the inconvenience of long lines at recycling centers.
