Updated at 2:28 p.m., Monday, April 30, 2007
New weighing rates start tomorrow for HI-5 recycling
Advertiser Staff
New rates for HI-5 beverage containers that are weighed at redemption centers statewide are expected to yield more return cash, state Department of Health officials said.The new rates taking effect tomorrow:
Beginning June 1, the HI-5 program will add a new special rate for small plastic containers.
Consumers who want the small plastic bottle rate must separate small bottles — 17 fluid ounces or less — from larger bottles.
Karl Motoyama, of the department's Solid Waste Management division, said in a DOH news release issued today:
"The rates were calculated through a scientific study to ensure consumers receive as accurate a refund as reasonably possible for containers that are weighed."
He added, "The latest study determined rates based on specific sizes of containers rather than the previous study, which evaluated only the average of mixed container sizes."
If consumers do not separate plastic bottles, their mixed-sized loads will be weighed using the 17.5 containers per pound rate.
Aluminum and glass containers do not have to be separated by size. The 12-ounce rate will be used for all aluminum and glass containers.
While weighing may be more convenient, a count typically yields the most accurate refund. The department recently raised that minimum count requirement from 50 to 200 containers.
