Redemption
bottleneck

Sites are swamped with demand
and consumer complaints

Long lines at container redemption centers this week are caused by a glut of up to 100 million bottles and cans bought since Nov. 1 in Hawaii, according to a recycling company owner.

"On day one we had to go out with that 100 million backlog, and how do you prepare for that?" Terry Telfer, president of Reynolds Recycling, said yesterday. "But we're rising to the challenge."

Stores have been charging a 5-cent refundable deposit and a 1-cent handling fee on bottles and cans since November, and many residents have built up a backlog because redemption centers did not start operating until last weekend, according to law.

There are 45 redemption centers statewide, and consumers have complained about short operating hours, long lines and too few locations. The neighbor islands are just as busy as Oahu, according to Darcie Yukimura, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Health.

But more centers are opening and hours are being expanded. Reynolds Recycling, which runs about half of the centers, opened two new ones on Tuesday, on Kauai and in Enchanted Lake, and plans to add new sites every month.

It is also expanding its hours of operation to meet demand. Reynolds facilities at the Hawaii Kai Park and Ride and the Kunia Park and Ride, for example, are now open five days a week, up from one day a week initially.

"We've just hired 30 employees who are now being trained," Telfer said. "That's going to make a big difference."

So far, supermarkets and other retail outlets have declined to become redemption centers, citing concerns over the space required and costs associated with collecting empty containers, as well as sanitation.

"Our top priority is to provide a clean and safe environment for our customers," said Ed Thompson, governmental affairs director for the Hawaii Food Industry Association. "We don't want to sell food and also be trash collectors at the same time."

Under the law, if there is not at least one redemption center within a 2-mile radius in urban areas by July 1, the state may designate a retail store to be a redemption center.

About 800 million beverage containers are sold in Hawaii each year, according to the Health Department. On Oahu the city's Refuse Division hopes to increase container recycling to 33,000 tons from about 10,000 tons in 2005. The state is aiming for a 50,000-ton total for all islands, based on data from the 10 other states with container redemption laws, Jones said.

"As more centers open and hours expand, it's going to become easier and easier for us to redeem our nickels," said Suzanne Jones, recycling coordinator for the city of Honolulu. "We're going to see significant increases in recycling rates and significant reductions in litter."

She noted that if consumers want to redeem their deposits where they shop, they should let their store managers know.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann said yesterday that the city is making progress toward starting curbside recycling. But Telfer said that should not affect the deposit law, commonly known as the bottle bill.

"Every place that has a bottle bill also has curbside recycling," he said, "so it's not one or the other. Curbside doesn't address litter. And 7 million tourists don't have curbs."