Hawaii's Bottle Bill

[cola]

Re: Hawaii's Bottle Bill

Anybody seen new reverse vending machines installed lately?

[Pretender]

Re: Hawaii's Bottle Bill

They just recently installed a set in the State Capitol basement loading dock, just east of the main basement entrance.

I really wish Mufi would stop making excuses and get the curbside recycling project underway. It just make so much sense for you to have one process to be able to recycle a whole bunch of different items like: all types of beverage containers (not only HI-5 containers); newspaper; corrugated cardboard; telephone books, etc. But as it is now, we have a process, tax and incentive for HI-5 containers, and a process for other recyclables. Why is the more complicated solution a better one? Keeping it simple seems like a good idea, and dumping all my stuff in one blue bin and rolling it out to the curb seems like a simple concept to me.

My 2 cents (well actually 6 cents, but only 5 are refundable).

[Lei Liko]

Ripped Off!

Has anyone been ripped off by a recycling center?

Mom and stepdad went to the Pearl City recycling center with about 750 cans and water bottles in tow. After weighing the items, you know how much they got back?

Doing the math, it'd be about $37.50, right?

Those idiots told my parents they only made $5.00!

Now, until today I thought that you'd get 5 cents for each acceptable container.

According to this Consumer Info PDF, apparently the started weighing the containers last year (for consumers with over 50 containers). Still, 1 pound = about 16.6 plastics/30 aluminums. Granted, it may be a penny or two off depending on the size of your container, but still...it should all add up.

My parents aren't the type to make trouble, but they called me as this was happening. I printed copies of the consumer information and took it over to them and demanded to know why they weren't getting their money. The stupid idiots wouldn't give me a reason despite the info I gave them. They even threatened to call the cops on me. I gladly accepted that threat but in the end, they didn't.

They still wouldn't fork over what my parents should have got. No receipt, nuttin.

And when asked what their names were so that my mom can call the DOH tomorrow to complain, they wouldn't give that to us either. I'm still so pissed off like you can't believe.

I get the feeling that my parents won't ever get to see the rest of the $$$ and we all learned our lesson from this. I think next time around we're going to an RVM. Or I hope they get a water tank thing installed at the house.

[damontucker]

Re: Ripped Off!

Has anyone been ripped off by a recycling center?

Mom and stepdad went to the Pearl City recycling center with about 750 cans and water bottles in tow. After weighing the items, you know how much they got back?

Doing the math, it'd be about $37.50, right?

Those idiots told my parents they only made $5.00!

Now, until today I thought that you'd get 5 cents for each acceptable container.

According to this Consumer Info PDF, apparently the started weighing the containers last year (for consumers with over 50 containers). Still, 1 pound = about 16.6 plastics/30 aluminums. Granted, it may be a penny or two off depending on the size of your container, but still...it should all add up.

My parents aren't the type to make trouble, but they called me as this was happening. I printed copies of the consumer information and took it over to them and demanded to know why they weren't getting their money. The stupid idiots wouldn't give me a reason despite the info I gave them. They even threatened to call the cops on me. I gladly accepted that threat but in the end, they didn't.

They still wouldn't fork over what my parents should have got. No receipt, nuttin.

And when asked what their names were so that my mom can call the DOH tomorrow to complain, they wouldn't give that to us either. I'm still so pissed off like you can't believe.

I get the feeling that my parents won't ever get to see the rest of the $$$ and we all learned our lesson from this. I think next time around we're going to an RVM. Or I hope they get a water tank thing installed at the house.

It's experiences like this and the long line I faced the one time I did try and turn in my recyclables that led me to the determination... recycling is worth it... for the earth...but not worth my time....

I still to this day throw my recyclables to the people that live in the park next to my place. Keeps them from pawing through my garbage and I feel at least like their still getting recycled.

Yeah...it irks me that it's not easier to recycle.... I'm a firm believer of get rid of the way they are doing it now... and just implement a curbside pick up... ! This way I don't look so stupid throwing my empties out into the park and having to explain why I'm doing it sometimes!

[anapuni808]

Re: Hawaii's Bottle Bill

Since I can't bear to throw away a soda can or plastic bottle - I've had someone from the Sierra Club pick up bags & take to a Charter School that had a recycling program going. Now, I just bag them & a neighbor from across the street comes over to get them when I get a full bag. He donates to a youth organization. No hassle for me & now I don't even have to call him - he just checks outside my apt. door & when he sees the bag, comes over to pick it up. It's like magic

[Jewlipino]

Re: Hawaii's Bottle Bill

The original bill would have required supermarkets and such to receive the container trash.... but at the last moment the bill was modified to remove that requirement that said something along the lines of "if within X distance from a recycling center/reverse vending machine..." Come to think of it I should look up the darn statute. Anyway the point is the law has to be fixed to require vendors to receive container trash. We make people who sell car batteries take batteries back, and there are other examples of vendors being required to take back the waste products of the goods they sell. Make the supermarkets take responsibility for the container trash they help to generate!

Jewlipino