Hawaii Legislature Passes Bottle Deposit Measure

Danielle Jackson

Honolulu -- On Tuesday, the Hawaii legislature passed a measure calling for a refundable five-cent deposit to be added to the sales of beverages in plastic, glass and metal. Hawaii is the first state in the past 16 years to approve a bottle deposit law.

The deposit system would go into effect in 2005 and would phase-in charges of up to 1.5 cents per container to fund local recycling efforts, and establish a statewide system of redemption centers. The 1.5-cent charge is expected to generate approximately $12 million.