New Hawaii Governor Not Pleased with Litter, Financial Results from Bottle Bill

Lynn Schenkman

Honolulu – Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle is trying to repeal the bottle bill the state legislature passed last year. Lingle sees the program, which puts deposits on bottles to encourage return and prevent litter, as a waste of money. Instead, the governor is proposing to reinstate community workday programs that use approximately 20,000 volunteers to pick up litter on beaches and roadways. Environmental groups, such as the Sierra Club, are expressing frustration over the potential reversal of the bill that they lobbied hard to pass. Lingle plans to appropriate $300,000 to start the community cleanup programs.