[greenyes] Hawaii Bottle Bill Faces "Possible" Delay

["Pat Franklin" <pfranklin@no.address>]

RE:  Hawaii Bottle Bill Faces "Possible" Delay

You can find out more about the efforts by the beverage industry to delay
implementation of Hawaii's bottle bill and read the Hawaii Sierra Club's
press release dated April 27, 2004 at the following link on CRI's
www.bottlebill.org website:

http://www.bottlebill.org/about_bb/campaign-hawaii.htm


****************************************
Patricia Franklin
Executive Director
Container Recycling Institute
1911 N. Fort Myer Drive, Ste. 702
Arlington, VA 22209

TEL:   703.276.9800
FAX:   703.276.9587
EMAIL: pfranklin@no.address

http://www.container-recycling.org
http://www.bottlebill.info
****************************************

-----Original Message-----
From: Bette Danse [mailto:bettdanse@no.address]
Sent: Wednesday, April 28, 2004 8:16 AM
To: greenyes
Subject: [greenyes] Hawaii Bottle Bill Fight


Bottle Bill Faces Delay, Problems
Wed Apr 28, 1:59 AM ET


The bottle deposit bill that's supposed to start in 2005 has both supporters
and critics crying foul. That's because the beverage industry wants more
time. While environmentalists feel they're purposely delaying the new law.
r

Retailers and the bottling industry are working hard to persuade lawmakers
to delay the bottle bill. Environmentalist claim by delaying opponents hope
to eventually get the bill repealed.

The Sierra Club (news - web sites) gathered Tuesday to stress that the
bottle bill is ready to go and should kick off on schedule Jan. 1.

Under the law, Hawaii consumers will have to pay a 6-cent deposit on every
beverage container they buy in glass, aluminum or plastic.

That's a 5-cent refundable deposit on each container and a 1-cent
non-refundable handling fee.

Supporters of the program Tuesday chided the bottling industry for saying
it's not ready.

"There is really no good excuse for the industry. it is simply at this last
minute their attempt to delay or kill the bottle bill," said Gary Gill of
the Sierra Club.

"I don't think we would be sad about a repeal at all, but the fact is, the
law is on the books and we have to deal with that. What we are saying at
this point is beside that issue we need to know what the rules are in order
to play that game," said Tim Lyons of Anheuser Busch Co.

Bottling companies said they need up to a year more to get ready because the
Health Department has yet come up with final rules on how they should label
the bottles.

"All the beverage companies have had two years to label their bottles and
cans. if they haven't done it they have no one to blame but themselves,"
Gill said.

"We need to know what the rules of the game are. not what they are going to
be but what they are," Lyons said.

The Sierra Club said even though final rules are pending, some responsible
bottlers already have moved ahead and labeled their containers with the
Hawaii deposit designation because they expect the law to begin in January.

Sources at the Legislature said despite this last minute maneuvering, the
bottle bill should kick off as scheduled in January with all bottlers
required to be ready with their labels.








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