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[GreenYes] RE: Hawaii Legislature Approves Bottle Bill
Hawaii's legislature passed the first new state bottle bill in 16 years
yesterday.  CRI applauds the legislature for embracing the bottle bill as
the most effective measure for increasing recycling and reducing litter.

The only immediate obstacle to the bill becoming law is the governor's
signature, and all indications are that the governor will sign the bill (see
http://www.bottlebillhawaii.org/governor.htm).  Congratulations Hawaii!

Below is the text of a news release that CRI just put out.  The release can
also be viewed online at:
http://www.bottlebill.org/MediaCenter/Press/HawaiiBB--050102--PR.htm.


====================

IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 1, 2002
Contact: Pat Franklin (703) 276-9800 or Lance King (703) 536-7282

====================

Hawaii Legislature Approves Bottle Bill:
First New State Beverage Container Deposit Legislation 16 Years

WASHINGTON, DC (May 1, 2002) - Legislators in the Hawaii House and Senate
late yesterday easily approved 'bottle bill' legislation designed to reduce
litter and increase recycling, by establishing a refundable 5-cent deposit
on a wide range of beverage containers. If signed by the governor, Hawaii
will become the first state to adopt a new beverage deposit law in 16 years,
according to the Container Recycling Institute.

"Hawaii approved the bottle bill primarily because legislators saw bottle
and can litter as a threat to tourism, the state's leading industry. A
massive lobbying and advertising campaign by the soft drink, beer and
grocery industries designed to defeat the legislation backfired, because few
legislators believed that the industry proposal to establish curbside
recycling would solve the problem," CRI Executive Director Pat Franklin
said.

"Representative Hermina Morita crafted a unique new proposal, combining
elements of traditional bottle bills with features designed to hold down
recycling costs. Beverage containers won't be sorted by brand, which
dramatically reduces labor costs. In addition, the legislation creates a
system of redemption centers where containers can be returned. Grocery
stores won't have to take the bottles and cans back as long as a certified
redemption center is located within one mile of the retailer," Franklin
said.

The Container Recycling Institute is a national, nonprofit research and
education organization based in Arlington, Virginia. CRI is the only
national clearinghouse for information on beverage container deposit laws
operated in 10 states.

Representative Morita, sponsor of the bottle bill, said, "Last year the
Legislature gave the beverage industry a chance to come up with an
alternative plan. They failed. We were seeking solutions to Hawaii's solid
waste and litter problems, and the beverage industry's 30-year old
'recycled' arguments against the bottle bill were just not credible."

"Hawaii's people deserved better than the industry's stock arguments because
of our limited landfill space and our economy is so dependent on our
environment," Morita said. The bottle bill was supported by state health and
environmental officials, local government, several leading recycling
businesses, and environmental organizations.

"Some 800 million beverage containers are used in Hawai'i annually. On
average, 75,000 beverage containers are thrown in the trash every hour
statewide. States with bottle bills recycle over 80% of their beverage
containers, while Hawai'i currently recycles only about 20%," said Jeff
Mikulina, director of the Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter.

"New research shows that 10 states with beverage container deposits recycled
more bottles and cans than the 40 non-deposit states combined, at virtually
no cost to taxpayers," Franklin said.

States with deposit laws are: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Iowa,
Maine, Massachusetts, Michigan, New York, Oregon and Vermont.

For more information, visit the Container Recycling Institute at:
www.container-recycling.org or www.bottlebill.info.

###

****************************************
David Markert
Research Associate
Container Recycling Institute
1911 N. Fort Myer Drive, Ste. 702
Arlington, VA 22209

TEL:   703.276.9800
FAX:   703.276.9587
EMAIL: dmarkert@container-recycling.org

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

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