One of the recent "products" of our state Legislature was the Hi5 beverage container redemption program. Basically, the State charges a 5-cent refundable, 1-cent non-refundable deposit on almost every aluminum, plastic, and glass container sold at retail stores statewide.
The 5-cent deposit is refunded when you take the empty container to one of dozens of privately run recylcing centers.
I've taken my beverage containers to the Reynolds Recycling site in the Keolu Shopping Center in Kailua. Reynolds occupies an enclosed suite in the strip mall.
When you take your cans, be prepared to wait. There are two sets of the reverse vending machines where cans and bottles are fed one at a time. The machines scan the barcodes of each container, so keep those labels on.
The aroma of old soda cans and beer bottles can be overwhelming at times and the space inside can get very crowded, very quickly. Fortunately the lines move reasonably smoothly and the staff is quick to empty machines when they become full.
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