New rates for state Health Department’s deposit beverage container program take effect Oct. 1
The most significant change is the adoption of a new single rate for plastic.
The Hawaiʻi Department of Health is revising segregated rates for the Deposit Beverage Container Program effective Oct. 1.
The most significant change is combining two different plastic rates into a single rate. The revised plastic rate represents the average weight of a load of mixed‑size plastic containers.
Segregated rates are used when consumers redeem deposit beverage containers by weight, converting the container weight to an equivalent container count. Rates represent the average number of containers per pound by material type including plastic, glass, aluminum and bi-metal.
Since January 2005, the program has helped to recycle more than 10 billion containers, effectively removing them from the waste stream and reducing litter.
State-certified independent recycling companies operate Certified Redemption Centers statewide where operators refund the 5-cent deposit fee paid by Hawaiʻi consumers for eligible containers.
| Current & Revised Segregated Rates | ||||
| Material Type | Current Segregated Rate | Current Price per pound | Revised Segregated Rate | Revised Price per pound |
| Aluminum | 32.0 | $1.60 | 30.7 | $1.535 |
| Bi-metal | 5.9 | $0.295 | 6.2 | $0.31 |
| Glass | 2.4 | $0.12 | 2.1 | $0.105 |
| Plastic (mixed rate (0-17 fl. oz.) | 18.8 | $0.94 | n/a | n/a |
| Plastic (small rate 0-68 fl. oz.) | 26.3 | $1.315 | n/a | n/a |
| Plastic | n/a | n/a | 25.3 | $1.265 |
The change is based on a segregated rate study conducted by Cascadia Consulting Group, which counted and weighed by hand a random sample of more than 145,000 HI-5 containers at centers across the state.
Consumers may ask redemption center operators to count containers. With some exceptions, loads should not exceed 200.
Click here to view a handout on the revised segregated rates.
