Letters for Oct. 23, 2015

• Recycling too difficult in Hawaii

Recycling too difficult in Hawaii

The state of Hawaii does not require retailers to operate redemption centers at their stores.

The state of Hawaii charges a 5 cent deposit and a 1 cent fee for each container (can, bottle, 2 liter, quarts of juice, but not milk) You are suppose to receive the nickel back when the container is turned in, but the process is such a pain that people just take what’s given to them and it usually does not work out to 5 cents a container. The penny fee is used to support the costs of the program.

Recycling on Kauai is a real chore. I believe the state does not really want people to return their cans or bottles! The reason being you must find a recycling place. They are few and far between and there are usually long lines waiting for the recyclers to weigh your recyclables.

Back in the day when I was a kid — you bought a bottle or can of soda pop and you returned it to the store where you bought it, and it was that simple, you got your money back.

Recently on my trip to “America” (the Mainland) all the grocery stores and big-box stores had giant machines that looked like humongous soda machines where you put your bottles or cans in and it prints out a receipt. My question is, why doesn’t somebody do the same thing state wide here on Hawaii? This seems like the logical thing to do. However, logic is not one of the forefronts of life in the 50th state.

This is such a slush fund for the state. I truly believe the state intentionally makes recycling difficult as to discourage people to return their beverage containers, thus keeping all that money for the politicians to make important decisions, like pay raises for themselves.

Hawaii, let’s get with the times. This is the 21st century. We’re living like a Third World country. My relatives in Western N.Y. were teasing me about living in a Third World country — and after some thought, they’re not so far off.

James “Kimo” Rosen, Kapaa