3 Hawaii Island bottle recycling centers to close this month

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Three HI-5 Certified Redemption Centers (CRC) will be ending operations this month on Hawaii Island.

The Waimea, Hilo and Kealakehe CRCs will be impacted by the change.

The Department of Health will no longer fund the centers because they say there are other operational CRCs within close proximity.

Since 2005, Hawaii’s Deposit Beverage Container Program allowed anyone to recycle their bottles at the centers in exchange for a five-cent refund. The DOH reports that the program has recycled over 10 billion containers since its inception.

The last day to recycle at the Waimea CRC is June 25. The Hilo and Kealakehe CRCs will close June 29.

Additionally, the Volcano CRC has struggled to secure a bid to stay open.

In the meantime, the Department of Environmental Management says they were able to negotiate a 90-day time extension, and the center will be open Thursdays beginning July 7.

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