Hawaii’s bottle deposit is a 5-cent refundable charge added to most beverage containers at the store, which you get back in full when you return the empty container to a certified redemption center.1Justia. Hawaii Code 342G-110 – Payment and Collection of the Deposit Beverage Container Deposit The deposit applies to sealed glass, PET plastic, HDPE plastic, and metal containers holding 68 fluid ounces or less. Look for the “HI 5¢” marking on the label; that’s the signal the container is covered.
What You Actually Pay at the Register
Two charges show up because of this program, and they are not the same thing. The deposit is the nickel printed on the container. You pay it when you buy the drink and you get it back when you return the empty.2Justia. Hawaii Code 342G-111 – Sales of Beverages in Deposit Beverage Containers; Distributor Report; Fee and Deposit Payment
The container fee is separate. It’s either 1 cent or 1.5 cents per container, paid by distributors to the Department of Health to fund the program.3Justia. Hawaii Code 342G-102 – Deposit Beverage Container Fee The rate stays at 1 cent when 70 percent or fewer containers are redeemed statewide, and rises to 1.5 cents if the redemption rate climbs above 70 percent. The department recalculates each year using data from the previous July-through-June period, notifies distributors by August 1, and the new rate takes effect September 1. That fee is not refundable to you, but it’s often passed through on the shelf price, which is why some drinks look like they cost more than a flat 5 cents extra.
Every covered container sold in Hawaii must display the refund value and either the word “Hawaii” or the letters “HI,” in lettering at least 1/8 inch in size on the top or side.4Hawaii Department of Health. FAQ Labeling Deposit Containers – Section: 342G-112 If a container doesn’t carry that marking, it can’t be legally sold, and the redemption center won’t accept it.
Which Drinks Carry the Deposit
Most of what you’d call a drink is covered: soda, beer, water, juice, tea, coffee drinks, sports drinks, and other nonalcoholic beverages, as long as the sealed container is 68 fluid ounces or less in glass, PET or HDPE plastic, or metal.5Hawaii Department of Health. Hawaii Code Chapter 342G – Integrated Solid Waste Management – Section: 342G-101 Hard spirits and wine are covered too; they aren’t on the exclusion list.
What’s not covered:5Hawaii Department of Health. Hawaii Code Chapter 342G – Integrated Solid Waste Management – Section: 342G-101
- Milk and dairy-derived beverages (tea and coffee drinks with trace dairy are still covered)
- Drugs, medical food, and infant formula as defined under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act
- Syrups, concentrates, cooking additives, sauces, extracts, and condiments
- Dietary supplements in single servings of one ounce or less
- Beverages sold frozen or designed to be consumed frozen
- Seafood, meat, or vegetable broths (juices are still covered)
- Instant drink powders
If you buy a drink at a bar, restaurant, or hotel for consumption on the premises, the deposit isn’t charged at the register.2Justia. Hawaii Code 342G-111 – Sales of Beverages in Deposit Beverage Containers; Distributor Report; Fee and Deposit Payment You also won’t be redeeming that bottle; the venue handles its own containers.
How to Get Your Deposit Back
You bring your empties to a certified redemption center. Staff check for the Hawaii refund marking and pay you 5 cents per container, either as cash or a redeemable voucher.6Hawaii Department of Health. Rules Amending Title 11 Chapter 282
Payment can be by individual count or by weight, using per-pound conversion rates set by the Department of Health. If you bring 200 or fewer containers and want them counted one by one rather than weighed, the center has to do it that way. Some centers also run reverse vending machines that take containers one at a time and print a credit slip you exchange for cash.
Certified redemption centers are required to be open at least 30 hours a week, with at least 5 of those hours falling on a Saturday or Sunday.7Hawaii Department of Health. Hawaii Code Chapter 342G – Integrated Solid Waste Management – Section: 342G-114 They’re privately operated, though, and sometimes close on short notice for weather or local reasons. The Department of Health keeps an interactive map where you can search by address or ZIP code, and calling ahead is worth the minute it takes.8Hawaii Department of Health. Find a Redemption Center
Containers That Can’t Be Redeemed
A container without the HI 5¢ marking won’t be accepted. Neither will a container from a commercial passenger vessel like a cruise ship if the vessel operates under a department-approved recycling plan; those containers are exempt from the deposit program entirely and cannot be redeemed for the refund value. Refillable glass containers with a brand name permanently marked and an equivalent refund value of at least 5 cents are allowed to skip the standard HI 5¢ label.9Hawaii Department of Health. Hawaii Code Chapter 342G – Integrated Solid Waste Management – Section: 342G-112
Where Retailers Fit In
Retailers in high-density population areas of Oahu have to either run their own redemption center or have an independent certified center within a two-mile radius. Neighbor island retailers and small convenience stores are exempt from that redemption requirement, though they can accept returns voluntarily.10Hawaii Department of Health. Dealers – Deposit Beverage Container Program All beverage dealers, no matter where they’re located, have to post signage telling customers where the nearest redemption center is. If you don’t see the sign, ask.
Bars, restaurants, and hotels get the register exemption described above, but they still have to collect their empties and either take them to a certified redemption center or become one.11Hawaii Department of Health. Hawaii Code Chapter 342G – Integrated Solid Waste Management – Section: 342G-113 The on-premises exemption applies to the deposit charge at the register, not to the recycling obligation.
What Happens If a Business Breaks the Rules
Violations of Chapter 342G, including selling unlabeled containers, failing to pay the required fees, or ignoring recycling obligations, can draw fines of up to $10,000 per offense. Each day a violation continues counts as a separate offense.12Hawaii Department of Health. Hawaii Code Chapter 342G – Integrated Solid Waste Management – Section: 342G-71
The Department of Health can enforce the law through administrative penalties, field citations ordering immediate corrective action, or civil lawsuits filed in circuit environmental court. For serious cases, the department can suspend, modify, or revoke a business’s certification or permit.13Hawaii Department of Health. Hawaii Code Chapter 342G – Integrated Solid Waste Management – Section: 342G-72 For you as a consumer, the practical takeaway is simple: if a store sells you a covered drink without charging the deposit, or refuses to point you to a nearby redemption center, that’s a reportable problem.