STAND. COM. REP. NO. 725

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 243

Honorable Colleen Hanabusa

President of the Senate

Twenty-Fifth State Legislature

Regular Session of 2009

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committee on Health, to which was referred S.B. No. 243 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO THE DEPOSIT BEVERAGE CONTAINER PROGRAM,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose of this measure is to encourage the recycling of bottles and cans by requiring retailers of a certain size to take back the bottles and cans that they sell.

     Specifically, this measure requires retail dealers with more than seventy-five thousand square feet of retail space to operate redemption centers.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the Sierra Club, Hawaii Chapter.  Your Committee received testimony in opposition to this measure from the Retail Merchants of Hawaii.

     Written testimony presented to the Committee may be reviewed on the Legislature's website.

     Your Committee finds that the Deposit Beverage Container Program in Hawaii, though it has been very successful, could be improved by making it more convenient for consumers to recycle their bottles and cans.  Your Committee further finds that several states, including California, New York, Oregon, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Michigan, Iowa, and Delaware all have similar "take back" requirements in their bottle laws.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Health that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 243 and recommends that it pass Third Reading.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Health,

____________________________

DAVID Y. IGE, Chair