Costco fined $5K fine for HI-5 violations

KAILUA-KONA — Costco Wholesale Corporation paid a fine of nearly $4,800 for violating state recycling requirements, officials reported Monday.

On June 13, the Hawaii Department of Health issued a notice of violation order after several requests that the company submit sales information for auditing purposes to the Deposit Beverage Container program, according to a press release from the Hawaii State Department of Health.

The request for information was sent on April 24.

“Despite more than 15 emails and telephone calls, Costco remained non-cooperative in providing the requested information in violation of the DBC program audit authority specified in Hawaii Revised Statutes,” the release states.

Costco paid the administrative fine of $4,799.40. The company also provided sales information and submitted a letter summarizing its procedure for generating sales data, satisfying the compliance requirements.

Darren Park, manger of the department’s Deposit Beverage Container Program, said it is important for wholesalers and distributors to comply with requests from the health department, which administers the “HI-5” recycling program.

“The program relies on self-reported data, so the department conducts audits and inspection activities to ensure accuracy and completeness of information submitted, which helps to prevent fraud and financial harm to the state,” Park said. “Overall, the recycling program reduces litter at our parks and beaches and has kept billions of bottles and cans out of our garbage.”

More than 600 million deposit beverage containers are recycled annually at certified redemption centers, the release states.

Since 2005, Hawaii’s residents have recycled nearly 8 billion deposit beverage containers through the DBC program.