Question: I was upset to find out that the Reynolds Recycling center has been asked to move out of their location at the Mililani Town Center. They have been there for more than 20 years and the next nearest location to recycle our cans and bottles is way up in Mililani Mauka near the park and ride (lot). That’s not real convenient. Seems odd that Reynolds would be kicked out after providing this service for so long. What’s going on?
Answer: "We are very sad to say that this location is closing" Thursday, said Terry Telfer, president of Reynolds Recycling.
The center was a "very popular" redemption location, serving about 36,000 people yearly, he said.
"The Mililani Town Center has new mainland owners, and although we have been at MTC for over 25 years, we were asked to leave," Telfer told Kokua Line.
Asked why, he said, "There really wasn’t a reason given. I guess (the new owners) don’t want recycling on the property."
The 450,000-square-foot retail center was purchased for $270 million in December in a joint venture by MetLife Inc., through MetLife Real Estate Investors, and M&J Wilkow, a real estate investment firm based in Chicago.
We called Colliers International, which manages the Town Center of Mililani, for comment, but did not receive a call back.
Telfer said Reynolds, which had been on a month-to-month lease, has been looking to relocate within Mililani after being given two months’ notice. But, so far, it hasn’t found another location, he said, noting there is not a lot of commercial space available in the Mililani area.
"I do feel comfortable, eventually," that a space will be found, Telfer said, "but it does take time. And once we find a place, it takes several months to get the zoning and the permits through the Department of Health. So there will be a lag no matter what we do here."
RECYCLING OPTIONS
With the closure of the Reynolds redemption center, the nearest HI-5 recycling option in Mililani is RRR Recycling Services Hawaii at the park and ride lot in Mililani Mauka.
Because of the closure, the Department of Health asked RRR to be prepared for a potential increase in the number of Mililani residents going to their location, said Darren Park, coordinator of the Office of Solid Waste Management.
"In response, RRR voluntarily offered to increase their hours of operation and the days that they are open to include Sundays," he said.
Park also said that the department is collecting and analyzing data to determine whether the closure will require retailers in the area to provide their own redemption services.
He pointed to Section 342G-113 of the Hawaii Revised Statutes, as well as the Health Department’s Hawaii Administrative Rules 11-282-31, which require dealers (such as supermarkets) of HI-5 beverages to provide redemption services within two miles of their sales location, if their total retail space is 5,000 square feet or more.
The Health Department expects to complete collecting and analyzing the data in a week. It then will send dealers that appear to be affected by the Reynolds closure a notification letter detailing obligations to provide redemption services under the law, an informational sheet and a form to
either acknowledge redemption service obligations or to claim an exemption, Park said.
There are exemptions to this requirement, such as dealers who are on the neighbor islands; have less than 5,000 square feet of interior space; are located on Oahu in a ZIP code area that has fewer than three HI-5 beverage dealers with retail space of 5,000 square feet or greater; or located in a ZIP code area with 17,500 or fewer residents.
MAHALO
To Peggy in Kailua who gave me a ride home after I tore a calf muscle on my morning walk. She saw how much pain I was in, stopped to see if I was OK, offered me her bike, then came back with her car and drove me home. Her compassion was endless and I cannot thank her enough. — Anne
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