Hana’s Hasegawa Store Fined for Delinquent HI-5 Report

The Hasegawa General Store in Hāna, Maui is among the small businesses that serve the rural East Maui community. Photo by Wendy Osher.

By Maui Now Staff

Hasegawa General Store in the remote East Maui town of Hāna was assessed a $400 fine by the state Department of Health for alleged late payments and reports required for the state’s HI-5 beverage container program, DOH officials said.

According to the DOH, the delinquent semi-annual report was for the period covering Jan. 1 to June 30, 2013.

Under Hawaii law, beverage distributors must submit semi-annual reports and payments to the DOH no later than the 15th calendar day of the month following the end of the payment period for the previous month, state officials said.

According to information released by the DOH, Hasegawa General Store, Inc., “received multiple warning letters reminding them of reporting requirements prior to being assessed a penalty.”

Hasegawa General Store, Inc. has the option of requesting a hearing to contest the allegations and penalty.

The state’s HI-5 program has recycled more than five billion containers since its inception, according to data compiled by the DOH.

As a recycling incentive, the program places a 5-cent redeemable deposit on each beverage container, which consumers can get back when they return the empty containers to a HI-5 redemption center.