It would be nice if everyone would cheerfully put up with all the hassle and just get with the program of recycling.

But back here in the real world, real people need a little boost.

Recycling has not been made mandatory, as it should be, so elected leaders must do what they can to make the program more convenient and more successful.

At last, there's movement to put teeth in the HI5 recycling law. State Rep. Brian Schatz and the local chapter of the Sierra Club are pressing for an amendment that would require major retailers to accept the bottles and cans back for redemption of the recycling deposit.

This state is the only one of the 10 with a "bottle law" that does not compel the grocers to take them back. Lawmakers undoubtedly needed to drop the requirement to get the law passed initially.

But now that so many people have waited in long lines for their refunds, there should be more support for a retail requirement now.

In addition, stores that have voluntarily installed the "reverse vending machines" that dispense refund vouchers have reported an increase in customer traffic. So it appears that recycling could be good for business as well.

Clearly, with more than $14 million in the unclaimed deposits in the state fund, there's room for improvement. If retailers aren't volunteering to take on more responsibility for recycling, an amendment seeking to make it work is needed.