As Hawai'i approaches the third year of its statewide recycling program, customers say many problems that initially plagued the system have been taken care of, but some kinks still need to be worked out.

"Improvements could, in general, be characterized by the word 'more,' " said Karl Motoyama, coordinator of the state Office of Solid Waste Management, which runs the "HI-5" deposit beverage container program.

More than 1.4 billion containers have been recycled since the program's inception in January 2005. Under the law, consumers pay 6 cents for each bottle or can bought and get back 5 cents if they return the container.

For about a year after the recycling centers first opened, the Department of Health received more than 300 calls per day, or about 6,000 calls per month, most of them complaints, Motoyama said.

Most complained that the amount paid to customers for containers measured by the pound wasn't accurate, according to a Health Department report sent to the Legislature.

The department has tried to address this issue by creating different rates for different sized bottles, and by raising the number of containers staff members are allowed to count from 50 to 200.

Other top complaints were that centers weren't open during stated hours, that hours weren't adequate and that staff at the centers were rude or unhelpful — problems Motoyama said the Health Department has trouble addressing because the centers are run by private operators, not state employees.

The number of complaints began declining after the first year. Then in July 2006, they spiked again. That was when the state began enforcing requirements to verify customer container counts. Customers called, demanding to know why center operators couldn't trust their personal can counts.

Since then, complaints are back down again.

"Last year, people seemed more confused, but it seems to be better now," said Carl Bento, 58, of Makiki, who brought a truckload of 15 bags of glass bottles to a recycling center in Waikiki near the Hawai'i Convention Center last month.

About 120 people bring their containers to that location each day, and more come on the weekends, bringing anywhere from a few cans that earn less than a dollar to minivans full of recyclables.

The Waikiki location is convenient, said Bento, a maintenance worker at Discovery Bay condominium five minutes away. It was his second trip that day. An earlier load of bottles and cans fetched $170 — money that will go into an employee slush fund. In one month, Bento said, he can collect about $300.

While Motoyama hasn't yet examined the recent list of complaints in depth, he said he believes the number of calls from the public has "significantly declined" since the start of the program.

"Another challenge is the noncompliance of some redemption centers, distributors and dealers" with the program's requirements, he said.

Most recently, customers complained about the containers-per-pound system and not getting their money's worth when containers are weighed instead of counted. They also continue to report long lines and rude staff.

Many recyclers last month said the situation had improved.

For example, during recycling "rush hour" at the Waikiki recycling center, it took Gregg Oshiro, 54, less than 10 minutes to deposit a few bags of containers and collect his $18.27.

"They could use these guys as an example because they run this one really well," said Oshiro, a limousine driver from Makiki.

People said recycling is more convenient now with more centers open — there are more than 80 recycling centers statewide, with more than 50 on O'ahu. People also have learned to avoid certain sites and times where they know they'll have to wait.

Oshiro said he prefers the Waikiki center to the one on Beretania Street in Mo'ili'ili, which is near his house but often more crowded.

Thomas Ho, 55, of Liliha, said he won't go to the Mo'ili'ili center on Saturdays, Mondays or any Tuesday after a three-day weekend because of the lines.

Ho added that recycling center employees bear the brunt of the criticism simply because they deal with customers, adding, "They're doing the best they can."

Others said the customer service still needs work.

"The people are really rude, and they're really slow," said Anthony Ortiz, recycling at a center in Hawai'i Kai. "I think these people don't really like their job, so it really reflects in the way they treat their customers." Ortiz added that some centers had refused to take his cans.

To provide more centers, the Health Department is providing $3 million to recycling companies to set up additional centers and to improve the service at existing centers. About $24.8 million is left in the program's special fund.

Also, recent revisions to Hawai'i's deposit beverage container law require redemption centers to stay open at least 30 hours per week and to start accepting two-liter bottles beginning at the end of this year.

A requirement that the state increase the per-container deposit from 6 cents to 6.5 cents after a year where 70 percent or more of containers are redeemed was struck from the law.

Jeff Mikulina, director of the Sierra Club's Hawaii chapter, said he believes requiring large retailers, such as supermarkets, to operate redemption centers would greatly increase convenience and consumer satisfaction.

Mikulina also said recycling could be improved by a curbside recycling plan, which the city said last week is on hold until at least mid-October.

"It's mind-boggling that we're the largest city in the nation without it," Mikulina said.

"The state needs to do a more effective job of publicizing the program," said Bruce Iverson, spokesman for Reynolds Recycling, which operates 28 centers statewide. "That's really been the problem from the beginning."

The HI-5 program is doing well, Iverson said, but many customers aren't aware of the program or changes to the law, so explaining the rules is often left up to Reynolds employees.

Even as complaints are going down, the redemption rate, or proportion of bottles and cans purchased that are being returned for recycling, still hovers around 68 percent, which is the same as last year's rate and nearly 50 points more than what it was at the start of the program: 20 percent.

The figure is comparable to that of the other 10 states with redemption programs, most of which are between 70 percent and 80 percent. In Michigan, where the fee is 10 cents per container, the redemption rate is around 95 percent.

Hawai'i officials have set a goal of an 80 percent redemption rate and are taking steps to make it happen.

Advertiser staff writer Christina Failma contributed to this report.