A quarter century ago, Reynolds Metals honored a commitment they made to build a recycling center wherever there was a Reynolds can manufacturing facility. What many people do not realize is that Hawaii’s recycling plant was opened ahead of schedule thanks to the efforts of a prominent leader in Hawaii’s beverage industry and a tireless environmental advocate who helped make Hawaii a cleaner and greener place.

The late Ed Doty, President of Eagle Distributors, and the late Betty Crocker, head the Outdoor Circle, shared a vision of a cleaner Hawaii and convinced Reynolds Metals that their recycling operations were needed immediately.

In 1981, Reynolds Metals opened up its Halawa processing plant with just a handful of employees accepting various forms of aluminum. In 1997, Tomra purchased Reynolds Metals and due to shifts in the industry, sold the company to local investors in 2002. Over the course of its history, Reynolds has recycled over 3 billion aluminum cans and has paid out over $1.5 million to Hawaii schools for their recycling efforts.

Now in its 25th year, Reynolds has grown to over 140 employees with plans to fill an additional 60 positions by the end of the year. With the start of the beverage container deposit program, Reynolds is currently taking in over 90,000 transactions a month and operating at 28 redemption centers statewide.

The next quarter century is looking bright for Reynolds Recycling, with plans underway to expand recycling services to the Big Island and to open an additional 6 sites statewide in 2006. Reynolds Recycling is committed to protecting Hawaii’s future by recycling today, and remains invested in the community that opened its arms to recycling so many years ago.