HI-5 program faces heat

The recycling initiative raised its fee before two audits revealed lax oversight and a risk of fraud

By Rob Perez

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 30, 2012

~~<p>Three months after the state Department of Health raised the beverage container recycling fee, the state auditor released two long-delayed audits that concluded the program continued to be plagued by serious flaws, some of which exposed the multimillion-dollar fund to fraud and excessive administrative costs.</p>
<p>Because of prior accountability problems identified in a 2006 audit, legislators in the House this year adopted a resolution urging the department to hold off on raising the fee until the more current evaluations were completed and consumers were assured the prior problems were corrected.</p>
~~

Three months after the state Department of Health raised the beverage container recycling fee, the state auditor released two long-delayed audits that concluded the program continued to be plagued by serious flaws, some of which exposed the multimillion-dollar fund to fraud and excessive administrative costs.

Because of prior accountability problems identified in a 2006 audit, legislators in the House this year adopted a resolution urging the department to hold off on raising the fee until the more current evaluations were completed and consumers were assured the prior problems were corrected. Login for more...