Hawaii Landfill Bans Recyclable Materials as it Reaches Full Capacity in 20 Years

Due to its 20-year capacity limit, a new ordinance will prohibit recyclable materials from being dumped in Hawaii's last operating landfill.

New Ordinance and Hawaii's Last Landfill

The Environmental Management Commission of Hawai'i County is working on a law that would limit how much recyclable waste might be disposed of in the island's sole active landfill.

The West Hawai'i Sanitary Landfill will reach capacity in 20 to 25 years, according to Ramzi Mansour, the Hawai'i County Director of Environmental Management, who spoke before commissioners on July 26.

The Hilo Landfill was permanently closed in 2020, meaning that there will be no more landfills on the island after the last one closes. Ongoing searches are being made for more landfills, but there aren't any potential locations as of yet.

It's a good time to start exploring solutions, according to commission chair Georjean Adams.

The proposed ordinance, according to Adams, is still in its early stages and is more intended to start a discussion about how to stop unnecessary or recyclable items, such as green waste, plastics, metals, paper, paperboard, and glass, from ending up in the trash dump, which is located off Queen Ka'ahumanu Highway in Waikoloa.

According to Adams, the committee decided to carefully consider the notion of diverting recyclables out of the landfill to at least halt its filling up.

The proposed legislation refers to the 2019 Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, which commits to assisting in the accomplishment of objectives pertaining to climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and zero waste.

Commercial and Government

Large commercial and governmental organizations will need to submit reports every year detailing their waste reduction as well as landfill diversion programs. These reports must include the total volume of waste generated, the percentage of each designated recyclable waste that was generated, and the strategies they used to reduce waste going to the landfill.

It would also make it possible for a licensed small business or nonprofit to utilize the transfer facility for recycling while charging a fee, and it would develop a new system for keeping track of diversion information and documentation.

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The ordinance also allows for the infrequent disposal of recyclable waste if the waste generator can demonstrate that it maintains an active program of education and offers collection services to those who contribute to their trash. Additionally, it exempts specific types of designated recyclables that are not accepted for recycling, such as hazardous material.

The council would be tasked with creating a similar ordinance, but that task has not yet been assigned. The ordinance is now in the writing stages.

On September 27, the Environmental Management Commission will hold its next meeting and welcome input from the public on the subjects on the agenda.