2020-07-22 EMC Meeting Agenda and Director's Informational Report

Home

4. RECYCLING SECTION A. INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE: • The 2019 update of the County of Hawaiʻi Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan (ISWMP) is being prepared in compliance with Hawaiʻi Revised Statutes (HRS) Chapter 342G, which requires counties in the state to update and revise their solid waste management plans every 10 years. The last update to the County of Hawai‘i’s ISWMP was completed in 2009. • The draft update to the ISWMP includes an evaluation of local needs and conditions to determine the most effective combined strategy for managing solid waste while protecting human health and the environment. The draft plan outlines the components of an effective solid waste management strategy and priorities recommendations, while providing a framework for implementation. • As required by HRS Chapter 342G, Mayor Kim appointed members to the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC). The county’s SWAC is comprised of seven members and had been meeting monthly. Input from SWAC members during the ISWMP update process was crucial to ensure that the completed plan effectively identified and addressed the County of Hawai‘i’s unique solid waste challenges. • The SWAC had their first meeting in March 2018. The June and July meetings were dedicated to helping the SWAC learn more about the county’s solid waste and landfill diversion programs, and one of the tools used was to show the SWAC many of the program’s facilities. During the SWAC meetings from August 2018 to November 2018, the SWAC reviewed and utilized the 2009 plan recommendations and options in developing their own recommendations and options. • A draft plan was submitted to the SWAC during December 2018. The SWAC agreed to proceed by submitting their individual comments to the plan in January 2019, followed by group discussions of individual chapters during monthly SWAC meetings. The SWAC Draft Plan review and consensus of proposed revisions spanned approximately 170 days. At the end of each meeting, all SWAC members present motioned to approve all edits and changes as discussed, and SWAC members were informed that their participation in these meetings was part of the required 120-day comment period. • The draft plan was submitted to the Department of Health on 08/21/19 for its 90-day review. • Two ISWMP informational meeting were held during December 2019, and two public hearings were held during January 2020. • The public comment period was open for 60 days, from 12/06/19 through 02/04/20. • SWD staff reviewed the comments and testimony and prepared responses for the SWAC to review. • The SWAC met on 02/26/20 to review and discuss the DOH comments and the public comments and testimony, and approved changes to the draft ISWMP. • The following are the next steps for the implementation of the ISWMP: 2