*Integrated Resources & Solid Waste Management Plan Update (with Appendices) - Dec 2009

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3.0 SOURCE REDUCTION alternative uses, as well as for their original intended use, and (3) recycling and composting all remaining materials for their best use. Within the zero waste framework, materials that cannot be easily and conveniently reduced, reused, recycled or composted are returned to the manufacturer, who is ultimately responsible for product disposal. The zero waste approach includes aggressive education of public and private entities, as consumer choices are considered to be the driving force in changing consumption and disposal patterns. With a focus on eliminating waste at the source, one of the fundamental principles of zero waste is redesigning products and packaging, by taking into account the entire life -cycle of a product. In contrast to the current emphasis on disposability, products and packaging within the zero waste framework are designed with an emphasis on minimal use of materials, use of recycled and benign resources, longer product lives, and maximum potential for every product to be repaired, reused, or recycled. Critical to this principle is the concept of extended producer responsibility (EPR), a policy tool in which manufacturers are held legally and financially responsible for the waste and environmental impact associated with their product and packaging, rather than passing that responsibility on to the consumer. Under EPR, manufacturers are mandated to 'take back' their end -of -life products and create closed looped systems. As a result, EPR enforces design, production and packaging strategies that take into account the quantity and type of materials required for production, product lifespan, and the ability with which products can be disassembled and recycled. In addition, zero waste emphasizes an aggressive combination of reuse, recycling and composting. Within the zero waste framework, all organic materials, including yard trimmings and food scraps are composted and treated as "biological nutrients' rather than being disposed of in landfills where they can potentially contribute to future environmental liabilities. Instead of using revenues generated through the tax base or other financial resources to build new landfills or incinerators, the zero waste approach advocates for investment in recycling, composting, and reuse facilities, especially those that accommodate the entire spectrum of reuse and recycling activities (for example, resource recovery parks). By supporting the reuse and recycling of discarded products and materials, the zero waste approach creates jobs and stimulates local economies. According to the Institute for Local Self Reliance's report Wasting and Recycling in the United States 2000, "On a per -ton basis, sorting and processing recyclables alone sustains ten times more jobs than landfilling or incineration." The report concludes, "each recycling step a community takes locally means more jobs, more business expenditures on supplies and services, and more money circulating in the local economy through spending and tax payments." A Zero Waste Implementation Plan developed for the County of Hawaii' during 2008 outlines suggested changes to the way that solid waste is handled within the County. As stated in Resolution 356 -07, the County of Hawaii recognizes "that zero waste is a long- term goal and that in the interim, programs may need to be implemented that may be counter to the zero waste philosophy but are necessary to reach the long -term goal of zero waste and that such programs should not be prohibited by the embracing and adoption of the long -term goal of zero waste." To this end, the components of the Zero Waste Implementation Plan which can be realistically achieved during the life span of this 1 Recycle Hawaii and Richard Anthony Associates. 2009. Zero Waste Implementation Plan for the County of Hawaii. 3 -2 December 2009