2019-01-23 EMC Meeting Agenda and Director's Informational Report

Home

4. RECYCLING SECTION A. ORGANICS DIVERSION PROGRAM: The Amended and Restated Service Agreement for greenwaste and composting services was approved and accepted by both Hawaiian Earth Recycling and the County during September 2018. B. INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN UPDATE: The 2019 update of the County of Hawaiʻi Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan (ISWMP) will be 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 update to the ISWMP will include 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 plan will outline the components of an effective solid waste management strategy and identify short- and long-term goals, 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 eight members and has been meeting monthly. Input from SWAC members during the ISWMP update process is crucial to ensure that the completed plan effectively identifies and addresses the County of Hawai‘i’s unique solid waste challenges. C. TRANSFER STATION RECYCLABLES (“TWO-BIN”) COLLECTION AND RECYCLING: The current contract will end on September 30, 2019. Starting December 1, 2018, a new acceptable list of recyclables was implemented. Only plastic bottles, jugs and jars with resin codes #1 and #2 are acceptable. All #5 plastics and all plastic covers/lids/caps are no longer acceptable due to changing worldwide market conditions. A recycling program education and outreach campaign is being developed. The campaign will include new flyers and pamphlets along with radio, TV and newspaper ads to educate the public on what is and is not recyclable and discourage contamination. In addition, new bin signage was finalized and is ready for production. SWD is now enforcing the ban on illegal commercial usage of self-haul resident-only recycling bins at recycling and transfer stations. Commercial generators/collectors should work directly with recycling companies to manage recyclables, as they are prohibited from the recycling and transfer stations. Redesign of the Hilo site is proposed to better handle traffic and customers. SWD is working with the vendor to repair ramps. 3