HomeMy WebLinkAboutResolution No. 2026-24, Draft 1Landfill th
COUNTY COUNCIL
COUNTY OF KAUA`I
P!6 0 t it t t Y H No. 2026-24, Draft 1
RESOLUTION URGING THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION AND
bit
WHEREAS, the Kekaha Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) Landfill is filling up
rapidly and is projected to be full by November 2030; and
WHEREAS, while the Cell 3 Vertical Expansion is expected to be operational
by August 2029 barring any delays, the current policy of focusing on landfills and
waste -to -energy as the primary solid waste solutions is not sustainable or
cost-effective; and
WHEREAS, the indiscriminate disposal of materials in landfills causes
damage to human health, wastes precious natural resources, and transfers liabilities
to future generations; and
WHEREAS, there are numerous types of materials sent to the Kekaha MSW
at are divertlble, such as construction and demolition debris, green waste
and food waste, and especially traditional recyclables (e.g., paper, metals, plastics,
and glass); and
WHEREAS, diverting reusable materials, like recyclables, from the landfill
allows a longer lifespan for the Kekaha MSW Landfill and more time for a new
landfill to be fully sited and constructed; and
WHEREAS, a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) is necessary to receive, sort,
and process mixed streams of recyclables, thereby preparing them for reuse by
manufacturers; and
WHEREAS, in 2011, the Kauai County Council approved Resolution
No. 2011-73, Draft 2, which adopted Zero Waste principles and set a diversion goal
for Kauai of seventy percent (70%) by 2023; and
WHEREAS, presently in 2026, the County's diversion rate hovers around forty
three percent (43%), where it has been since 2016, meaning the diversion rate has
not increased for ten (10) years; and
WHEREAS, in 2014, Ordinance 975 was passed by the Kauai County Council,
which created the Pay as You Throw (PAYT) program, avolume-based fee structure
for trash collection that provides an economic incentive to the public for reducing
trash and increasing recycling and waste diversion behaviors; and
WHEREAS, the PAYF program specifies deployment of smaller, more
economical and environmentally friendly 32-gallon trash carts to be complemented
by a robust and free recycling collection program, which allows households to save
money by recycling; and
WHEREAS, currently on Kauai, 20,745 households have residential refuse
collection service, which can be categorized by 8,960 households with a 64-gallon cart
and 11,785 households with a 96-gallon cart; and
WHEREAS, the Department of Public Works (DPW) commissioned a
successful and well -received pilot curbside recycling program in September 2011,
which served six hundred seventy-two (672) residences in the Puhi area and six
hundred twenty-eight (628) residences in the central Lihu`e area with curbside
recycling collection; and
WHEREAS, subsequently, the Pilot Curbside Recycling Report dated
December 2011 was released, and the final recommendations presented in Section 5
of the report in "implement single stream curbside collection of recyclables
island- wide" as well as "develop a MRF...capable of processing a mixed stream of
recyclable materials"; now, therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE COUNTY OF KAUA`I,
STATE OF HAWAI`I, that the Council urges the Administration and the Department
of Public Works to implement the recommendations articulated within the Pilot
Curbside Recycling report dated December 2011; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Council requests implementation of
the PAYT Program and Pilot Curbside Recycling Report recommendations to ensure
that the urgent needs of the community are met in the long term by an
environmentally sound program that contributes to a circular economy and further
requests that the Administration develop and present an operational and financial
implementation plan to effectuate the policies and recommendations set forth in this
Resolution including proposed timelines, funding strategies, staffing needs, and any
additional resources necessary for successful implementation; and
2
BE IT FINALLY RESOLVED, that the County Clerk shall forward certified
copies of this Resolution to Mayor Derek S.K. Kawakami and County Engineer
Troy K. Tanigawa.
Introduced by: /s/ MEL RAPOZO
Is/ FERN HOLLAND
V: \RESOLUTIONS \ 2024-2026 TERM \Resolution No. 2026-24, Draft 1 Solid Waste Diversion resolution (MR FH)
RM_ss.docx
r7Y
Aa1CU�eb
aReCU�eL7
ifica�te for�
"I;Ve Y)erebp certtfp tljate�DluttAtiD. 2026-240 Draft 1
b�1.5 abDpteb by the CLDunal of the CDuntp of Raua`t, i§tate of
awat`t, vilju`e, Rdua`t, )abiat`t, Dn July 29, 2026
�ateb July 30, 2026
�ljatrrrYan & �re�tbfn� ®fftrer
3