LAWA‘I — A local nonprofit is gathering information on how residents utilize the county’s drop-off recycling locations and reporting back to the county.
Zero Waste Kaua‘i was recently awarded a $9,240 grant via Garden Island Resource Conservation and Development, Inc. from the county’s Department of Public Works’ Solid Waste Division.
The first goal is to bring awareness to residents and visitors using the drop bins on what can and cannot be recycled, specifically looking at plastics.
Kaua‘i only accepts No. 1 and No. 2 plastic, capless bottles and jars. No. 1 polyethylene terephthalate plastics include most water and drink bottles, food jars and condiment bottles, and No. 2, high-density polyethylene plastics include items like shampoo bottles, which the county accepts, and some toys and grocery bags, which county does not accept at this time.
The county does not accept clamshell containers, plastic bags and film, Styrofoam and other plastics, including No. 1 and No. 2 plastics that are not bottles or jars.
“(At) a lot of the places you can do recycling, a lot of people don’t know what you can do special,” Zero Waste Kaua‘i President Ruta Jordans said. “We were up in Hanalei, and people didn’t know you could bring your oil there. But obviously, you can’t bring your oil (other places).”
Already, the group has monitored six of the county’s seven drop-off recycling centers. The group is also monitoring cleanliness, illegal dumping and commercial recyclers, which cannot use the county’s drop bins.
“If we see that they’re doing something not quite right, like leaving the caps on the bottles or they think clam shells are recyclable just because they’re plastic,” Jordans said, “we go through that with them and clear up (confusion) in a non-confrontational way, and we’ve been telling everybody about the solid-waste management Plan.”
The county’s Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan outlines goals and objectives for one of the county’s most-pressing issues of waste disposal, and is currently up for public review through July 19.
“I’ve been surprised at how few people who come to recycling have heard of the solid-waste management plan,” Jordans said. “But when you talk to them, they feel very strongly about recycling, very positively. It feels like they’re the perfect people to be talking to.”
A second part of the grant has more to do with accountability of the county.
Starting January, a county policy that eliminated single-use, disposable plastics at county facilities and county events went into effect.
This policy restricts county agencies and other entities using county-owned facilities from purchasing and distributing single-use plastics like bottled water, plastic beverage straws, stirrers, cutlery, food-service ware and plastic bags. Exemptions include plastic trash bags, utility gloves, catered-food purchases and emergency products.
This policy covers purchases made for county offices, facilities, county events and events funded by the county through grants or other means for events at the Kaua‘i War Memorial Convention Hall, neighborhood centers and park pavilions.
Zero Waste Kaua‘i will monitor compliance of the policy and work with county event managers on compliance. The nonprofit will also create a video and social-media presence covering the policy.
This article was updated on Friday, July 16 to clarify which items the county accepts for recycling.
