under Changes implemented last week to Hawaii County’s recycling program, thousands of tons of recyclables will enter the Big Island’s landfills each year. With only corrugated cardboard, paper (Kraft) shopping bags and non-HI-5 glass products being accepted at county transfer stations as of Oct. 16, items such as office paper, newspaper and all plastics are headed farther downstream and into the landfill.
That’s expected to increase tonnage to landfills by approximately 3,100 tons annually, or about 1%-1.5%, according to information shared during the county Environmental Management Commission’s monthly meeting Wednesday at the West Hawaii Civic Center. Department of Environmental Management Director Bill Kucharski will present similar information during a County Council committee meeting Nov. 5 meeting in Hilo.
In 2018, nearly 224,200 tons were landfilled in Hilo and Puuanahulu after more than 58,800 tons — about 20.8% — of waste was diverted, including 37,915 tons of green waste and nearly 21,000 tons of recyclables. The Hilo landfill is expected to close in November, meaning all the island’s waste will be taken to the West Hawaii Sanitary Landfill.
Kucharski told the commission Wednesday that the changes were necessary in order to keep parts of the recycling program going after the contractor hired to handle recycling, Business Services Hawaii, notified the county it couldn’t afford to continue its $1.1 million annual contract at the current rate.
“This is something that snuck up on us,” Kucharski said. “We were not prepared for this, and we had no real indication from our contractor that they wanted to pull the plug.”