Past Testimony on the Kauaʻi ISWMP
Testimony on the Kauaʻi Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan Update Draft 4By…
Zero Waste Kauaʻi Testimony on the ISWMP Draft 4
Testimony on the Kauaʻi Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan Update Draft 4By JoAnn…
ZWK Resource Guide
John Patt
Bio
Enhancing Plastic Container Labeling for Consumer Clarity and Recycling
Enhancing Plastic Container Labeling for Consumer Clarity and Recycling: A Proposal for…
Zero Waste
Efforts to reduce solid waste generation waste to nothing, or as close…
Jenn Sifuentes
Bio
Ruta Jordans
Ruta Jordans has followed a zero waste way of living all her…
ZWK priorities for ISWMP
Identify the following four main priorities for next 10 years as the…
Alanna Le Sueur
Bio
What is Zero Waste?
Amendment Proposal to Exclude “Municipal Solid Waste” from Renewable Energy Sources in Hawaii Revised Statutes
Background : HRS §269-91 states “Renewable energy” means energy generated or produced…
Disposable Plastics Policy Definitions
“County Facility” means any building, structure, or vehicle owned and operated by…
JoAnn Yukimura
JoAnn Yukimura was mayor of Kauaʻi County from 1988-1994 and served on…
Our Story
Zero Waste Kauai (ZWK) was founded in 2006 by Pat Gegen and…
ZWK Ohana
Nancy Romaine
Bio
Waste-To-Energy Plants Stalled in Maui County While Landfills Approach Capacity (2020)
https://www.hawaiipublicradio.org/local-news/2020-01-08/waste-to-energy-plants-stalled-in-maui-county-while-landfills-approach-capacity Nearly five years ago, Hawaii Public Radio reported a series of…
Background MRF
The County of Kauaʻi”s number 1 goal in the General Plan is…
Projects and Programs
Zero Waste Resource GuideTo educate local decision makers of the potential Zero…
Our Story
Zero Waste Kauai (ZWK) was founded in 2006 by Pat Gegen and John Harder (aka the Dump Doctor) in response to a proposal in the County’s Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan update (ISWM Plan) to include Waste to Energy (incineration) as an option in the County’s waste management strategy.
Our Intent
Our original intent was primarily education: to expand the public’s awareness of the potential of Zero Waste Management to more effectively manage our discards, rather than employ incineration as a primary strategy… and it worked!
Our Success
As of 2020, the island of Kauai successfully diverts approximately 43% of landfill-bound waste, primarily through HI-5 Recycling programs and Green Waste Management sites, as well as food waste diversion practices such as composting and large-scale events management in partnership with ZWK.