JoAnn Yukimura
JoAnn Yukimura was mayor of Kauaʻi County from 1988-1994 and served on…
Ruta Jordans
Ruta Jordans has followed a zero waste way of living all her…
The Case for Curbside Recycling on Kaua`i
Status of the MRF
The County has completed a conceptual design for a MRF, a budget…
Reforest hawaii: capture the carbon
Come join us Saturday June 17th at 7:00 AMHelp us reestablish the…
Enhancing Plastic Container Labeling for Consumer Clarity and Recycling
Enhancing Plastic Container Labeling for Consumer Clarity and Recycling: A Proposal for…
Zero Waste Event Training
Add link to download doc here
Movie Night
ZWK partnered with Kauai Community College to put on a number of…
Zero Waste
Efforts to reduce solid waste generation waste to nothing, or as close…
Tap into Sustainability: Promoting Tap Water Over Bottled Alternatives for Locals and Tourists Alike
background Plastic bottled drinking water contributes a substantial amount of our recyclable…
Projects and Programs
Zero Waste Resource GuideTo educate local decision makers of the potential Zero…
John Harder
John is a Berkeley dropout who came to Kaua‘i in 1969 and…
Jimmy Trujillo
Jimmy Trujillo has lived on Kaua’i since 1999 and is a resident…
Our Story
Zero Waste Kauai (ZWK) was founded in 2006 by Pat Gegen and…
ZWK Resource Guide
Background MRF
The County of Kauaʻi”s number 1 goal in the General Plan is…
Join Us
ZWK Membership
What is Zero Waste?
Zero Waste is more than an approach to waste management and recycling,…
Landfill Expansion Environmental Assessment
As the current Kekaha Landfill has a short remaining life span and…
ZWK Ohana
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.