Projects and Programs
Zero Waste Resource GuideTo educate local decision makers of the potential Zero…
Jenn Sifuentes
Bio
What is Zero Waste?
Nancy Romaine
Bio
Zero Waste Kauaʻi Testimony on the ISWMP Draft 4
Testimony on the Kauaʻi Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan Update Draft 4By JoAnn…
Alanna Le Sueur
Bio
Status of the MRF
The County has completed a conceptual design for a MRF, a budget…
ZWK priorities for ISWMP
Identify the following four main priorities for next 10 years as the…
Reforest hawaii: capture the carbon
Come join us Saturday June 17th at 7:00 AMHelp us reestablish the…
ZWK Ohana
Disposable Plastics Policy Definitions
“County Facility” means any building, structure, or vehicle owned and operated by…
Movie Night
ZWK partnered with Kauai Community College to put on a number of…
ZWK Resource Guide
Join Us
ZWK Membership
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…
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…
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…
Our Story
Zero Waste Kauai (ZWK) was founded in 2006 by Pat Gegen and…
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…
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.