Status of the MRF
The County has completed a conceptual design for a MRF, a budget…
Zero Waste Event Training
Add link to download doc here
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…
ZWK INSTAGRAM FEED
Movie Night
ZWK partnered with Kauai Community College to put on a number of…
ZWK Ohana
Disposable Plastics Policy Definitions
“County Facility” means any building, structure, or vehicle owned and operated by…
Enhancing Plastic Container Labeling for Consumer Clarity and Recycling
Enhancing Plastic Container Labeling for Consumer Clarity and Recycling: A Proposal for…
Projects and Programs
Zero Waste Resource GuideTo educate local decision makers of the potential Zero…
Past Testimony on the Kauaʻi ISWMP
Testimony on the Kauaʻi Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan Update Draft 4By…
John Harder
John is a Berkeley dropout who came to Kaua‘i in 1969 and…
What is Zero Waste?
JoAnn Yukimura
JoAnn Yukimura was mayor of Kauaʻi County from 1988-1994 and served on…
Zero Waste
Efforts to reduce solid waste generation waste to nothing, or as close…
Nancy Romaine
Bio
The Case for Curbside Recycling on Kaua`i
ZWK priorities for ISWMP
Identify the following four main priorities for next 10 years as the…
HI 5 Expansion Act
HI 5 Expansion Act: Inclusion of Aluminum Can-Packaged Wine in Mandatory Recycling…
Landfill Expansion Environmental Assessment
As the current Kekaha Landfill has a short remaining life span and…
Background MRF
The County of Kauaʻi”s number 1 goal in the General Plan is…
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.