ZWK priorities for ISWMP
Identify the following four main priorities for next 10 years as the…
Status of the MRF
The County has completed a conceptual design for a MRF, a budget…
Our Story
Zero Waste Kauai (ZWK) was founded in 2006 by Pat Gegen and…
ZWK Resource Guide
Event Coordination
A major element of our project has been to promote waste reduction…
What is Zero Waste?
Zero Waste is more than an approach to waste management and recycling,…
Alanna Le Sueur
Bio
ZWK INSTAGRAM FEED
Nancy Romaine
Bio
JoAnn Yukimura
JoAnn Yukimura was mayor of Kauaʻi County from 1988-1994 and served on…
Background MRF
The County of Kauaʻi”s number 1 goal in the General Plan is…
John Patt
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…
Disposable Plastics Policy Definitions
“County Facility” means any building, structure, or vehicle owned and operated by…
Past Testimony on the Kauaʻi ISWMP
Testimony on the Kauaʻi Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan Update Draft 4By…
HI 5 Expansion Act
HI 5 Expansion Act: Inclusion of Aluminum Can-Packaged Wine in Mandatory Recycling…
Movie Night
ZWK partnered with Kauai Community College to put on a number of…
Landfill Expansion Environmental Assessment
As the current Kekaha Landfill has a short remaining life span and…
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…
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 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.