HB895

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that Hawaii remains committed to achieving the State's sustainability goals. Act 324, Session Laws of Hawaii 1991 (Act 324), established a goal of reducing the solid waste stream prior to disposal by fifty per cent by January 1, 2000. Although the State did not meet the timeline established in Act 324, the legislature continues to look for ways to reduce the solid waste stream through source reduction, recycling, bioconversion, landfill diversion, and organic waste diversion.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to update the State's integrated solid waste management priorities and goals to:

(1) Establish benchmarks for organic waste diversion; and

(2) Reflect the goal established in the Aloha+ Challenge to reduce the solid waste stream prior to disposal by seventy per cent by 2030.

SECTION 2. Section 342G-1, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new definition to be appropriately inserted and to read as follows:

""Organic waste" means any material that is compostable and comes from either a plant or an animal. The term includes:

(1) Green waste;

(2) Food waste;

(3) Food-soiled paper used in food storage; and

(4) Unpainted wood waste."

SECTION 3. Section 342G-2, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (b) to read as follows:

"(b) In implementing this chapter, the department and each county shall consider the following solid waste management practices and processing methods in their order of priority:

(1) Source reduction;

(2) Recycling and bioconversion, including composting; [~~and~~]

(3) Landfilling and incineration[.]; and

(4) Organic waste diversion.

The respective roles of landfilling and incineration shall be left to each county's discretion."

SECTION 4. Section 342G-3, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"[[]§342G-3[]] Goals. (a) It is the goal of the State to reduce the total solid waste stream prior to disposal by:

(1) [~~Twenty-five~~] Forty per cent by [~~January 1, 1995;~~] January 1, 2025; and

(2) [~~Fifty~~] Seventy per cent by [~~January 1, 2000;~~] January 1, 2030;

through source reduction, recycling, organic waste diversion, and bioconversion. Where feasible, the office shall establish other state goals for specific commodities, recognizing market considerations.

[(b) It is the goal of the State to reduce by not less than twenty-five per cent the amount of office paper generated by all state and county agencies by January 1, 1995, through source reduction. The base year for calculating progress toward this goal shall be total office paper consumption by state and county agencies in 1990.]

(b) It is the goal of the State to reduce the organic waste stream through incineration, waste-to-energy, or landfill by:

(1) Forty per cent by January 1, 2025;

(2) Seventy per cent by January 1, 2030; and

(3) One hundred per cent by January 1, 2045.

(1) Diverting organic waste from:

(A) Wholesale food venders, food service providers, food distributors, grocery stores, supermarkets exceeding ten thousand square feet, hotels, and any entity generating more than one hundred four tons of organic waste per year, by January 1, 2025;

(B) All restaurants, local education agencies, large venues and events, state agencies, health facilities, and any entity generating more than twenty-six tons of organic waste per year, by 2030; and

(2) Banning organic waste, including organic waste produced in single family residences, from landfills and cogeneration plants by 2035.

[~~(c)~~] (d) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to restrict a county from setting waste reduction goals higher than those of the State."

SECTION 5. Section 342G-26, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by amending subsection (c) to read as follows:

"(c) The recycling [~~and~~], organic waste diversion, and bioconversion component shall identify and assess:

(1) The level of waste reduction the county is achieving through existing recycling and bioconversion efforts;

(2) The type and amount of solid waste that it is technically and economically feasible to recycle or alter through bioconversion; [~~and~~]

(3) Methods to increase and improve the recycling and bioconversion efforts, including opportunities for backyard composting[.]; and

(4) The feasibility of diverting all organic waste produced by facilities generating more than a minimum amount, pursuant to section 342G-3(c).

For recycling, the counties shall assess the type and amount of solid waste that it is technically feasible to recycle, giving consideration at a minimum to clear glass, colored glass, aluminum, steel and bimetallic cans, high-grade office paper, newsprint, mixed paper, corrugated paper, HDPE, PET, and green waste.

For bioconversion, the counties shall assess the type and amount of solid waste that it is technically feasible to alter through bioconversion, giving consideration at a minimum to green waste, wood waste, animal manure, sewage sludge, and food wastes."

SECTION 6. Each county shall incorporate into its next integrated solid waste management plan submitted pursuant to section 342G-24, Hawaii Revised Statutes, the organic waste diversion goals established in section 342G-3(c), Hawaii Revised Statutes.

SECTION 7. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2023-2024 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2024-2025 for the department of health to reimburse each county for the costs of incorporating organic waste diversion into the county's integrated solid waste management plan.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 8. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 9. This Act shall take effect upon its approval; provided that section 7 shall take effect on July 1, 2023.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	895
THIRTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2023
STATE OF HAWAII