Hawaii to conduct packaging EPR study

The Hawaii State Department of Health is being tasked with conducting a statewide recycling needs assessment as the state considers an extended producer responsibility (EPR) program for packaging.

Gov. Josh Green recently signed House Bill 750, which takes effect July 1 and grants the department $1.5 million per year for the next two years to conduct the study, with the aim of the department presenting its findings and proposing EPR legislation by Dec. 31, 2027.

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The bill’s text claims that solid waste may soon exceed landfill capacity in all of the state’s counties, placing the financial burden for waste management on taxpayers while polluting the environment. The bill says the state will benefit from reduced waste production by expanding alternative strategies like reuse, refill, composting and recycling.

Noting that EPR programs shift responsibility for a product’s life cycle from consumers or governments to producers, the bill claims such programs encourage sustainable product design that leads to less waste and more fully recyclable or reusable products and packaging while reducing the financial burden on government for waste management and leading to better recycling services for residents.

“The legislature finds that extended producer responsibility strategies can be applied to packaging waste as well,” the bill states, adding that packaging is a large part of the material stream and includes containers for food products, cleaning products and personal care products, as well as scrap generated from shipping and transporting products. It notes that EPR programs for packaging exist in Asia, Europe, Canada and five states across the U.S., with others in the process of implementing programs by funding needs assessments.

Along with the study, H.B. 750 requires the department to put together an advisory council to review the draft needs assessment and propose recommendations throughout the assessment process. The council will consist of 13 members representing county departments responsible for waste management; national and Hawaii-based producers or producer trade organizations; experts in reuse, refill or circular economy systems; representatives from Hawaii-based refuse and recycling service providers; Hawaii-based retailers; and packaging producers, among others.

The needs assessment is required to determine what will be needed to reduce waste generation, increase reuse, improve collection services and expand local processing of materials through an EPR program for packaging materials and paper products. The bill says the assessment must detail the resources required in each county to reduce as much as feasible the packaging material scrap and paper products each county sends to a landfill or power plant that burns municipal solid waste.

Additionally, the needs assessment will include details on waste and recycling characterizations, including what is in the material stream, what is being recycled, what is being composted and how these vary across local jurisdictions. It also will examine:

• the state’s existing collection infrastructure;
• the state’s processing and material recovery facility (MRF) infrastructure;
• end markets;
• the effectiveness of recycling education and outreach;
• levels of contamination in collected packaging materials and organics for composting;
• the impact of the composition of packaging materials on their reuse, recyclability and compostability;
• how EPR programs are designed in other states and countries;
• equity and environmental justice;
• economic impact; and
• environmental benefits

While looking at how EPR can promote upstream improvement, such as source reduction, packaging redesign and optimization and reduction of packaging materials that are deemed harmful to human health or the environment, the assessment also is required to present suggested diversion targets and a timeline using baseline data from the assessment to determine the resources, infrastructure, educational program and other initiatives needed to reach conservative, moderate and aggressive waste reduction goal scenarios.

The department will consult with stakeholders including each county department responsible for waste management; global and national producer responsibility organizations; packaging producers; waste and recycling collection and processing service providers; compost facility operators; retailers; organizations and community groups involved with waste management and waste reduction; and environmental and human health scientists.