Hawaii’s Last Landfill Bans Recyclable Materials, Nears Capacity

Hawaii’s last remaining landfill is prohibiting recyclable material from being dumped at the site due to concerns of its capacity limit.

A new ordinance from the Environmental Management Commission of Hawaii County is putting together a law limiting how much recyclable waste can be dumped at one of the island’s last remaining landfills.

In 20 to 25 years, the West Hawaii Sanitary Landfill will reach capacity, according to Hawaii County Direct of Environmental Management Ramzi Mansour. In 2020, the Hilo Landfill was permanently closed, leaving one active landfill on the island. Searches have been going on for new landfills but there aren’t any potential locations just yet.

The proposed ordinance is still in its early stages and is intended to start a discussion about how to keep recyclable items from entering the landfill. The legislation cites the 2019 Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, which commits to assisting in reaching goals pertaining to climate resilience, sustainable agriculture, renewable energy, and zero waste.

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