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Honolulu to pilot curbside food‑waste collection in Mililani starting April 1
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Summary
The City & County of Honolulu will launch a six‑month GROW pilot on April 1 across selected neighborhoods (including Mililani) to accept food scraps in the green composting cart; material will go to Hawaiian Earth Recycling for in‑vessel processing. Officials warned the pilot excludes some compostable packaging pending PFAS work and emphasized education and contamination controls.
City and County of Honolulu recycling staff on Wednesday outlined a pilot program to accept household food scraps in the green composting cart beginning April 1, 2026, with Mililani among the initial pilot areas.
Henry Gabriel, branch manager for the city's Department of Environmental Services recycling program, said the six‑month Green Recycling Organic Waste (GROW) pilot will accept a broad range of food items — "fruits, vegetables, dairy products, semisolids, solids, yogurts and cheese, breads, baked goods, pasta, rice, meat, seafood, bones, leftover and spoiled food, table scraps, and coffee grounds" — mixed with green yard waste. "We're trying to divert that organic material from the landfill," Gabriel said, and the city will deliver participating loads to Hawaiian Earth Recycling in Wahiawa, where an in‑vessel composting system will be used.
Key program details announced at the neighborhood board meeting:
• Pilot start date: April 1, 2026, in Waipahu, Nanakuli, Waianae, Mililani, Kailua and Kalihi; after a six‑month evaluation the program may go island‑wide.
• Accepted materials: kitchen and food scraps (including meat and dairy) and typical yard waste.
• Exclusions and caution: liquids, containers (glass, metal, plastic), and manufactured compostable products are not accepted curbside at launch because the city and Hawaiian Earth are assessing PFAS thresholds for plant uptake.
• Drop‑off rules: residents may bring food and green waste to Hawaiian Earth at no charge (policy allows two pickup‑truck loads per day).
• Participation supports: the city will supply kitchen counter containers and run community workshops to teach best management practices (layering food with green waste to reduce odors and pests).
Residents asked about contamination, bagging, enforcement, high‑rise service and restaurant participation. Gabriel said enforcement will focus on education and truckload/ lid audits rather than fines initially: "We're not looking to find anybody. We're really just trying to educate people on sort separation of waste." He also said Hawaiian Earth will separate loads and produce two products: a certified‑organic product and a non‑certified product.
Concerns included PFAS in compostable packaging and the risk of spreading the coconut rhinoceros beetle (CRB) via mulch. City staff said they are developing a CRB plan and working with state and federal partners and that Hawaiian Earth follows USDA‑trained protocols to inspect and manage pests.
The city estimated roughly 60,000 tons of residential organic material currently in the waste stream and noted diversion to compost could reduce landfill inputs. The pilot will include outreach through neighborhood boards, FAQs and social media.
