ʻOpāla

September 2025

Got old car batteries or containers of old gas collecting dust in the garage? Hold on to them until the next Hazardous Waste collection event with the County of Kauai.

It’s for residents only and luckily, the next event is on October 18 and 19. It’s the perfect opportunity to properly dispose of products labeled “caution”, “warning”, “danger”, or “poison,” like car batteries, oil-based paint, flammable liquids, some household cleaning supplies and more. These products pose threats to our health and environment, and should never be tossed in the rubbish or dumped down the drain. Things that are NOT household hazardous waste include tires, latex paint, propane tanks and medical waste. Learn more about identifying and disposing of household hazardous waste at www.kkcr.org/onair/opala. This message is made possible by funding from the County of Kauai’s Office of Economic Development.

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More Information:

Hereʻs the descriptions from the Environmental Protection Agency on what HHW is. And their page on disposing of oil. And here is a click-fest rabbit hole on Universal Waste. 

Here is the very comprehensive page on the County of Kauaʻiʻs website on all the places to dispose of HHW. And a handy worksheet on what is HHW.

August 2025

When all the cereal has been eaten and all the milk has been drunk, do you know what to do with the empty boxes and bottles left behind?

Some might toss them in the rubbish, sending them off to the Kekaha Landfill. But cardboard and plastic can be recycled, just like 34% of all materials that end up in Kauai’s only landfill. When done right, recycling is a simple way to repurpose existing materials, conserve landfill space, and save precious resources. Kauai residents can bring assorted residential recyclables to drop-off centers across the island. Clean plastic #1 and #2 bottles and jars without lids are acceptable, and plastic or glass beverage containers marked with the HI5 symbol are redeemable for cash at Certified Redemption Centers. Scrap metal can be recycled at Refuse Transfer Stations or brought to the Puhi Metals Recycling Facility free of charge.

Remember: recycling is just a small part of waste diversion. In order to make a true impact in preserving our beautiful island, we must all take responsibility for the rubbish we produce on a daily basis. For a full list of recycling resources, visit www.KKCR.org/onair/opala. This message is made possible by funding from the County of Kauaʻiʻs Office of Economic Development.

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Need More?

Here is the County of Kauaʻiʻs page on Recycling facts.

Hoʻike TV, Kauaʻiʻs own community TV station, produces a segment called Talking Trash with Max Richardson.

Trash Free Hawaii is a website I stumbled on.

Civil Beat published a series of articles a few years ago on where Hawaiiʻs trash goes. Hereʻs one of them.

And, of course, a link to the MRF (Materials Recycling Facility) Survey that is still live.

July 2025

Ever gone shelling to only find plastic? Or paddled past trash on your way to the surf? 

Every year, the world produces 400 million metric tons of plastic waste — and every day, 2000 truckloads of it enters the ocean. This plastic ends up on our shores, in our sea life, and even in our bodies, with studies showing that 90% of all seafood contains microplastics. So it’s not a surprise that 11% of Kauaʻiʻs landfill consists of plastics. Plastic production is only expected to increase, tripling by the year 2050 — unless we do something about it.

This plastic-free July, you can choose to refuse single-use plastics. You can purchase locally-produced, unpackaged products and opt for paper or glass over plastic packaging, bring your reusable bag, and support vendors that offer plastic-free or reusable alternatives. To clean our beaches and upcycle existing plastic, you can join a workday with Ho’omalu Ke Kai or use one of their self-service beach clean-up stations. Remember, you can also recycle #1 and #2 plastic bottles and jars, or redeem 5-cents for each plastic beverage container with a HI5 symbol at County recycling facilities. For more resources on building a plastic-free world, visit www.KKCR.org/onair/opala. This message is brought to you by funding from the County of Kauai’s Office of Economic Development.

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Need More?

The Story of Stuff is a website with all the goods.

Hereʻs the County of Kauaʻiʻs Plastics Recycling page.

Hoʻomalu Ke Kai

Zero Waste Kauaʻi is on the frontlines of waste advocacy.

Hereʻs evidence of Kauaʻi Countyʻs commitment to compostables and reusables.

Surfrider highlights this way to reuse.

June 2025

We’ve all been there before — staring into a moldy Tupperware we pulled out of the back corner of our fridge, like “….what even was that?” Studies show that the average family of four in the US will toss two-thousand dollars worth of groceries into the trash each year. On Kauai, 10% of what ends up in the Kekaha Landfill is food that’s taken land, water, and resources to produce. When it goes to the landfill, all that effort and all those nutrients go to waste. But what if they didn’t have to? Composting is an easy alternative to throwing food in the rubbish. When food ends up in the landfill, it decays without oxygen and releases harmful methane gas. But food that gets composted transforms into a nutrient-rich substance that can heal the soil and help grow more food. 

Kaua‘i makes composting easy — residents can get their own backyard composting bins from the County of Kauaʻi or sign up for convenient curbside pick-up and drop-off services with Compost Kauaʻi. OR contact a local farmer about giving them your scraps for compost. To learn more, visit kkcr dot org slash onair slash opala. This message is brought to you by funding from the County of Kauaʻi’s Office of Economic Development.

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Need More?

Hereʻs a sweet reference pamphlet to print out.

CTAHR has a great article on composting.

And an even bigger one, thanks, CTAHR.

Hereʻs info on that free backyard compost bin from the County of Kauaʻi.

Hawaii Wildlife Fund has info on composting with CRB.

Like Scraps? Compost Kauaʻi does.

Hereʻs the EPAʻs Food Waste Scale.

May 2025

Do YOU have a pile of green waste in your yard? It might seem harmless, but decaying plant material can attract unwanted pests — especially the Coconut Rhinoceros Beetle. CRB is a serious threat to our island’s coconut trees, bananas, papayas and more. CRBs love warm, decaying green waste. It’s where they grow, breed, and spread — often unnoticed.

That’s why managing green waste responsibly is one of the most important ways we can protect Kauaʻi’s plants, food systems, and cultural resources.

So that pile of green waste in your backyard – don’t let it pile up. Make sure to turn it regularly to search for pests. If you find any CRBs, sanitize the green waste as soon as possible by netting, hot-composting, or spreading the pile thinner than four inches. Once sanitized, haul those materials to one of the County’s five transfer stations.

For all you landscapers, tree trimmers, and green businesses, you can get a coupon from the Countyʻs Solid Waste Division to reduce your tipping rates. For more information and resources for treating that pile of green waste, visit Kkcr dot org slash onair slash opala.

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Need More?

Want to sign a petition to request funding from local and state government for more CRB mitigation?

Here is the Office of Economic Development’s (OED) very informative page on CRB.

CRB has itʻs own Hawaii-based web page with horrifying photos.

Here are some safe composting tips that we can all take to prevent the spread of CRB.

Here is info about netting your green waste and compost areas.

Here’s some social media accounts to follow:

Report infested trees to: @kauaiisc

Follow for updates on community action & work days: @eolakakouhawaii 

For further education on CRB: @crbhawaii

April 2025

**sound of truck backing up, beep beep, rumble of materials dumping out** Hear that?

That’s the sound of 260 tons of trash entering Kauaʻi’s landfill every day. Except not all of it is trash. In fact, 45% of what enters the landfill doesn’t have to be there. It can be composted, recycled, repaired, or repurposed. And that’s a good thing! Because the Kekaha landfill is running out of room. **gasp** Yeah. That’s the sound of someone realizing that our island’s one and only landfill will be full by 2030, which means — by the time my daughter is 5 years old, Kauaʻi will have nowhere to put its waste. I don’t want my child to grow up around piles of ʻōpala. So what do we do? Kauaʻi, it’s up to us to know our ʻōpala and do our part to make less of it. Let’s compost our food scraps, recycle our bottles, repair what’s broken, and share resources within our community instead of buying so much new. We’re so lucky to live in the most beautiful place on Earth, but if we’re not careful, the Garden Isle could become the Garbage Isle like that. 

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The Story of Stuff has some great movies to watch.

Here’s a link to the official Kaua’i Landfill page.

Kaua’i Now‘s reporting by Scott Yunker in February 2025 on the Landfill.

Here is the County’s Recycling Page.