{"id":760667,"date":"2026-07-13T16:28:15","date_gmt":"2026-07-13T16:28:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/760667\/"},"modified":"2026-07-13T16:28:15","modified_gmt":"2026-07-13T16:28:15","slug":"takeout-boxes-are-filling-landfills-this-town-has-a-plan-to-phase-them-out","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/760667\/","title":{"rendered":"Takeout Boxes Are Filling Landfills. This Town Has A Plan To Phase Them Out"},"content":{"rendered":"

As Hawai\u02bbi island prepares to enact a ban on single-use plastic serviceware, a coalition in Hilo is rolling out the nation\u2019s first comprehensive city-wide reuse program with over $3 million in seed funding.<\/p>\n

The disposable cups, plates and bowls that make it possible to eat and drink on the run typically don\u2019t receive much attention on their one-way trips to the landfill.<\/p>\n

But what happens when that landfill reaches capacity and you have to start trucking waste across the island? That\u2019s the case in Hilo, where the South Hilo landfill closed<\/a> in 2019, and some residents have begun to rethink their plastic to-go waste.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lawmakers are rethinking it too. Last fall Bill 83<\/a>, which banned single-use plastic serviceware in the county, unanimously passed through the Hawai\u02bbi County Council. As a result, beginning in December, people who order their food and drinks to-go will be offered compostable products instead. Although the county doesn\u2019t have an industrial-scale composting facility,\u00a0the hope was that such a bill would be just the push the county needed to create one.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In the 50,000-person city of Hilo, however, a public-private coalition isn\u2019t waiting to find out. Instead, it\u2019s preparing to roll out the nation\u2019s first comprehensive system of washable, reusable to-go containers later this year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"ZeroZero Waste\u2019s Hawai\u02bbi Island\u2019s cultural adviser Ku\u2018ulei Kanahele shows off her dinner in a Ho\u2018i returnable dish during their open house, June 30, in Hilo. The group is part of a coalition working to help food companies begin using the food-grade stainless steel containers. (Kevin Fujii\/Civil Beat\/2026)<\/p>\n

The program is called Ho\u2018i, after the Hawaiian word for \u201cto return.\u201d The containers will be available to check out like library books and, as with the library, they will cost nothing unless people fail to return them.<\/p>\n

The name, Ho\u2019i, is also intended to be an invitation to residents to return to an older sense of responsibility to a place that sees an estimated 15-20 tons of plastic marine trash wash ashore every year.\u00a0And some experts believe it may prove to be a model for the rest of the island \u2014 and the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf Ho\u2018i proves successful in Hilo, we see potential for replicating it in other parts of the county, especially in dense commercial areas,\u201d Daniel Girvan, director of Hawai\u02bbi County Department of Environmental Management, said in an email.<\/p>\n

Returning To The Start<\/p>\n

John and Bethany Letoto own Kalo and Cream, a pop-up artisan soda company, and they often set up a booth at public events, where they can go through hundreds of plastic cups in a day. They started out using compostable cups until an entire box of them melted in the sun. Now, Bethany said, \u201cwe do what makes sense financially, which is to buy the cheapest possible plastic cup we can get off the internet.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In February, the Letotos saw a presentation about the Ho\u2018i program from Ku\u02bbulei Kanahele, the outreach coordinator and cultural adviser for Zero Waste Hawai\u02bbi Island, the organization that is spearheading the program. The couple instantly recognized it as the waste solution they\u2019d been looking for, and signed up to be one of the first participating businesses. Bethany also applied to fill a temporary role with the organization as its business development lead, hoping that other small businesses would be as excited as she was.<\/p>\n

Not everyone has been quite so sold on the idea from the beginning. Three years ago, when Zero Waste Hawai\u02bbi Island began applying to becoming a pilot city with Perpetual \u2014\u00a0a Florida-based nonprofit dedicated to helping cities develop accessible reusable serviceware systems \u2014\u00a0Kanahele admits even she was skeptical.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A Native Hawaiian pig farmer who also runs a local farmers market in Pana\u02bbewa, Kanahele was initially hired to host a gathering of elders, Native Hawaiian culture keepers and business owners to explore the idea of a reuse program that involved reusing sturdy plastic containers. She wasn\u2019t wed to the idea.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cAt first the consensus was no. The response was, \u2018We don\u2019t want any more rubbish here, so it\u2019s not ideal to bring a bunch of thicker plastic, because that\u2019s only going to be thrown away,\u2019\u201d Kanahele recalled.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Over the course of several hours, the group thought deeply about what it might take to make reuse work in Hilo. The containers would need to be something there than plastic. And behavior change would only come about if they invested in education, outreach, school programming and contextualizing reuse as it relates to Aloha \u02bb\u0101ina, they decided. Kanahele suggested stainless steel containers, and explained that the alternative to reuse was more plastic piling up in the one landfill on the island.<\/p>\n

\u201cBy the end of these challenging discussions the consensus was, \u2018Yes, reuse is better than inaction,\u2019\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

A System Designed To Be Easy<\/p>\n

Since then, the program that the group of community members envisioned\u00a0has become a reality. Hilo became one of four U.S. pilot cities where Perpetual is working to launch reuse programs, alongside Galveston, Texas; Savannah, Georgia; and Ann Arbor, Michigan.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In partnership with Hawai\u02bbi County and University of Hawai\u02bbi Sea Grant, the project has received over $2.2 million from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, $1.4 million from private foundations and $45,000 from the county for a total of $3.7 million in seed funding. With that funding the coalition members have been able to purchase an initial round of serviceware (with another on the way later this year), an industrial scale dishwasher, two vans and 100 return bins, among other resources.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The county released a request for proposals in 2025 and rewarded the contract to Vytal,\u00a0a German company that has created the QR codes and online system intended to make it easy for customers to check out the containers with a single tap of their phones when they order take-out. The company has created similar reuse systems in Germany, as well as in Belgium, France and a growing number of European nations. For the duration of its initial three-year contract, Vytal will rent out the dishwashing hub and charge restaurant owners a membership fee associated with the number of containers they use every month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

If everything goes as planned, the Ho\u2018i program will launch later this year, just as Bill 83 is set to go into effect. <\/p>\n

After watching multiple start-up companies work to get a critical mass of people using reusable products and failing, Moss and her co-founder decided the most effective approach would be to work on, \u201cthe system-level shifts that individual companies really can\u2019t do on their own.\u201d<\/p>\n

Perpetual focuses on small cities, Moss said, because they are places where a more immersive experience is possible, and the potential for a cultural shift is more likley. \u201cYou can get every restaurant on board,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

\"SoSo Juicey\u2019s Kwai-Chang Publico opens up the dinner buffet for the Ho\u2018i Returnable Dish Program open house on June 30 in Hilo. Zero Waste Hawai\u02bbi Island and Perpetual are two nonprofits working to get food companies to begin using the reuseable restaurant food-grade containers. (Kevin Fujii\/Civil Beat\/2026)<\/p>\n

Hilo-based county council member Jennifer Kagiwada, who has been involved since the program\u2019s early days, is optimistic about the effort and what it might mean for the rest of the state.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is not something that feels like it\u2019s coming from Florida or Germany or anywhere else,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s very much branded for Hawai\u2018i, with a lot of input from local people.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kagiwada and her staff have visited local food businesses to drum up interest in the Ho\u2019i program and she has helped work with several county departments to help grease the wheels in the process. She also made sure that the language in Bill 83 included reusable serviceware as an acceptable alternative to its compostable counterpart at a moment when it stood to be removed from the bill.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hawai\u2018i County\u2019s mayor, Kimo Alameda, was opposed to Bill 83<\/a> on the grounds that compostable foodware is more expensive than plastic.\u00a0Now, he sees Ho\u02bbi as an alternative that can help businesses comply with the new ordinance. <\/p>\n

\u201cThrough careful implementation and community partnerships, we are hopeful that this program can demonstrate environmental and economic benefits,\u201d he told Civil Beat in an email.<\/p>\n

The added costs of both compostable and reusable serviceware is still a point of discussion, however. Most businesses that sign on to the program will also offer their customers single-use compostable options, and some may charge extra for them, whereas the Ho\u2019i containers are free if returned and cost customers $15 to keep.<\/p>\n

For participating businesses, the Ho\u2019i containers will end up costing more than the soon-to-be-banned plastic but less than compostables, Letoto said. <\/p>\n

Kanahele also said the washhouse will be available for Hilo residents to have large loads of dishes washed after gatherings and events at a small cost \u2014\u00a0an unusual feature that she hopes helps the community embrace the program.<\/p>\n

Reuse Vs. Compostables<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, the answer to the larger question of what will happen to the single-use compostable containers is also still unfolding.<\/p>\n

Kristine Kubat, executive director of Recycle Hawaii, told Civil Beat that\u00a0provided the county can set up a workable system to compost this growing waste stream,\u00a0she sees compostables as the most feasible option for avoiding plastics over the long term.<\/p>\n

At Kubat\u2019s suggestion, Rep. Chris Todd, who represents Hilo, advocated to have $250,000 in Green Fee funds dedicated to purchasing one or more in-vessel composting systems \u2014\u00a0large machines that aerate and churn compostable waste, turning it into compost in as little as 24 hours \u2014\u00a0for a pilot program on Hawai\u2018i island.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOne of our opportunities at the state is to be a force multiplier,\u201d Todd told Civil Beat. The funding for the composting machines is currently with the state Department of Agriculture but will move to the county soon. \u201cIt\u2019s a proof of concept that we could then apply elsewhere,\u201d Todd added.<\/p>\n

At the Hawai\u02bbi County Department of Environmental Management, Girvan confirmed that getting a system for large-scale composting on the island up and running will take time. <\/p>\n

\u201cThis is a multi\u2011year effort, but the planning is underway,\u201d he said. \u201cOur goal is a system that supports the ordinance, expands organics diversion, and reduces landfill dependence across the island.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kubat has reservations about the Ho\u2019\u2018i program, based on the fact that Perpetual has often framed reusable plastic as a transitional approach.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere have been times when they\u2019ve been promoting their reuse program, and they were just fine with plastic. It was the community that pushed back,\u201d Kubat told Civil Beat. She also pointed to a clause in the Vytal contract that says the company can replace lost stainless steel containers with plastic ones.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Moss responded to that claim. \u201cWhile it doesn\u2019t explicitly say \u2018no plastic,\u2019 a choice to allow plastic would have to be approved by the County, ZWHI, and Perpetual, and we are the organizations who have been so committed to not using plastic in the first place,\u201d she said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

A Winding Road Ahead<\/p>\n

\"Ho\u2018iParticipating businesses will be able to offer their customers washable stainless steel Ho\u2018i containers. Customers will be asked to return the containers at one of 100 receptacles around the city and from there they will be transported by van to a community wash hub, before being returned to the businesses. (Kevin Fujii\/Civil Beat\/2026)<\/p>\n

In June, Zero Waste Hawai\u2018i Island held an open house for food business owners, where Letoto and Kanahele worked with local food vendors to serve traditional Hawaiian foods in the new stainless containers and share information for people who are still on the fence about Ho\u2019i.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cNo one trusts that the water is warm,\u201d said Letoto, who was there serving soda in stainless cups. \u201cEveryone is waiting for everybody else to dip their toes in first.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Kwai-Chang Publico, owner of cold-pressed juice company So Juicey Hawaii, has both feet in. And he attended the open house to talk about what attracted him to the program.\u00a0<\/p>\n

So Juicey provides lunches to a Hawaiian immersion school in Hilo and Publico plans to start out using the Ho\u2018i containers for that effort and to replace the plastic tubs he uses for prep cooking. Like Letoto, the idea of the shift made complete sense to him from the start. He already offers his juices in glass jars and he said the majority of his customers return them.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Business owners won\u2019t have to wash or transport the containers, yet at a time when many small food businesses are struggling to find employees and food costs have gone up, Publico said he understands why adding another process, even a relatively simple one, isn\u2019t an easy sell for most restaurants.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s going to be a lot of obstacles, naysayers, and a lot of difficulty implementing this system,\u201d Publico said. \u201cBut it has to be done. We have to be the ones to step up and make this change if we expect to have any kind of normalcy later on for the next generations.\u201d<\/p>\n

The fact that plastic bag bans appear to be making a dent<\/a> in plastic litter in the states that have enacted them also helps make the case for cutting back on more single-use plastic \u2014\u00a0even if change can take time, he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing like seeing one blue collar, tattooed Hawaiian brother get out of his big Dodge truck and walk into KTA with a reusable bag,\u201d Publico said. \u201cIf we could get there with that, I think we can get there with this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Civil Beat\u2019s coverage of environmental issues on Hawai\u02bbi island is supported in part by a grant from the Dorrance Family Foundation; coverage of climate change and the environment is supported by The Healy Foundation, the Marisla Fund of the Hawai\u2018i Community Foundation and the Frost Family Foundation.<\/p>\n

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