{"id":902711,"date":"2026-11-02T01:14:10","date_gmt":"2026-11-02T01:14:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/902711\/"},"modified":"2026-11-02T01:14:10","modified_gmt":"2026-11-02T01:14:10","slug":"ho%ca%bbi-returnable-dish-program-starts-next-week-in-hilo-big-island-video-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/902711\/","title":{"rendered":"Ho\u02bbi Returnable Dish Program Starts Next Week in Hilo \u2013 Big Island Video News"},"content":{"rendered":"

(BIVN) \u2013 The County of Hawai\u02bbi and its partners will begin a city-wide municipal foodware reuse system next week in Hilo.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Ho\u02bbi Returnable Dish Program will launch on November 9th. In the days leading up to the launch, outdoor dropboxes will be installed at various points around town. These Return Points can be located on a map found on the program website<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>map showing the locations of the Return Points on the Ho\u02bbi website as of November 1, 2026<\/p>\n

\u201cWe know that residents and businesses want more options for reducing waste,\u201d said Mayor Kimo Alameda in a news release. \u201cHo\u02bbi is designed to offer an alternative to single-use containers that supports our economy and keeps trash out of our landfill.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The voluntary program is being administered by the Hawai\u02bbi County Department of Environmental Management, funded by $2.1 million in U.S. Environmental Protection Agency grants and $1.8 million in private contributions.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Ho\u02bbi Returnable Dish Program will be operated by VYTAL, a global reuse service provider.\u00a0<\/p>\n

From a Hawai\u02bbi County news release:\u00a0<\/p>\n

The new program eliminates the need for single-use containers by providing participating businesses with stainless-steel food and drink containers that customers return to any of the many public Return Points around town. Items are collected, washed, inspected and redistributed \u2014 creating a circular system that reduces dependence on disposable foodware.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur mission is to make reuse effortless and mainstream,\u201d said Dr. Tim Breker, Founder & President of VYTAL. \u201cThis partnership is a meaningful opportunity to make reuse the community default \u2014 good for businesses, people, and ocean ecosystems alike.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>photo by Ho\u02bbi, provided by the County of Hawai\u02bbi<\/p>\n

The program was designed with input from more than 4,500 community members and more than 100 businesses over two years, led by Zero Waste Hawai\u02bbi Island and Perpetual, in collaboration with the Hawai\u02bbi County Department of Environmental Management and The University of Hawai\u02bbi Sea Grant College Program.<\/p>\n

\u201cHo\u02bbi means \u2018to return,’\u201d said Ku\u02bbulei Keawekane, Zero Waste Hawai\u02bbi Island\u2019s cultural advisor. \u201cThe name reflects both the journey of the containers and the community\u2019s desire to return to our original way of caring for the land and each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jennifer Navarra, Zero Waste Hawai\u02bbi Island program director, commented: \u201cThis initiative uplifts community wellness while addressing the urgent problem of plastic pollution. It\u2019s about building a healthier future for our families and our island.\u201d<\/p>\n

For businesses, the cost to participate in the program is comparable to compostable packaging. Consumers pay nothing to use the stainless steel containers unless they do not return them within 7 days.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis pioneering program will demonstrate the potential for infrastructure-backed reuse systems at scale to deliver what communities want \u2013 convenient, safe food and drinks \u2013 without the things they don\u2019t want: waste and pollution in their community,\u201d said Ellie Moss, Co-Founder and Co-Executive Director of Perpetual.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>photo by Ho\u02bbi, provided by the County of Hawai\u02bbi<\/p>\n

The businesses that are participating in the launch of the program include Cupcakes Boom!, Sweet Cane Cafe, Hilo Burger Joint, Kalo and Cream, Anuenue on the Bay, Big Island Smokehouse, Island Naturals, Mohala\u2019s Bayfront Fish and Chips, and Keaukaha General Store.<\/p>\n

This project has been generously supported by national and local funders, including: The 11th Hour Project; Plastic Solutions Fund; The Overbrook Foundation; The Coca-Cola Foundation; The Healy Foundation; Tundra Glacier Fund; Atherton Family Foundation; The Walmart Foundation; and EPA: Solid Waste Infrastructure for Recycling, Pollution Prevention, Source Reduction Assistance, and Trash Free Waters programs.<\/p>\n

To learn more about how Ho\u02bbi works, the pick up locations and participating businesses visit www.hoi-return.com. For businesses, schools or institutions interested in participating in the program, fill out the contact form here or email outreach@hoi-return.com.<\/p>\n

Ho\u02bbi Abstract<\/p>\n

Ho\u02bbi is a city-wide returnable foodware program serving the community of Hilo, Hawai\u02bbi. Customers can choose Ho\u02bbi containers free of charge, as long as they return the items within 7 days. Customers return the checked-out containers to any of the public Return Points or at any participating business. For businesses, the cost is comparable to compostable packaging. Ho\u02bbi means \u201cto return\u201d in Hawaiian \u2014 a nod both to returning the containers and to honoring traditional ways of caring for the land. Learn more at hoi-return.com.<\/p>\n

Ho\u02bbi is the result of multiple partnerships including:<\/p>\n

VYTAL is a global leader in reusable packaging solutions, using data-driven technology to help over 7,000 B2B customers across 24 countries eliminate single-use waste.<\/p>\n

Zero Waste Hawai\u02bbi Island (ZWHI) engages Hawai\u02bbi Island communities in reducing packaging waste through system-level change, guided by Hawaiian cultural values that honor the ancestral relationship between people and land.<\/p>\n

The University of Hawai\u02bbi Sea Grant College Program is part of UH M\u0101noa\u2019s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology and one of 34 NOAA-supported Sea Grant programs nationwide. Hawai\u02bbi Sea Grant has advanced research, education, and extension services for sustainable coastal and marine resources since 1968.<\/p>\n

The Hawai\u02bbi County Department of Environmental Management\u2019s mission is to maintain a clean, healthy island environment and promote stewardship and sustainability by managing wastewater and solid waste services in a comprehensive, responsive, safe and efficient manner.<\/p>\n

Perpetual is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit helping businesses, local governments, and communities in four U.S. partner cities design and implement affordable, accessible city-wide reusable foodware systems.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"(BIVN) \u2013 The County of Hawai\u02bbi and its partners will begin a city-wide municipal foodware reuse system next…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":902712,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[47],"tags":[192,79],"class_list":["post-902711","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-environment","tag-science"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902711","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=902711"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/902711\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/902712"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=902711"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=902711"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=902711"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}