House bill calls for establishing a classification system for composting operations

A bill encouraging the diversion of food waste from Hawaiʻi landfills has passed first reading in the state House of Representatives and has been referred for review to three committees: Energy & Environmental Protection; Water & Land; and Finance.

House Bill 404, introduced by Speaker Nadine Nakamura at the request of the Maui County Council, would require the state Department of Health to adopt or amend rules to establish a classification system for composting facilities or operations. The measure would allow composting and co-composting in the agricultural district, including on lands with class A or class B soils.

Food waste is the second-largest component of the waste stream and accounts for 25% of waste sent to landfills, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency.

The House bill says that 50% of organic material disposed of in incinerators and landfills can be diverted to bioconversion, including composting.

The measure notes that landfills across Hawaiʻi are rapidly reaching their operational capacities, and are facing closure or re-siting. This is often a costly and controversial process as evidenced by controversial plans by the City and County of Honolulu to locate O‘ahu’s next landfill in an area northwest of Wahiawā.

The House bill says compost has environmental benefits, including improving soil health, increasing drought resistance and reducing the need for supplemental water, fertilizers and pesticides. Composting also increases crop yields and reduces the risk of invasive species introduction to neighboring islands through the importation of contaminated compost.

Also, according to the bill, applying compost and organic matter to soil sequesters carbon from the atmosphere, forming the largest land-based carbon sink and mitigates climate change by effectively reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

“The Legislature believes that food waste diversion and the creation of multi-scale composting operations across the state will greatly reduce the burdens on landfills, lower county waste management costs and move the state closer to achieving its sustainability and resiliency goals,” the bill says.

Regulation of co-composting is under the jurisdiction of the state Department of Health’s Solids and Hazardous Waste Branch, and existing rules have not been updated in more than 20 years, the measure says.

Now, a single application applies to all co-composting operations regardless of size or scope.

“The current permitting process is an onerous and unreasonable barrier to lawful participation for small to midsize composting operations whose operations present a much lower risk potential,” the House bill says. “Reform and updating of the co-composting rules and permitting process will greatly increase the number of operators diverting organics from landfills and incinerators, thereby aiding the state and counties in reaching their sustainability, resilience and fiscal goals.”

An appropriation amount to carry out the measure has been left blank.

No public hearings on the bill have been scheduled as of Friday morning. Thursday was the deadline for lawmakers to introduce new bills.