Starting 1 July 2025 Hawai’i’s Department of Health (DoH) will begin work on a statewide needs assessment focused on paper and packaging waste. Hawai’i faces challenges similar to other states where landfills may soon be over capacity, residents dislike pollution caused by waste incineration, and the state has limited ways to encourage sustainable packaging.
Bills regarding recycling, waste reduction, and extended producer responsibility (EPR), have been repeatedly introduced in the state legislature, but nothing that had the potential to make a big impact on the environment ever passed. Supporters of HB750 welcome the opportunity to gather data on what would be needed to reduce waste, improve collection, local processing, reuse/recycling / composting, and potentially implement paper and packaging EPR.
“Packaging materials” covers materials used for the containment, protection, or serving of products, and made of paper, paperboard, cardboard, plastics, glass, or metal, or a mixture of any of these materials. Excluded are beverage containers, which are managed under the deposit beverage container program.
“Paper products” are printed materials such as office paper, magazines, newspaper, and junk mail, but not bound books.
An Advisory Council will be created with representatives from local and state agencies, producers, collectors, processors, businesses, environmental organizations, and producer responsibility organizations (PRO) to assist in:
• Evaluating how EPR program laws are crafted and work in other states and countries
• Ensuring equity and environmental justice
• Encouraging sustainable product design
• Educating the public on recycling / composting requirements and best practices
The findings of this needs assessment must be reported to the Legislature by 31 December 2027.
Want to keep up with what’s happening with this and other EPR legislation? H2 Compliance can help cglobal-sales@erpsas.onmicrosoft.comom
Published July 1, 2025
This article was generated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence.