A county program to recycle e-waste has been halted until at least July.
The county Department of Environmental Management’s solid waste division announced Monday that its e-waste collection program is suspended effective immediately due to a lack of funds.
The program received $85,000 in state funding this fiscal year, said Chris Chin-Chance, recycling specialist for the solid waste division. But, three months before the end of the financial year, these funds have dried up.
“I guess we expect more funding in the next fiscal year,” Chin-Chance said. “If we get that, the program will probably come back, but it could be in a different form.”
Prior to the cancellation, e-waste was collected at Hilo and Kealakehe stations.
In Hilo, e-waste could be dropped off at Mr. K’s Recycle and Redemption on the second and fourth Saturdays of each month, while the Kealakehe Transfer Station accepted e-waste on the third Saturday of each month.
If additional funding is secured, Chin-Chance said a reinstated e-waste program could work differently from the previous one.
“We are discussing the shape or shape of the new program,” Chin-Chance said.
Chin-Chance said most of the government funds were used to secure a contract with Mr K’s to collect, process and transport e-waste. But even with the program suspended, residents can still dispose of their e-waste at Mr. K — though Chin-Chance noted that it will likely cost a small fee to do so.
Chin-Chance also lamented that a bill in the state Legislature this year could have eased the pressure on county recycling programs.
House Bill 1640, in its original state, would have required electronics manufacturers to recycle a certain percentage of their products sold in Hawaii each year.
Although the bill is still alive in the Senate, it was significantly amended during committee hearings and now simply requires electronics manufacturers and recyclers to submit annual reports to the state on the number of products sold. or recycled in Hawaii.
Email Michael Brestovansky at [email protected]
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