A proposed project to replace disposable foodware at Hilo food establishments with reusable items needs a little more time in the oven.
The project, which received $2.1 million in grant funding through the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency last year, would develop a system for distributing reusable food containers to restaurants and other participating organizations, and could be launched by February of next year, said Jennifer Navarra, program director for Zero Waste Hawaii Island.
Zero Waste Hawaii is administering the project in partnership with Perpetual, a nonprofit that has worked on similar programs around the country, and the Hawaii County Department of Environmental Management.
Customers would receive their food in reusable containers and then, when finished, would dispose of the empty containers at public collection sites, where they would be collected, sanitized and redistributed back to participating businesses.
Those are the broad strokes of the project. More specific details are still being worked out, with a final system design plan estimated to be completed by the end of June, Navarra said.
“We’re still considering what the reusable materials are going to be,” Navarra said, explaining that the basic question of “plastic, stainless steel or glass” is fraught with pros and cons for each option.
According to a draft design plan, the project would offer a mix of “small and large foodware containers” with a focus on bento box and single-compartment containers.
The draft plan notes that previous public outreach identified a general preference for glass or stainless steel, and that the containers would be marked with “very simple universal branding” to make them unattractive for people to keep.
In order to encourage users to return items instead of keeping them or throwing them out, Navarra said the program partners are considering a small penalty fee for failing to return the foodware. Users would have 10 days to return an item to a collection site, after which a nominal fee would be charged to their credit cards if they never dropped the item off.
“You could get an extension,” Navarra said. “For example, if you live in Volcano and don’t come down to Hilo that often, you could get an extension like you would for a library book.”
The draft plan also mentions a possible “redemption value” for the reusable items, wherein users who find abandoned foodware could receive a nominal payment — the plan recommends $0.15 per item — for returning it to a collection site. Furthermore, Navarra said that people who incurred a nonreturn fee could be reimbursed if they return the item themselves.
However, that solution doesn’t account for users who pay in cash, Navarra said, and further refinement will be necessary.
Craig Kawaguchi, acting recycling coordinator for DEM’s Solid Waste Division, said via email that the program could reduce the waste generated on the island by an estimated 1,031 metric tons (1,136 U.S. tons) per year.
Kawaguchi added the county’s role in the project is managing the grant funds and putting out requests for proposals for program operators, although the EPA has not yet made the money available since the grant was awarded in October. DEM also will oversee the reuse system to ensure it complies with health codes.
Meanwhile, Navarra said Hawaii County has filed for another federal grant that could award about $50 million to the state — funds that Zero Waste Hawaii could tap into for further additions to the project. While the status of that grant won’t be known until the summer, Navarra said that funding could be used to expand the program beyond Hilo.
Navarra said Zero Waste Hawaii has only recently begun conducting outreach to Hilo organizations and establishments to see if they are interested in participating.
Without a good picture about how many businesses would be involved, other questions such as how the project will be monetized are also up in the air.
Navarra said the program likely would include a usage fee for participating businesses — which she said would probably be comparable to the per-unit cost of disposable foodware — but the exact cost can’t be determined without an estimate of the number of participants.
At the same time, Zero Waste Hawaii is still seeking locations for a dish-washing facility, where the used foodware would be sanitized. The program also would require vehicles to transport the items — a financial breakdown in the draft plan includes funds for two vans.
People can review the draft plan and submit comments at zerowastehi.org/reuse.
Email Michael Brestovansky at mbrestovansky@hawaiitribune-herald.com.