The City and County of Honolulu鈥檚 Department of Environmental Services (ENV) is expanding its G.R.O.W. (Green Recycling Organic 91仓库) program across O驶ahu beginning October 1, 2026, allowing all residents with three-cart automated curbside collection to place food scraps and wasted food in their green compost carts along with green waste.
The program provides residents with a simple way to reduce the amount of waste sent through O驶ahu鈥檚 solid waste system while supporting a more sustainable, circular approach to waste management. 鈥淕.R.O.W. could help us reduce O驶ahu鈥檚 waste stream by an astonishing 20%,鈥� said Mayor Rick Blangiardi. 鈥淧utting our food scraps and leftovers in our green carts is a simple step that we can all take to make a real and meaningful difference. G.R.O.W. is an innovative program that just makes sense, and we are thrilled that our creative team at ENV is bringing this wonderful idea to life.鈥�
鈥淓very pound of food scraps you include in your green compost cart is a pound that doesn鈥檛 end up in our landfill,鈥� ENV Deputy Director Daniel Brieck said. 鈥淓verything we compost instead of sending to H-POWER is a win because food scraps and wet materials rob energy from the burn process. Keeping them out of the waste stream helps H-POWER run more efficiently, and that benefits all of us.鈥�
ENV launched the G.R.O.W. pilot program in April in six communities: Kailua, Hawai驶i Kai, Mililani, N膩n膩kuli, Waipahu and Kalihi. During the pilot, ENV tested different approaches to encourage participation and educate residents about what belongs in the green cart.
鈥淭he results from our pilot phase have been promising,鈥� ENV Refuse Chief Josh Nagashima said. 鈥淥ur recycling teams have been testing different methods to encourage participation and tracking that participation by tipping lids in the pilot areas. We鈥檝e seen about 15% participation and a significant reduction in contamination so far, which is a good start. Now we鈥檙e excited to take G.R.O.W. islandwide and get more households involved so we can maximize the impact the program can have.鈥�
Food scraps and green waste collected through the program are processed into compost by Hawaiian Earth Recycling (HER). 鈥淲e are so proud to be partnering with the city on the G.R.O.W. program,鈥� HER Vice President Marvin Min said. 鈥淥ur facility transforms the food scraps and green waste in the green carts into nutrient-rich compost through a controlled composting process. It鈥檚 rewarding to be a part of that.鈥�