Anti-waste campaign diverts 15.5 tons of garbage

From Kanu Hawaii

During December, Kanu Hawaii asked its members to reduce our waste and keep 50,000 pounds of trash out of our landfills. On Jan. 30, the organization reported the results of this campaign:

• More than 100 members rose to the “One Week – One Bag Challenge” to reduce their household trash to one bag during the week of Christmas.
• More than 200 members reported composting at home during the month.
• More than 300 members reported recycling at home during the month.
• 175 people recycled their Christmas trees rather than sending them to the landfill.
• 130 people reported successfully reducing the amount of waste they produced during the holiday season - a time of year when we typically produce 25 percent more waste than usual.
• At least 33,000 pounds of trash were diverted from Hawaii landfills during December, although members didn’t reach the goal of diverting 50,000 pounds.

“While we didn't quite make our target, we are hopeful that the habits we developed over the holidays will continue throughout the year and result in a significant lasting waste stream reduction,” the nonprofit reported.
The No Waste Challenge was especially difficult during the holidays. “We figure if we can change our behavior during the hardest time of year, it will be easier to keep up those habits that reduce our waste throughout the rest of the year,” Kanu said in its report.

“During the Challenge, we learned a lot about where our trash goes after we throw it away and what we are, and aren't, able to do with it as an island community.  Awareness is the first step toward action,” it reported.

Kanu tried a new form of group action called a Carrot Mob. “We got together as a group to shop at Kale’s Natural Foods and in exchange for our support, they took the proceeds from that day and created storefront recycling bins for Hawaii Kai Shopping Center, and started paying for a cardboard recycling service for their store,” the group reported. “With these changes, Kale's expects to keep over 13,000 pounds of trash out of the waste stream next year.”

The group plans to take this concept of group action and see what they can achieve together in 2012, asking government and business to change with them for a better Hawaii. Click here for a preview of Kanu’s plans.