Zero Waste

The Windward Zero Waste School Hui is a partnership of Windward Oahu schools working cooperatively in the pursuit of waste reduction, soil restoration, and applied environmental education. All members participate annually in the U.S. EPA’s Food Recovery Challenge and adhere to strict, safe, standardized operational procedures.

Every day, a professional team of Resource Recovery Specialists collect all organic waste generated on school campuses – especially food, but also including paper, cardboard, and green waste – and compost it on site to create nutrient-rich soil amendments. Essentially, garbage to gold!

Five participating schools in 2018-2019 include Ka’ohao Elementary Public Charter School (formerly Lanikai Elementary), Ka’elepulu Elementary, Kainalu Elementary, Enchanted Lake Elementary, and Kailua Intermediate School.

Read more about Zero Waste Philosophy  

Zero Waste is a philosophy and practice that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused. No trash is sent to landfills and incinerators. The processes recommended are similar to the way that resources are recycled in nature.

The internationally recognized definition of ZERO WASTE adopted by the Zero Waste International Alliance is:

“Zero Waste is a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to guide people in changing their lifestyles and practices to emulate sustainable natural cycles, where all discarded materials are designed to become resources for others to use.

Zero Waste means designing and managing products and processes to systematically avoid and eliminate the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources, and not burn or bury them.

Implementing Zero Waste will eliminate all discharges to land, water or air that are a threat to planetary, human, animal or plant health.