HB1577.DOC

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the department of education produces a large amount of rubbish and waste from two hundred sixty-five schools across the State, which significantly impacts the State's environment and finances.

The legislature further finds that on-site campus composting programs involving students have been extremely successful in providing a beneficial method of waste diversion. These programs foster learning about scientific principles and social practices while allowing students to take responsibility for the amount of waste generated.

The legislature believes that a demonstration of the effectiveness of on-site campus composting allows students to see the relationships between food waste, composting, nutrient cycling, healthy soils, and local food production. This is a natural extension of the legislature’s commitment to increasing garden- and farm- based opportunities and is one of five pillars of the department of agriculture’s Hawaii farm to school program, established by Act 218, Session Laws of Hawaii 2015. Proper guidance from the departments of health and education regarding campus composting would increase the safety of existing programs while expanding opportunities for new programs in state schools.

The legislature finds that developing a statewide model for on-site campus composting provides a way to reach the Aloha+ challenge waste reduction goals, increase local food production, and promote natural resource management.

Accordingly, the purpose of this Act is to establish a two-year on-site campus composting pilot project in department of education schools to:

(1) Address the opportunities of waste diversion;

(2) Engage students to learn about different composting methods;

(3) Develop nutrient-rich soil for school gardens and local agricultural endeavors;

(4) Decrease the amount of methane-producing waste being dumped in landfills;

(5) Decrease the overall trash hauling cost to taxpayers; and

(6) Develop campus composting guidelines in conjunction with department of health rules for system-wide guidance.

SECTION 2. (a) The department of education shall establish a two-year on-site composting pilot project in one or more schools in the State.

(b) The pilot project shall be implemented by a working group. The superintendent of education shall invite the following to become members of the pilot project working group or to designate a representative:

(1) The department of education, facilities branch;

(2) The department of education, office of curriculum, instruction, and student support;

(3) The department of health, sanitation branch;

(4) The Hawaii farm to school coordinator in the department of agriculture;

(5) The chair of the senate committee on education;

(6) The chair of the house of representatives committee on education;

(7) The chair of the senate committee on agriculture and environment;

(8) The chair of the house of representatives committee on energy and environmental protection;

(9) The dean of the University of Hawaii at Manoa college of human resources and tropical agriculture;

(10) The Kokua Hawaii Foundation; and

(11) An experienced school composting program leader.

(1) In conjunction with the department of health, develop guidelines and provide oversight for campus composting, which shall include leachate monitoring, pathogen testing, involvement of community members, development of a fire plan, material categorization, and volume recording;

(2) Consider multiple composting and fermentation techniques that can be tested and monitored for effectiveness in schools of varying sizes, such as bokashi for meats, dairy products, and bones; vermicomposting for vegetable wastes; hot composting for vegetative wastes; and aerated compost tea and vermicast tea for soil amendments;

(3) Establish networks and relationships with local farms and piggeries that may be able to accept surplus food waste;

(4) Select several participating schools on each island;

(5) Fund a resource recovery specialist for each of the pilot project sites; and

(6) Fund composting equipment for participating schools.

(d) The working group shall elect one of its members to serve as its chair.

(e) The working group shall be administratively attached to the department of education, which shall provide support staff for the working group.

(f) Members of the working group shall serve without compensation but shall be reimbursed for reasonable expenses, including travel expenses, incurred during the performance of their duties.

(g) The working group shall submit an interim report to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2018, and shall submit a final report with its findings and recommendations to the legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the regular session of 2019.

(h) The working group shall cease to exist on January 30, 2019.

SECTION 3. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2017-2018 and the same sum or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2018-2019 to establish and implement the department of education on-site composting pilot project.

The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of education for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 4. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2017.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	1577
TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017
STATE OF HAWAII