How is the Rate Calculated?

The County of Kauai bases it's Recycling Rate on the amount of material that is diverted from the landfill over the total amount of material that is put into the landfill. This includes both residential and commercial diversion and disposal.

Diversion/Total Waste Generation = Waste Diversion Rate

Mathematics is the art of giving the same name to different things.~ Henri Poincaré

Table of The Waste Diversion Rate

Fiscal Year  Recycling Rate
2016 43%
2015 44%
2014 43%
2013 40%
2012 40%
2011 36%
2010 36%
2009 30%
2008 29%

Updated 1/31/17

Graph of Waste Diversion Rate 2008-2016

line graph showing waste diversion rates from 2008 to 2016

Updated 1/31/17

2016 Top 10 Diverted Materials Estimated in Tons

   Material  Tons/Year
1)  Greenwaste 25,361   
2) Concrete & Asphalt 17,886
3)  Metal (Ferrous/Non-Ferrous) 5,035
4)  Cardboard 3,695
5)  Glass (includes HI5 and non-HI5)     3,554    
6)  Home Composting 2,915
7)  *Food Waste 1,806
8)  Plastic Film (Backhaul)                            800
9)  Mixed paper (not including newspaper)    691
10)  Pallets (Backhaul)    550

 

*Food Waste includes donated foods distributed through non-profits and food waste processed as animal feed.

Backhaul refers to the shipment of reusable or recyclable material back to the stores own warehouses in the mainland for processing. 

Full Calculation Breakdown- 2016 Calculation Summary

Previous Years Breakdown- 2015 Calculation Summary

References to scrap metal includes processed appliances and automobiles.

Updated 1/31/17

How does the County calculate tonnage?

The County oversees many recycling contracts, under which contractors perform services and provide monthly reports on the type and quantity of material recycled. We also conduct surveys of companies that divert waste outside of County contracts. Finally the County obtains data from the State Department of Health on annual permit reports of recycling facilities located on Kauai .

Click the PDF to see how the County converts volume reported data to tonnage.  Tonnage Conversion Table.pdf

Waste Characterization

A Waste Characterization details the composition of waste deposited at a landfill. In 2016 the County contracted Cascadia Consulting Group to conduct a waste characterization at Kekaha Landfill. A summary of results are shown in the pie chart here. Please see the full report for detailed information.

Kekaha Landfill 2016 Waste Characterization

pie graph showing waste diversion rates for each type of waste in Kekaha Landfill in 2016

Waste Characterization Report

Click here for a pdf version of the report.