Informing the Legislature that on June 26, 2026, the Governor signed the following bill into law: SB2101 SD1 HD1 CD1 (ACT 173).

This bill, signed into law as Act 173, updates Hawaii's solid waste management goals to address organic waste reduction. It requires counties to include specific benchmarks in their waste management plans to reduce organic waste disposal by 40% by 2038 and 70% by 2043, with a target of eliminating such disposal entirely by 2048. The legislation also defines organic waste to include compostable plant and animal materials like food scraps and green waste, while instructing counties to assess recycling and bioconversion methods that account for invasive species risks. These changes take effect on July 1, 2026, and apply to all county integrated solid waste management plans.