Report Title:

Household Hazardous Waste; County Plans

 

Description:

Requires the DOH to assist the counties in the development of plans for the operation of household hazardous waste collection, recycling, and disposal programs. Appropriates funds to the DOH to pay the State's share of the cost of mandated county programs.

 

THE SENATE

S.B. NO.

778

TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2001

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 


 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

RELATING TO HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE.

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that because household hazardous substances are an integral part of daily life, households throughout the State would benefit tremendously through the development and publication of practical and consistent information on hazardous substances in the household and the establishment of an ongoing county hazardous waste collection program. The public education program of the department of health is currently mandated to provide the public with information regarding household hazardous waste. Thus far, however, an ongoing program to permit households throughout the State to discard unwanted hazardous substances has not been established.

When stored in the home, hazardous substances may present a threat to the safety of the members of the household. When disposed of improperly or discarded in the household trash, hazardous substances can pose a threat to the environment, the general public, as well as the sanitation workers that handle them. In this regard, the legislature finds that households throughout the State should be provided with reasonable access to a legal, convenient, and environmentally sound method of disposing hazardous substances.

The legislature finds that the counties of the State should be provided with all the proper assistance needed to develop and maintain a program to collect hazardous substances in the household. The purpose of this Act is to require the department of health to assist the counties in the development of household hazardous waste plans and the establishment of household hazardous waste collection programs.

SECTION 2. Chapter 342J, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new part to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"PART . HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTE DISPOSAL

§342J- Household hazardous waste disposal council; established. (a) There is established within the department for administrative purposes, a household hazardous waste disposal council that shall be advisory to the department and the counties.

(b) The council shall be composed of eleven members appointed by the governor in accordance with section 26-34. The members of the council shall represent state, county, and business interests involved in hazardous waste management. The members of the council shall not be compensated but shall be reimbursed for expenditures incurred during the performance of their duties, including travel expenses.

§342J- Powers and duties. The council shall:

(1) Prepare guidelines and a state policy, consistent with this chapter, to assist county agencies providing household hazardous waste collection, recycling, and disposal services;

(2) Develop a model operation plan for county household hazardous waste collection, recycling, and disposal programs;

(3) Assist the counties in the development, adoption, and implementation of county household hazardous waste collection program plans;

(4) Establish guidelines on the generic types of household hazardous substances that may exhibit properties of a hazardous waste as defined in section 342J-2;

(5) Assist the department in the development of an ongoing information program to inform the public of the existence of county household hazardous waste collection programs;

(6) Advise the department on the need to amend laws and adopt rules regarding household hazardous waste management; and

(7) Advise the department on the status of county programs, the problems confronting these programs, and the assistance required by the counties to operate their programs.

§342J- County household hazardous waste collection programs. (a) Prior to June 30, 2003, each county of the State shall submit for the approval of the council, a county household hazardous waste collection program plan for the collection of household hazardous wastes generated in the county.

Each county, in cooperation with the council, shall develop, adopt, and implement plans and rules necessary for the implementation of the county program. The county household hazardous waste collection program plan shall be patterned after the model operation plan developed by the council.

(b) Following the approval of the county household hazardous waste collection plan by the council, each county shall establish a household hazardous waste collection program for the collection of household hazardous wastes generated in the county."

SECTION 3. Section 342J-42, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended to read as follows:

"[[]§342J-42[]] Public education program. (a) The department shall develop and implement a public education program, the objectives of which shall be to:

(1) Develop increased public awareness of and interest in environmentally sound hazardous waste management methods;

(2) Encourage better informed decisions on hazardous waste management issues by businesses, industries, local governments, and the public; and

(3) Disseminate practical information concerning methods in which households, other institutions, and organizations can improve the management of hazardous waste.

(b) The public education program shall be designed to:

(1) Identify the products most commonly utilized in the home that contain hazardous constituents;

(2) Provide information and suggestions, consistent with the product label, on the proper use and storage of products that contain hazardous constituents;

(3) Provide uniform and consistent information on the proper disposal of hazardous wastes commonly generated in the home; and

(4) Provide information and assistance to the counties in their effort to advertise and promote their programs and collect, recycle, and dispose of household hazardous wastes."

SECTION 4. 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 2001-2002, to assist the counties in the development of county household hazardous waste collection program plans and the establishment of county household hazardous waste collection programs.

The sum appropriated shall constitute the State's share of the cost of mandated programs under article VIII, section 5 of the state constitution.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 5. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2001.

INTRODUCED BY:

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