West Maui Green Cycle asks county for funding to expand composting, school programs and facility capacity
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Summary
Representatives from West Maui Green Cycle told the Budget Committee their program diverted more than 535,000 pounds of food waste in February 2024 and requested continued county funding and a specific $700,000 ask for FY26 scale‑up and curbside programs.
West Maui Green Cycle representatives told the County Budget Committee in Lahaina that their composting program diverts significant quantities of food waste from landfills and supports school education programs, and they asked the committee for continued financial support.
Miriam Keo described environmental benefits and cited a figure that in February 2024 the program diverted more than 535,000 pounds of food from the landfill, which she said reduced methane emissions and provided compost for local restoration and agriculture projects.
Gretchen Lozano, who identified herself as a business partner in West Maui Green Cycle, told the committee the organization composted 703,000 pounds over the past year and is starting a curbside collection program. She asked that the county include the program as a line item for this fiscal year or make it a permanent budget item to help expand school programs and compost application education.
When asked by Council Member Tamara Paltin, West Maui Green Cycle's representative said they did not receive a mayoral budget allocation for FY26; at one point in the hearing the committee chair confirmed an ask of $700,000 was discussed for FY26.
Speakers emphasized both environmental and economic benefits: reduced landfill pressure, material for local agriculture, school classroom education and job opportunities for residents who lost livelihoods in the August 2023 wildfires.