SR85 is a Senate Resolution requesting the Governor, or the Governor’s designee, to convene a Solid Waste Management Working Group. The resolution is driven by concerns about Oahu’s landfill capacity, especially the 2028 expiration of the Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill permit and the lack of an identified replacement site that would avoid groundwater and aquifer risks. It frames the issue as both an immediate landfill siting problem and a broader solid waste management challenge tied to the state’s waste generation and disposal practices.
The working group would bring together state, county, utility, industry, nonprofit, and military representatives, including the Department of Health, county environmental services, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, recycling, composting, reuse, deconstruction, zero-waste advocates, a landfill liner leakage expert, a unit-based pricing expert, and a U.S. Armed Forces representative. The group would be asked to hold an initial meeting, elect a chair, and submit findings, recommendations, and any proposed legislation to the Legislature before the 2026 Regular Session. Its report would focus on materials management policies that reduce waste and protect groundwater, land, and air, as well as alternative technologies for waste that cannot typically be recycled or composted.
Because SR85 is a resolution rather than a bill, it does not directly amend state statutes or create binding regulatory requirements. Its practical effect would be to initiate an executive-branch-led stakeholder process and generate recommendations that could inform future legislation, county planning, and solid waste policy decisions. The resolution also signals legislative interest in alternatives to landfill expansion, including recycling, composting, reuse, deconstruction, and other waste-reduction strategies.
The general sentiment reflected in the resolution and committee votes is supportive and precautionary. The measure passed both the Senate Agriculture and Environment Committee and the Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously, each by 4-0 votes with amendments, suggesting broad agreement on the need to study the issue and coordinate responses. The tone of the resolution is concerned about environmental and public health risks, especially groundwater contamination and the consequences of relying on another landfill site on Oahu.
The main point of contention is the underlying landfill siting problem: the City and County of Honolulu says feasible sites are limited, while the resolution emphasizes that proposed sites may threaten aquifers or involve other legal and environmental barriers, and that military lands may not be available under federal rules. Another tension is between continued landfill dependence and a shift toward zero-waste and materials-management approaches. Stakeholders likely to differ include landfill and municipal waste interests versus recycling, composting, reuse, deconstruction, and environmental advocacy groups, as well as agencies concerned with water supply protection and county waste disposal obligations.
SR85 would not change Hawaii law directly, but it would create an official working group process to study solid waste management and recommend policy or legislation. The resolution targets state and county agencies, the Honolulu Board of Water Supply, industry stakeholders, environmental nonprofits, and the military, with the goal of producing a report before the 2026 session. Its policy impact is to elevate landfill capacity, groundwater protection, and zero-waste alternatives as statewide planning issues.
The sentiment around SR85 appears broadly favorable and collaborative. Both committee votes were unanimous and amended, indicating support for the concept of convening a diverse working group to address an urgent waste-management problem. The resolution’s language is concerned about environmental risks and the need for alternatives to landfill expansion, but it is framed as a study-and-recommendation measure rather than a confrontational policy change.
The central contention is how Oahu and the state should handle the impending landfill capacity issue. One side of the debate is the City’s need for a legally and practically workable landfill solution, while the resolution highlights objections from the Honolulu Board of Water Supply and environmental concerns about siting over aquifers and productive lands. There is also likely disagreement over whether the answer should be new landfill capacity or a stronger shift toward recycling, composting, reuse, deconstruction, unit-based pricing, and other zero-waste strategies. Military land availability is another disputed issue because federal restrictions may limit siting options.