HI HB404

Requires the Department of Health to adopt rules establishing a classification system for composting facilities based on size, volume of food waste inputs, and composting technology used, with only larger operations classified as municipal solid waste management facilities

Adds composting and co-composting operations as permitted uses in agricultural districts, including on lands with class A or B soils (the highest productivity agricultural lands)

Appropriates unspecified funding for fiscal years 2025-2026 and 2026-2027 to hire one full-time program specialist in the solid and hazardous waste branch to update administrative rules

Directs that new composting rules must encourage food waste composting, avoid onerous requirements for smaller operations, and consider climate benefits of diverting organic waste from landfills

Addresses Hawaii's landfill capacity crisis, noting food waste accounts for 25% of materials sent to landfills and nearly 50% of organic materials could be diverted through composting