News release from Dept. of Agriculture on compost reimbursement program

    

     

STATE OF HAWAIʻI

KA MOKU ʻĀINA O HAWAIʻI

 

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

ʻOIHANA MAHIʻAI

 

JOSH GREEN, M.D.
GOVERNOR

KE KIAʻĀINA

SHARON HURD
CHAIRPERSON

HAWAIʻI BOARD OF AGRICULTURE

 

DEAN M. MATSUKAWA
DEPUTY TO THE CHAIRPERSON

HAWAIʻI BOARD OF AGRICULTURE

 

 

 

COMPOST REIMBURSEMENT PROGRAM RELEASES $427,000
TO ASSIST AGRICULTURAL OPERATIONS

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                       

NR25-10

May 6, 2025

 

HONOLULU – The Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture (HDOA) Compost Reimbursement Program for Fiscal Year 2025 has completed disbursements totaling $427,670 to 24 Hawai‘i agricultural operations for the purchase and transport of compost in Hawai‘i. Of the 24 businesses, 14 were farming and 10 were landscaping operations, with an average reimbursement of about $17,820 each.

Governor Josh Green, M.D., released $400,000 for the program in August 2024, from funds appropriated by the 2024 state Legislature (Act 231) for programs to control invasive species. HDOA added another $27,670 from department funds toward the program.

“For many agricultural operations, compost is a necessary element and a major expense,” said Sharon Hurd, chairperson of the Hawai‘i Department of Agriculture. “Helping to defray some of the cost to purchase compost and also to transport it really helps out the growers.”

The program reimbursed agricultural operations up to 50% of the cost of compost purchased between July 1, 2024 and May 1, 2025, including the cost of transportation. The reimbursements were not to exceed $50,000 per qualified applicant. The program also required that the compost be purchased from a certified processor, retailer or wholesalers licensed to do business in Hawai‘i. In addition, certified processors were limited to those companies regulated by the Hawai‘i Department of Health Solid Waste Management Program, which helps to ensure that the compost does not harbor pests, such as the coconut rhinoceros beetle and other invasive species.

The 2025 legislative session included a bill that would continue the reimbursement program in 2026. The funding level is still pending.

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Media Contact:
Janelle Saneishi
Public Information Officer
Hawaiʻi Department of Agriculture
Phone: 808-973-9560
Cell: 808-341-5528
Email: [email protected]
Website: http://hdoa.hawaii.gov