Na Hilo, no Hilo

Designed by Hilo, for Hilo.

Media Inquiries

“Hoʻi” means to return

Beyond the act of returning a dish, Hoʻi inspires the holistic return to caring for each other and the place that sustains us.

WHY HO‘I

Hawaiʻi Island is home to over 200,000 residents, more than 3,500 food and beverage establishments, and welcomes upwards of 1.5 million visitors each year.

All of that activity generates waste that is collected at transfer stations and transported to the island’s only active landfill, located in Puʻuanahulu, Kona .

With the Hoʻi Returnable Dish Program, each person in Hilo has a simple way to reduce trash – and enjoy a better meal experience. As you order your mea ʻai or mea inu , you check out a returnable stainless steel dish. When your meal is pau, you return it to a Hoʻi Return Point.

From there, it’s collected, washed, sanitized, and returned to businesses to be used again and again. That is Hoʻi.

CULTURAL ROOTS

Prior to pursuing reuse in Hilo, community leaders, teachers, families, kūpuna, and kupa ʻāina attended a Hoʻopili ʻĀina Gathering to discuss the viability of Hilo’s participation in a returnable dish program. After thoughtful deliberation, attendees agreed that effective reuse would need to involve a collective behavioral shift toward aloha ʻāina ʻoiaʻiʻo - true and active love of land.

In order for reuse to work in Hilo, program outreach would need to involve vulnerable populations, education for schools, and engagement opportunities for families. Drawing cultural knowledge from resources like the Māʻawe Pono, the Kumu Honua Mauli Ola, the Kīhoʻihoʻi Kanawai, and Kumu Pono Associates’ Ethnographic Studies, the Cultural Toolkit for Zero Waste Initiatives in Hawaiʻi was produced as a foundational tool to support outreach planning and practices.

From the Hoʻi name and logo motifs to the QR Codes on the physical dishes, to the marketing around the Molokaʻi Slide, Hoʻi was created in deep relation to Hawaiʻi. For more information on Hoʻi’s cultural roots, and to stay current on community collaborations, visit.

Community Design

More than 2,000 community members and 100+ local businesses contributed to the logistic design of the Returnable Dish Program. Through public workshops, listening sessions, and cultural ground work, the system was shaped to reflect Hilo’s values, priorities, and daily life. For more information about the process that led to the creation of the Hoʻi Returnable Dish Program, check out the Hilo Reusable Foodware System Design.

Hoʻi is supported by a full system, designed to make the program easy and reliable:

  • A growing number of public Return Points across Hilo, plus Return Points at every participating business

  • A commercial washing and sanitizing facility in Hilo

  • Collection and transport logistics

  • Technology that tracks and manages dishes

This ensures every dish is returned, cleaned, and safely put back into use.

Our Partners

Hoʻi is made possible through collaboration between:

Together, these partners support the design, operation, and long-term success of the system.

  • VYTAL is a reuse service provider founded in Germany that is transforming the packaging industry with reusable solutions that replace single-use packaging, combining advanced software and data analytics to deliver cost-effective and sustainable value. With over 7,000 B2B customers in 24 countries and recognition from Harvard Business Review, the company is the global leader in shifting toward a circular economy.

  • ZWHI’s mission is to engage diverse Hawaiʻi Island communities to achieve zero waste. Founded in 2019 as a grassroots community group, ZWHI started by hosting community meetings and conducting outreach at community events, and has grown into an organization that aims to address the island’s waste challenges, with a focus on reducing packaging waste through system-level change and reindigenizing zero waste culture.

  • Hawaiʻi Sea Grant is part of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology. It supports an innovative program of research, education, and extension services directed to increasing sustainability of coastal and marine resources and resilience of coastal communities of the state, region, and nation.

  • The Hawaiʻi County Department of Environmental Management’s mission is to maintain a clean, healthy island environment and promote stewardship and sustainability by managing wastewater and solid waste services, waste reduction and resource recovery in a comprehensive, responsive, safe and efficient manner.

  • Perpetual is a 501(c)(3) non-profit that helps businesses, local governments, and communities design and implement city-wide reusable foodware systems. Perpetual’s inclusive, holistic, science-based design process ensures that reuse systems are affordable and accessible to everyone.

Mission & Vision

Mission
Ma o ka hōkeo hoʻihoʻi, hoʻi hou ʻia ka mauli ola, ka ʻai pono, a me ka ʻahaʻaina aloha.

Through returnable foodware, Hoʻi uplifts the return to true health, wholesome sustenance, and community connection.

Vision
Mauli ola hoʻi hou.

True wellness through return. A healthy Hawaiʻi that honors systems of return, to land, to interdependence, and to reuse.

Values

Maʻemaʻe
Commitment to cleanliness, safety, and system integrity

Nōhie
Simple, easy, and intuitive to use

Hoʻoponopono
Willingness to adapt and improve

Kaulike
Accessible and equitable for the community

Waiwai
Honoring the value of natural resources

Media & Press

Media inquiries
Interested in covering Hoʻi or learning more about the program?
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