Ka Ipu ‘Aina (Container for the Land)
Ka Ipu ‘Aina (Container for the Land)
The Ka Ipu 'Aina clean-up program for Neighbor Islands is open! Please check this page for updates on when the Oahu program will resume. Mahalo!
Matson’s longstanding environmental community partnership in Hawaii is called Ka Ipu ‘Aina, a Hawaiian expression which translates to ‘container for the land.’
The trash removal program was established in 2001 and, in the generation since, has been successful in partnering with non-profit groups more than a thousand times to clean up both the inland and coastal areas throughout the state.
Trash that is removed and properly disposed of will no longer pollute our lands and nearshore waters.
While the total amount of debris collected has not been measured, Matson has paid out well more than a million dollars to Hawaii’s charities for their volunteers’ efforts.
With this program, which is available on Oahu, Maui, Kauai and Hawaii Island,
- Matson donates the use of container equipment for cleanup projects arranged by non-profit organizations.
- Matson also pays for the trucking expenses incurred in the delivery and pickup of the containers and bears the expense of properly disposing of the debris.
- Finally, Matson makes a $1,000 cash contribution to each of the non-profits that successfully complete a cleanup initiative.
APPLICATION PROCESS
The application and confirmation process are online, initiated via the link below. Applications are a two-step process which will involve, first, being approved as eligible to conduct a cleanup and, second, the confirmation process, involving selection and confirmation of date and location.
NEIGHBOR ISLAND Ka Ipu ‘Aina Application Form
Neighbor Island Applications are accepted continuously during the year. If the on-line application is disabled, please email to giving@matson.com to request an application opportunity.
Link to In-Progress Applications for Neighbor Islands
OAHU Ka Ipu ‘Aina Application Form - OAHU PROGRAM STILL SUSPENDED
Oahu Applications are accepted four times a year, during one-month open application periods for cleanups in the following quarter.
Contact:
After your group is advised of acceptance, work directly with Matson personnel in each of our Hawaii offices to ensure all arrangements are made in the time frame requested.
| Location | Contact | Phone # | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oahu | Keahi Birch | 848-1252 | kbirch@matson.com |
| Maui | Buzz Fernandez | 871-7351 | bfernandez@matson.com |
| Kauai | Patrick Ono | 245-6724 | pono@matson.com |
| Hawaii Island | Mona Eskaran | 935-7015 | meskaran@matson.com |
FAQs
WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO PARTICIPATE? HOW OFTEN?
Groups must be a IRS designated 501(c)(3) non-profit organization with federal charitable tax-exempt status. Participation is limited to one project per charity per calendar year. Priority will be given to groups which have not participated before or which have not participated in the last three years.
HOW DOES THE PROGRAM WORK?
During the open-application period (on Oahu) or year round (on our Neighbor Islands), the charity completes the online application which involves verification of charitable non-profit status.
The application is reviewed. The charity is notified whether or not their project is accepted in the program.
If approved, Matson will work with the charity group to schedule a date and location for their project.
WHERE CAN WE CLEAN AND FOR HOW LONG?
A Ka Ipu ‘Aina project must be a specific area clean up; the collection of trash from a fair/festival or from a neighborhood/community is not an eligible project. A group may use the container for as long as three days.
WHAT DOES MATSON TAKE CARE OF?
Matson will be responsible for:
- Arranging a Matson-paid trucker to deliver the Ka Ipu ‘Aina container to the cleanup site.
- Arranging for a Matson-paid trucker to pick up the container and deliver it to the disposal facility
- Note: Members of the non-profit group are responsible for traveling in their own vehicle to the disposal facility and unloading the bagged trash and other debris from the container.
- Arranging for a Matson-paid trucker to return the container to the company.
WHAT ARE THE GROUP’S RESPONSIBILITIES?
The charity will be required to
- Provide Matson with proof of general liability insurance;
- Obtain permission from the land owner or manager of the cleanup site for:
- the cleanup and
- for the container to be located at the site for the period of the cleanup;
- Make arrangements with a disposal facility to accept the debris which will be collected (again, Matson will pay for disposal expenses).
- Recruit and coordinate the clean-up participants, securing a liability waiver for each participant.
- Performing the cleanup, putting garbage into the Ka Ipu ‘Aina container.
- Traveling in their own vehicle to the disposal facility and unloading the bagged trash and other debris from the container.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE COMPLETED IN ORDER TO RECEIVE THE $1,000 DONATION?
A check for $1,000 will be sent to the charity upon completion of the organized cleanup, which includes:
- Submittal of all liability waiver forms;
- Disposal of the waste at a disposal facility; and
- Return of the container in good condition to Matson.
THIS HELPS THE LAND...AND HOW DOES MATSON CARE FOR THE OCEAN?
At sea, we are leaders in the maritime industry’s environmental stewardship arena.
ONLY food scraps are disposed of at sea – all other waste materials are collected in ‘greentainers’ during voyages (notice the green container on the vessel in this photo) and recycled/disposed of properly at shoreside facilities.
Matson's been reducing marine debris for more than two decades through our 'Zero Solid Waste Discharge' program, which was developed in consultation with the Center for Marine Conservation (now known as the Ocean Conservancy).