Hawai'i County Mayor Billy Kenoi has named Lono Tyson as director of the county Department of Environmental Management, effective Jan. 2.

Tyson, 44, was the department's Solid Waste Division chief from 2003 to 2005 before moving to Australia, where he worked for GHD as procurement manager for the construction of a waste reduction technology facility in south Sydney.

He also was technical adviser for the construction, expansion and rehabilitation of landfills and the design, construction, and operation of waste transfer stations and recycling centers in Australia and Chile.

He also worked at the Salinas Valley Solid Waste Authority and California's Environmental Protection Agency.