2020-01-22 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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a project without taking them off of something else. However, this discussion is helpful in giving the department direction. Further discussion was held on separating plastics from the waste stream and stockpiling them as a resource. Chair Bennett requested that Vice Chair Olson and Commissioner Adams put together some thoughts on it and bring it to the next meeting. Commissioner Burns said it is important to respect the limitations of what budgets are set aside to do. He asked if the County Council is the right body to pursue funding, and Director Kucharski explained that the mayor submits budget requests, and the Council either approves or disapproves a submitted budget. Both the executive and legislative branches need to come together. Discussion was held on the wasteful packaging of many large stores and how some of the costs to recycle should be collected from the manufacturer rather than the consumer. Commissioner Gaffney said the Research and Development Department is supposed to be tasked with helping to find solutions to these kinds of public problems, but they have the same budget constraints as DEM. An option would be to pursue NGO or private funding to support the research effort necessary to get closer to a solution. Commissioner Burns said the concept of using a monetary system to reduce packaging would be optimal, but it comes with a large amount of legislative work. There is a zero packaging system being used now in Germany, and it has been taking off. It came about without legislation, but from public awareness of the need to move to zero waste. Commissioner Adams said she is frustrated because Hawaiʻi has a small popula?on and is far from transportation routes, so what works in other areas does not work here. People in Hawaiʻi need to be realistic about how much influence they have. Chair Bennett said that Kristine Kubat had signed up to provide testimony on the current agenda item and called her up. Kristine Kubat: • Plastic is not benign and is a significant contributor to carbon emissions, and people need to reduce their dependence on it. • As for separating plastic from the waste stream and stockpiling it, there are models created for this, it happens in other municipalities, and the public should be given the chance to do it. • The idea that the markets have collapsed is a myth. What has collapsed is the acceptance of contaminated materials. • She hopes the EMC can take a strong position in favor of considering options like stockpiling. Politics should not enter into any considerations.