2020-02-26 Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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that everyone can listen and learn. Also, when department staff comes to Nāālehu, the ʻ community has to strain to hear. This shows a lack of concern towards the people who need to be informed. Finally, the director’s report lists nothing under current legislation, but there is stuff going on. There is a complaint on file with the Board of Ethics regarding Nāālehu, and ʻ hopefully it will get results for the 160 homeowners. No commissioner has ever shown an interest in correcting this boondoggle. He is in the phone book and no one has called him. Cory Harden: Regarding waste to energy, she hopes the commissioners will take a vote stating their position is no incineration. The public has made it loud and clear that it is opposed. On alternative uses for waste, with the new composting facility in the works, she hopes the commission will put forth recommendations on how to keep plastics out of the compost so toxins do not end up in food. Regarding recycling, she hopes they determine the current state of affairs and continue the recycling for electronics and businesses. She also hopes they will vote against cutting the hours of recycling centers, because if the hours are cut, more waste will go into the landfill and be left on roadsides. On the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, it is unfortunate that so many tasks in the 2009 plan could not be done due to lack of funding and staff. There should be a fee at the point of purchase, as this would help with the ongoing lack of funding. She hopes the commission will recommend that DEM draft a bill regarding this fee and that councilmembers and commissioners can work on it and take some first steps. Claire Cea: Regarding the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, she works at Mr. K’s Recycling & Redemption Center and supervises the logging of the e-waste collected and processing of invoices. The plan proposes exploring an e-waste take-back program with the state and manufacturers. These take-back programs have not been implemented on the Big Island. However, the county may soon be discontinuing subsidies for e-waste recycling for schools, nonprofits, businesses, and government agencies. There is also the possibility that residential e-waste will be suspended for the remainder of this fiscal year due to lack of funding. Without free avenues for recycling, e-waste will likely be dumped and end up in the landfill, and this can cause fires due to the lithium ion batteries which are in a lot of e-waste. Even if a battery is too weak to power a device, there is often still enough charge in it to spark a fire. There have been major fires in New York and California caused by the batteries. E-waste such as cell phones, televisions, and tablets also contribute toxins which can leak into the groundwater and end up in the food chain. Hawaiʻi County does not currently have a law banning e-waste from going into the landfill, but such a law should be considered. E-waste is dangerous and toxic, and we do not want it in our landfill, water, environment, or bodies. The Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan should include effective ways to keep all e-waste out of the landfill, and it is DEM’s responsibility to ensure there is an adequately funded e-waste program. Richard Pratt: He explained he works for Mr. K’s in Hilo. Regarding the Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, a ten-year e-waste plan is needed, and it should be funded not only by the state but by the county. E-waste has been underfunded. The current budget is $160,000, and for the first seven months of fiscal year 2019-20, Mr. K’s has collected and processed $210,000 of e-waste. The county’s Solid Waste Division has $400,000 which came 3