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<br />more, somebody else gets less. He would welcome recommendations from the commission on <br />how solid waste could be gotten off the General Fund. <br /> <br /> Chair Pequeño said they would table this agenda item and have on the next agenda a <br />discussion on funding mechanisms for solid waste so it could be gotten off the General Fund, <br />and that he would work with the commission’s secretary on submitting a communication, voted <br />upon at the previous meeting, on keeping the money saved from the rollback of the Business <br />Services Hawaiʻi contract reserved for recycling programs. <br /> <br /> Ms. Mellon-Lacey said that as the commission is an advisory body to the department, <br />the communication should be going to the department, and then seeking a councilmember to <br />support it. <br /> <br /> Chair Pequeño invited Commissioner Adams to speak on waste to energy and BioEnergy <br />Hawaiʻi. <br /> <br /> Commissioner Adams said BioEnergy Hawaiʻi had proposed to build an integrated waste <br />management facility in West Hawaiʻi. They would take waste and sort it out. Some of it would <br />be turned into fuels through anaerobic digestion, and there are many different technology <br />options on how they could convert the waste they receive. They would also recycle what they <br />could find a market for. Pyrolysis, which is burning without oxygen to break down materials to <br />useful chemicals, could also be looked at. Bioenergy is a complex area with many different <br />technologies. BEH made a presentation to the commission back in May 2017, and she was <br />trying to get them to speak to the Solid Waste Advisory Committee about the technologies they <br />were looking at. They are privately funded and are not looking for any county money to run <br />their organization. She heard back from BEH last week, and apparently there was a lot of <br />activity going on between them, the Mayor’s Office, and DEM. It appears that BEH did not feel <br />they were getting support from the county to create their facility. However, she feels it will be <br />helpful, from an informational standpoint, to hear from them on available technologies. She <br />requested the commission extend an invitation to BEH to come and present on what they are <br />doing, what they know about available technologies to get recovery, and how they are coping <br />with the reduction in recycling outlets. <br /> <br /> Chair Pequeño asked if the commissioners were interested in a presentation, and they <br />were. He asked Commissioner Adams if she would make the invitation to BEH for a <br />presentation in March or April. <br /> <br /> Director Kucharski said he needed to clarify the issue between BEH and the county. BEH <br />feels the county pulled out and killed the power purchase agreement with HELCO, which was <br />needed for electricity that would be produced. The only thing the county refused to do was <br />directly endorse the project, as the county does not endorse private activities. The county had <br />to inform HELCO that it was not a county project and they were was neutral on it. The <br />allegation that the county killed the project is incorrect. <br /> <br />6 <br /> <br />