21-05-26 EMC minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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meeting(s). Request presentations by other departments (e.g. HDOH, HDOT). (Co-lead Adams) o Enhance solid waste and wastewater infrastructure, given expected population growth in the Puna district. o Review and support sufficient funding and creative cost reductions recommended by DEM. Commissioner Olson said the discussion on his end has been the issues of level of service on the solid waste side. In other words, our population out here is just booming. The transfer stations find themselves to be overwhelmed on a fairly regular basis. And so we have been having a lot of discussions about how we are going to deal with that, and it always comes back to the issue of money. The discussion that he has been having with the people out here, particularly around Phoa town, is where the money is going to come from. As things are currently structured, (a large portion) comes out of the property tax for the County of Hawaii. We have to find another solution to that because 1950 is over and it’s not working. We need to have more facilities to handle the solid waste issue, and we’ve been talking about the possibility of getting the disposal fee at the point of purchase, much as we have done with the cans and bottles. The number of drop-off stations is inadequate for the population, given the large size of our subdivisions out here and the rural nature. So that’s something he would like to have more opportunities to discuss with the commissioners. He didn’t expect an immediate agenda item but would like them to think about doing that so we can collect the resources we need to meet the demand. Chair Adams replied that one of the approaches that applies to solid waste is covered under New Business, and that is the extended producer responsibility, and how that can contribute funding. We can have discussion today for a potential approach for solid waste. That is a big issue and one we need to tackle in multiple ways and forms. a. Status report on action items from previous meeting i. Letter to Council regarding funding for Life Cycle Analysis Chair Adams said she submitted the letter to the Council asking for an additional $50,000 to fund the life cycle analysis of our solid waste operations. She also gave oral testimony. There is one final reading of the Council budget on June 3. She’s not sure there is anything more we need to pass on there. It flows with our support of looking at total effects. What are the best ways to manage everything we do by looking at total life cycle impacts if we can? We’ll keep you posted if by chance we are able to fund that work. 6. NEW BUSINESS a. Product Stewardship/Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) Programs -George Hayducsko, SWD Recycling Program Coordinator Chair Adams said that one of the things that could serve as a funding mechanism to help with waste is the concept of extended producer responsibility, or EPR. She had asked George Hayducsko, Recycling Coordinator, to talk about what the Solid Waste Division, Recycling Program, is working on in that area. It’s one of the areas that we covered in the ISWMP, and 6