2018-08-08 SWAC Meeting Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

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On July 11, 2018, they visited the west side. First they saw the West Hawaiʻi Sanitary Landfill, where Greg Goodale and Gene Quiamas provided an overview. They then saw the West Hawaiʻi Organics Facility, and then the Puakō Recycling and Transfer Station. They had lunch at Ms. Bell’s home. Their last stop was at the Waimea Recycling and Transfer Station, where a major issue is the heavy wind. He heard from the members that signage and education are problems. Signs need to be updated, and more education is needed. The SWAC’s goal as a committee is not to micro- manage but to make sure information, such as the signage and education issues, gets into the report. He went around the table and asked each member for their thoughts from the site visits. Ms. Bell said there has to be a way to have the security guards or transfer station attendants help educate people when they dispose of their trash. She knows there are union issues, but it is not acceptable when she goes to the Puakō Transfer Station and sees the worker just sitting there in his truck. Mr. Buklarewicz said he still wonders why he can’t bring his used motor oil to the transfer stations. Mr. Ely said he uses the Keaʻau Transfer Station frequently and would say that about a third of the time, the bins are overflowing. In addition, there is a new contractor handling the Reuse Center, and the changes made there have not been for the better. Mainly, it is very messy. Ms. Adams said she has the same comments as the others. There is a separate need for education. It is easier to throw things away than to recycle. She was sorely disappointed at the sort station in Hilo, because there is a lot of commercial waste that could be recycled. The signage also needs improving. There needs to be constant awareness and training. People just don’t know what can and cannot be done. Management needs to be more on top of things. At the Waimea Transfer Station, which she uses, it is often overflowing. Pressure needs to be put on the people who run the thrift stores. Mr. Araujo said he echoes everybody. The regional sort station was originally built as a reload station before Mayor Kim’s administration, and he doesn’t know how it got changed. The County needs better personnel management at the transfer stations, sort station, and landfills. Scrap iron and oil still get dumped. He sees commercial vehicles dumping their loads at the transfer stations. The recycle and reuse areas are like wayward thrift stores, with rusty and open containers of paint. A lot of the items people donate end up in the landfill because they are not stored properly. The County needs better contracts with vendors. Vendors need to be held to their responsibilities. The greenwaste system, on the other hand, is working perfectly and is nice and clean. Chair Hayducsko thanked everyone for their comments. 5