HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0378.011 2020-2022 MMt.
From: Zero Waste Big Island
Sent: Friday, January 14, 2022 12:02 PM COUNTYCLERK
To: Council Testimony COUNTY OFAAII
Subject: Fwd:Testimony,January 18th RAWEEM
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From: Zero Waste Big Island
Date: Fri, Jan 14, 2022 at 12:00 PM
Subject: Testimony, January 18th RAWEEM
To: <countiltestimony cr hawaiicounty.gom>
Comm. 378.3
We would like to extend some words of support and commend the department on promoting Sanne Berrig to
Recycling Coordinator of DEM. Zero Waste Hawaii Island has had the pleasure of working with Sanne since our
inception. She was the speaker at our very first community meeting in January of 2019 and we have continued to
collaborate with her and the recycling section since that time; tabling at outreach events and serving on waste related
working groups together. Sanne is dedicated to waste reduction and diversion, and has demonstrated that she is
willing to go above and beyond despite the challenges of inadequate staffing, lack of program funding, and ongoing
budget cuts. We look forward to continuing to work with the recycling section and with Sanne. We are in moment
where good county leadership is crucial as there is much community and entrepreneurial interest in solving our waste
problems.
I think we all agree that we can do much better than landfilling our"waste" (i.e. resources) one mile from the coast
line. On a geological timeline, our waste(much of it toxic) may very well be released into the ocean. We would like
to encourage the county to coordinate and provide funding for pilot programs to develop better collection systems of
all resources (organic waste and recyclables) from residents and businesses, and source reduction programs such as
reusable container systems that will prevent much of our locally created packaging waste. The solution to our waste
problems are simple if we start seeing waste as resources out of place and develop systems to reduce the amount of
waste we create.
Comm. 554
ZWHI has encouraged the county to prioritize organic waste diversion since the public review of the Hawai'i County
Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan update. It is rewarding to see the county continuing this conversation that
has been going on for many years. Organic waste diversion is an achievable and important goal that we can certainly
accomplish if government, businesses, and citizens put our resources, minds, and joint effort towards solving. The
resources we would need from the county to divert all organic waste (paper, cardboard, putrescibles) is funding for
pilot programs to develop organic waste collection systems, do data collection, and research in the near term and
coordination and funding to contract community based composting facilities. Much is already happenin with Hanaho
Comm.N $.
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Recycling, Compost Hawaii and Circulpack Hawaii who are piloting composting systems and organizing collection
events of cardboard on the east and west side of the island. Chantel Chung at Maona Community Gardens is also
doing amazing research to determine if it is safe to compost all types of paper waste (as some may contain toxins in
the ink).
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Those of us working in the zero waste and composting community envision multiple community scale composting
facilities around the island rather than one large facility. This has been our mantra for several years and the staff of the
recycling section heard our views. Having one large composting facility was not well planned. We can do better if the
county and citizens continue to work together, as we have been, to find a better solution. I hope that the plan for one
large composting facility is finally put to rest and we can move in a new direction. I believe part of the rational for
one large facility was high temperatures to break down single-use compo table packaging and takeout containers. I
could go on for an entire paragraph explaining all the reasons why that is not considered the most sustainable solution, #
but I will suffice it to say that shifting to reusable container systems is now widely held in the zero waste movement !
to be the best option. Piloting of reusable takeout containers is now happening on Maui and Oahu and piloting of
reuse of glass containers is starting soon in Hilo.
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Mahalo,
Jennifer Navarra
Coordinator
Zero Waste Hawaii Island
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