HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0272.005 1996-1998 TEL PJo. May 5,97 901 P.O1
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Suaan Hsmilton
'97 ~18Y 5 Aft 9 42 P.o.ea~,1~s
Kurdrtowrt, HI 96760
COU~'~1~." 9666282
COUNT'' OF HAWAII
bray 4,1997
Aloha Councilman Aaron Chung,
I am writing concerning the 10 million dollar ticket item for the
vague request in the Solid Waste Department. I am unclear as to what the
money is to be spent for and I am against giving the administration complete
power to use such a sum in this case.
At the current budget of over 510 million a yeaz in solid waste,
we a!Ypending 530,000 A DAY to haul and bury our island's 4S0 tons PER DAY
garbage.
By treating our "garbage" as such, we are permanently burying
resources that could be used as recovered metals, papers and valuable
compost, among other things. The cost of "getting rid" of our "garbage' is
very expensive-and then the landfills must be monitored and maintained for
30 yeare after closing. (See 97-98 Budget Program & Budget Review
Questionnaire).
If we were to treat our "garbage" as a resource, clearly for the
same price or less we could recover these precious resources, use them again,
aztd save landfill space for the unrecoverable mixed garbage.
Implementing a plan as directed in the Barrett Consulting
Report 1993, we could easily divert 50% of the current waste stream from the
landfill. (Maui has done it!). Approximately 30% of our the 450 daily tons is
green waste. Green waste is an easy segment of the waste stream io sepazate
and there are several low-tech and medium-tech solutions available for
processing that (plus sewage sludge and food wastes, etc.) into marketable
compost and varying eoil amendments.
There are currently two major wmpanies on island doing active
recycling business. Environmental Recycling handles all grades of paper
island-wide, and aluminum and other metals. Recycling Systems, together
with Business Services handle paper, aluminum and glass island-wide. 'T'here
are others, but these companies have proven recycling works and if given
opportunity by the ~:ounty could achieve very high rates of recycling island-
wlde.
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