HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0358.027 2004-2006 Havvai'i County Council Meeting -September 8, 2005
Testimony in support of Res. 162-OS --Supports the Expedited Construction of a Reload
Facility & Bill 121 -Amended Ordinance 04-87 -related to $4,000,000 to DEM for the
EI4[ Regional Sort Station.
Good morning Council:
This 33-yeaz,old image [Earth -Apollo 17 mission 12/07/72] more than any
other photograph before or since - is a symbol of a paradigm shift in our global _
consciousness - a growing awareness that we live on an island in space with limited
resources, that it is imperative to wisely manage our natural resources if we are to sustain
the kind of population and economic growth that marked the passing industrial age of the -
last century. For nearly 4 decades, communities all over the developed world have been
investing in recycling and resource management initiatives -efforts that attempt to bring
into balance society's needs with available resources, and the realization that doing
nothing will negatively impact the quality of life of future generations.
Kecycle Elawai'i as anon-profit educational organization has been prornoting
recycling, reuse, waste reduction, and resource awareness via presentations and
workshops in classrooms and to comnwnity groups for the past 16 years. When it comes
to the sort station issue, the Recycle Flawaii staff has been very much like the little Dutch
t>vy with his ftnger in the dyke, in this case through our programs attempting to hold back
the growing mourrtain oC solid waste at the Hilo land (ill while a viable systematic
(IS~WMP) plan goes unimplemented and continues to be debated for too long.
A questionable number has been bandied about in the Milo and Honolulu press -
ihat $400kon represents the cost of recycling efforts to Hawaii County. f dispute the
accuracy of that figure and welcome an independent and unbiased audit of recycling
costs at Kea au. After reading the Summary pages of the so-called "investigative" report
recently submitted to the County Finance Committee, I take issue with a series of
misleading allegations and questionable conclusions as it relates to the Kea'au Kecycling
and Reuse Center and question the motives behind this report.
I appreciate the need for the County Council to focus on the local financial impact
of dealing with solid waste management issues, I urge you, however, to step back and
realize how the costs associated with doing nothing exponentially increases the costs of
initiating any other program down the line. Past administrations either neglected or
actively crusaded against recycling efforts. Had the Kea'au Recycling and Reuse Center
heen started two decades ago instead of two and a half years ago, the start-up costs would
have been amortized by now. "I'he longer the delay in implementing the Integrated Solid
Waste Management Ylan including recycling, the higher the cost will be in resource
recovery down the line.
Respectfully submitted,
--isd;~YC
_ _ ~
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Comm. No. 35.27
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