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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0582.034 2004-2006 Murashige, Laura From: Aaron Stene [aaron@hawaiiantel.net] Sent: Monday, August 21, 2006 8:31 PM To: aaron@hawaiiantel.net Subject: Waste Incinerator Attachments: ATT00036.doc 4TT00036.doc(108 KB) To: Chairman Higa and Other Honorable Council Members. Re: Possible Hilo Incinerator Aloha, It has come to my attention that Hawaii County is considering a waste incinerator for East Hawaii's trash. I'm hoping you will consider all possible environmental caveats before going this route (As mentioned in the attachment with this e-mail).Please consider the other options available before polluting this island further with a waste incinerator. Aloha, Aaron Stene Aaron Stene Kailua-Kona, Hawaii http://aaronstene.blogspot.com/ Konaguy76 - Yahoo Messenger n . s J c.s r;~, c, ~ ~ n~ =-3 ,n ' Comm. No. • 3 Ref. To:Pn~M1~ Ref. Dote _ AUG 22 2006 i Garbage Incineration: facts, experiences, and alternatives The garbage incinerator proposed for Hilo is on the following agenda, as "Solid Waste Reduction Facility": HAWAII COUNTY COUNCIL COMMITTEE ON ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT DATE: August 22, 2006 (Tuesday) PLACE: Councilroom, 25 Aupuni St., Hilo TIME: 2:00 p.m The full agenda can be viewed at: http://www.hawaii-county.com/council/clerks/emcom2004-2006.htm. The basic problems with garbage incineration include: toxicity (especially dioxin), waste of recyclable materials, a history of financial troubles, and the companies selling incinerators have a history of serious legal troubles. Testimony, written and/or oral, and attendance by as many people as possible, will help to communicate: NO INCINERATOR/ To submit testimonv and listen to the committee meeting: To testify in person or by videoconference, register with the County Clerk's staff on the day. Those testifying in person and submitting written testimony at the Hilo meeting should bring seventeen (17) copies of the testimony for distribution -however, if you only have one copy, you can still submit the written testimony. Videoconferencing is available at the following locations: Kona Council Office at the Kailua Trade Center; and Waimea Council Office at the Holomua Center. Testimony can be provided by videoconferencing from the Kona or Waimea Council Offices. Those testifying from the Kona or Waimea Council Offices, should bring one copy of the testimony. Testimony may also be submitted by fax: (808) 961-8912; or a-mail: counciltestimonyCcilco.hawaii.hi.us. Copies will be distributed at the meeting when transmitted in a timely manner. All oral and written testimony will be made a part of the public record. Viewing of meetings on Government Access Television -Channel 52 (Hilo/Kona). Contact County Council Members and let them know: NO INCINCERATOR! xotwm District 1 -Fred C. Holschuh Phone: (808) 961-8264 N E-Mail Address: fholschuh(a~co.hawaii.hi.us ~ District 2 -Donald Ikeda Phone: (808) 961-8225 E-Mail Address: dikedaaC2co.hawaii.hi.us Kawgilw District 3 -James Arakaki Phone: (808) 961-8225 E-Mail Address: iarakaki~co.hawaii.hi.us raw $ District 4 -Stacy Higa Phone: (808) 961-8396 E-Mail Address: shiga(a),co.hawaii.hi.us W iAN- ~1°ca~ District 5 -Gary Safarik Phone: (808) 961-8267 cook E-Mail Address: gsafarikCa~co.hawaii.hi.us Ydca~ro District 6 -Bob Jacobson Phone: (808) 961-8263 E-Mail Address: iiacota7.co.hawaii.hi.us ~naia District 7 -Virginia Isbell Phone: (808) 326-5684 E-Mail Address: visbellCa~co.hawaii.hi.us aaataw ~ District 8 -Angel Pilago Phone: (808) 327-3642 VsoumPO'un E-Mail Address: kapilagona.co.hawaii.hi.us District 9 -Pete Hoffmann Phone: (808) 887-2069 E-Mail Address: phoffmann a(~co.hawaii.hi.us August 22, 2006 Garbage Incineration: facts, experiences, and alternatives Facts: • Incinerators are expensive to construct and expensive to keep running. • Incinerators create only a few, often dangerous, jobs for people in the community where they operate. • Incinerators cause a net outflow of money from small communities. • Incinerators rely on recyclable trash as fuel. • Incineration competes with recycling, including composting. • Incinerators do not reduce the volume of waste. • Ash and gases coming out of an incinerator are just as much waste as is put into the incinerator. • Incinerators convert garbage to another form of pollution, more difficult to control and even more toxic. • Incinerators create a new solid waste problem: toxic ash more difficult to deal with in a safe manner. • Incinerators generate one fourth of the energy that can be conserved by recycling the same materials. • Waste-to-energy incineration does not reduce dependence on petroleum. • Incinerating plastic and tires prolongs petroleum dependence: plastic and tires are made from petroleum. • Waste-to-energy" incinerators must operate at full capacity to realize assumed waste reduction volume. • EPA has identified incinerators as the primary source of dioxins in the environment. • Dioxins are chemicals produced by burning plastics. • Dioxin is one of the most toxic and dangerous chemicals ever tested. • Minute doses of dioxin cause cancer, birth defects, reproductive and other disorders. • "Environmental dioxins increase the risk of non-Hodgkin lymphoma among the population living in the vicinity of a municipal solid waste incinerator." [Epidemiology, 2003] Experiences in other communities: • "Waste-to-energy' incinerators seldom operate at full capacity. • The amount of garbage that the local communities would feed incinerators has been overestimated. • The cost of incineration has been higher than the communities were initially led to believe. • In order to comply with the guaranteed tonnage clause typically in contracts, communities are sometimes subsidizing incinerators to make up for negative financial outcomes. • Promised reduction in waste volume is not always achieved, leaving more "residuals" ash. Proven strategies that reduce waste, avoid incineration and generate savings for local government and businesses. Transfer stations in rural communities. Municipal-scale composting of pre- and post-consumer food scraps, green waste, and cardboard. Local recycling-based manufacturing. Reduction in waste generation within business firms and government agencies. Purchase of recycled and recyclable materials by business firms and government agencies. Producer responsibility policies, also known as product stewardship. Proven alternatives are (and incineration is not): Diversified, without putting "all eggs in one basket." Community-based, favoring local business, local employment, local sales, and local income. Clean, allowing healthy lifestyles and preservation of aesthetic assets. Adaptable to changes in markets, waste stream contents, and technology. Efficient in the use of energy and other resources. For more information ...about the Hilo Incinerator: ...about incinerators and alternatives: James Weatherford, Ph.D. www.cleanair.org P.O. Box 2017 www.ilsr.org Keaau, Hawaii 96749 www.no-burn.org gardengreen@hawaiiantel.net ww~v grrn.org www. productstewardsh ip. net 808-982-5549 www. productpol icy. org www.zerowaste. co. nz www.workonwaste.org www.rachel.or August 22, 2006 Garbage Incineration: facts, experiences, and alternatives References • Health Risks from Dioxin and Related Compounds: Evaluation of the EPA Reassessment. National Research Council (2006). • The Health Effects of Waste Incinerators. 4th Report of the British Society for Ecological Medicine (2005). • "Relationship between distance of schools from the nearest municipal waste incineration plant and child health in Japan." European Journal of Epidemiology, 20(12):1023-9. (2005). • Rutgers Environmental Law Clinic (http://law.newark.rutgers.edu/clinics envirodocket.pdf). (October 2005). • "Audit of Pinellas County Utilities Solid Waste Operations." Internal Audit Division Clerk of The Circuit Court, Pinellas County, Florida (http://clerk.co.pinellas.fl.us/RPT2005-15.pdf). (2005). • "Risk of adverse reproductive outcomes associated with proximity to municipal solid waste incinerators with high dioxin emission levels in Japan." Journal of Epidemiology, 14(3):83-93. (2004). • "Wasted Opportunity: A Closer Look on Landfilling and Incineration." Zero Waste New Zealand Trust (www.zerowaste.co.nz (2003). • "Dioxin Emissions from a Solid Waste Incinerator and Risk of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma." Epidemiology, 14(4):392- 398. (2003). • "The Harrisburg Incinerator: Why should a facility that had waste permit violations 66 out of 71 inspections over the last five years get a new permit?" Clean Air Council. (www.cleanair.org/Air/Incinerator.pdf (2002). • "Incineration: Polluting, Ineffective and Expensive." New York Lawyers for the Public Interest (www.nylpi.orq/pub/IncinerationFS.pdf). (2001). • Waste Incineration & Public Health, National Research Council. (2000). • "Soft-tissue sarcoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma clusters around a municipal solid waste incinerator with high dioxin emission levels." American Journal of Epidemiology, 152:13-19. (2000). • "Childhood cancers, birthplaces, incinerators and landfill sites." International Journal of Epidemiology, 29:391-397. (2000). • "Municipal Waste Incineration: A Poor Solution for the Twenty First Century," Dr. Paul Connett. 4th Annual International Management Conference Waste-To-Energy. (1998). • "The North East Solid Waste Committee Project: Planning and Development of a Public Private Partnership," Massachusetts Inspector General. (www.magnet.state.ma.us/ig/publ/neswc.pdf). (July 16, 1998). • Corporate Accountability Project. (http:!/www.corporations.org/wmi/index.html). • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (www.epa.gov). • Institute for Local Self Reliance. (www.ilsr.org). • Northwest Product Stewardship Council. (www.productstewardship.net). • National Association of Counties. (naco.org). August 22, 2006