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HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0918.029 2012-2014 testimony in support of Res. 452-14 to withdraw waste-to-energy RFP for Hawai'i County Council 9 AM Friday, July 18,2014 Kona from Cory Harden, Sierra Club, Moku Loa group, Box 1137, Hilo, Hawai'I 96721 808-959-7747 333cory©gmail.com As we said last time,we support withdrawing the waste-to-energy RFP(3044)and rewriting it so it's open to proposals that maximize the output of compostables. Imagine–having huge 3-D pictures of garbage on the side of garbage trucks—as in San Francisco. Recology, their trash and recycling company, says, "Every other garbage company on the planet is trying to hide garbage...we put 3-D photos...on the sides of our trucks. It is as though you can see inside the truck. It is an effort to get people to look at their garbage...they see that garbage is not garbage at all. It is a mix of resources that should be recycled and composted."[Paul Connett, The Zero Waste Solution, Chelsea Green Publishing, copyright 2013,p. 98] San Francisco's approach can help us look at alternatives to an incinerator. Granted, it's a very different place. And unfortunately Recology has misrepresented how much recycling they're doing. Still, there are ideas worth looking at. In San Francisco everyone has to sort their waste—single and multi-family homes, restaurants, hotels, and other businesses. There are blue bins for recycling, green for composting, and black for garbage. Managers of multi-tenant residences and businesses must provide bins, plus information and training, to tenants, employees, contractors,and custodians. Filled bins are picked up from the curb by Recology trucks. The city advertises sorting aggressively–in every bus shelter, on buses,with street booths,with posters in public places, and with leaflets. Recology and city staff go door to door to ensure everyone is informed and has what they need. There is a 25%discount for restaurants and hotels that separate organic waste, and discounts for businesses to do sorting. But repeated non-compliance with sorting laws may result in no pickup of bins containing unsorted waste, or fines and property liens. There are incentives for Recology. Recology owns the recycling and composting facilities, but the landfill is run by a competitor. And Recology gets a bonus if it exceeds targets for diversion. For old clothing,one store gives 15%discount if customers bring in old clothes to recycle. Wearable items are re-sold. The rest are used for furniture padding, soundproofing, and other uses. For food, Food Runners volunteers collect food from farmers'markets, restaurants, caterers, and supermarkets and take it to shelters, soup kitchens, schools, and neighborhood recreation centers. Please support Resolution 452, and support alternatives to an incinerator. c-) rers c-1 0 -< Comm. N / 6 ' 2 Ref. To: Ref. Date JUL 1 2014