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Home My WebLink AboutCOM 0462.009 2018-2020 Murashige, Laura ,`'` From: Kimberly Lepold <liverichlyhawaii@gmail.com> loll SEP 17 AM 7. 58 Sent: Tuesday, September 17, 2019 4:34 AM To: Eoff, Karen; Poindexter,Valerie; Chung,Aaron; Kierkiewicz,Ashley; Council Testimony; David, Maile; Kanealii-Kleinfelder, Matt;Villegas, Rebecca; Lee Loy, Sue; Richards,Tim Subject: OPPOSE RESOLUTION 301 Aloha, In response to Resolution 301: waste and energy, I oppose any consideration of incineration as a solution to waste management. Please oppose Resolution 301 for the following reasons: § Trash incineration is incredibly bad for the climate, releasing 2.5 times as much carbon dioxide CO2 to make the same amount of electricity as a coal power plant. This is evidenced by national data compiled by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) in their eGRID database. CLIMATE CRISIS IS A FACT. We cannot afford to release more greenhouse gases into the Earth's atmosphere. § 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. LET'S BUILD RECYCLING FACILITIES INSTEAD. § Incineration competes with recycling, including composting. It is the lazy way to deal with waste, and this laziness leads to more dioxins in air, land and water. § 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, which are dioxins. Dioxins are 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. ,,��yy 1 Comm. No —qU IA Ref. To: MWrWo Ref. Date SEP 1 7 2019 Proven alternatives to 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. Sincerely, Kimberly Lepold North Kohala Kimberly Lepold Roots Advocates for Youth 501(c)3 POB 946 Kapa'au,HI 96755 808.895.2913 Roots Skatepark Committee Find us on Facebook Roots Skatepark http://www.gofundme.com/rootsphase2 skate4roots@wordpress.com "How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment, we can start now, start slowly changing the world. How lovely that everyone, great & small, can make their contribution.....how we can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness." —Anne Frank 2