HomeMy WebLinkAboutINDIVIDUAL COMMENT EMAIL - 129016Mori, Ashley
From:
Sent: Thursday, October 31, 2019 3:54 PM
To: General Plan; Planning Internet Mail
Subject: Comments on General Plan
Attachments: Charter Review.docx
c;
Aloha,
Thank you for the opportunity to comment. I am happy to provide more details if necessary.
3
1200 6
Thank you for the opportunity to submit comments regarding the 2040 draft general plan.My comments relate
specifically to waste management issues and more generally to implementation ofthe plan.
I found many excellent provisions included and I am delighted to see the use ofthe term"resource recovery"as
this should be the guiding principle for everything the county does to facilitate the handling of discarded items.
The team that worked on this section is to be commended.
1)Waste reduction,resource reuse and recycling are maximized to achieve 50% diversion of recoverable
materials from landfills.
A 50%diversion objective is far too low. Nothing less than an 80%goal is acceptable.
In the past, the county had already supplanted a missed goal of50%by 2008 with a highergoal of80%by 2013.
Missing both these goals doesn't mean we need to rollback our ambitions; it means we need to take them more
seriously and hold county administrators, most specifically the mayor, accountablefor thefailure to implement
the policies codified in the general plan.
2)Develop and promote take-back programs for appliances and other difficult to dispose of materials.
This is one ofthe more important actions the county could take to reduce disposal ofhazardous waste in our
landfills andpreventproducts that contain themfrom entering our homes in thefirst place. Coupled with the call
for extended producer responsibility, these programs will act as a reverse engineeringprocess resulting in higher
quality, longer lasting appliances, countering the current trend ofplanned obsolescence.
3) Composting at farms should be encouraged and facilitated.
Improving soil health is the most effective methodfor sequestering carbon at levels that will significantly reduce
the impacts ofclimate change.Along with otherprovisions that support a small scale distributed system of
organic resource recovery, this action is the single most important one the county can take to meet its GHG
reduction goals.
4) Support expansions to the organic material(green waste) recycling program to include drop-off and
pick-up locations at all rural transfer stations.
The use ofthe phrase "organic material(green waste)"causes unnecessary confusion. We shouldjust stick with
the term `green waste,"as "organic material"refers to so much more, includingfood waste,food contaminated
service ware,paper and bioplastics.
5) Continue to evaluate the feasibility of waste to energy technology.
This item should be removed completely.Ifwe are serious about our zero waste goals and committed to reducing
single-use plastics, there will never be enoughfeedstock to support any WTE scheme. Taking the total carbon
footprint ofplastic into account(which is and always will be thepreferredfeedstockfor WTE), renders these
schemes completely incompatible with the county's stated climate change goals. Past evaluations ofthis sort at
county expense have turned out to be a huge waste ofresources and time. Codifying such activities in the general
plan only encourages the county to waste taxpayer dollars that are better spent implementing our zero waste
goals. Purveyors ofthese technologies will always have access to county officials and they will always befree to
make salespitches at their own expense, but to include this provision in the generalplan is tojustifyfurther
undue expense to taxpayers.
6) Promote opportunities for a circular economy.
This commendable goal precludes WTE technologies which, because they destroy precious natural resources, are
nothing more than economic and environmental dead ends
9) Contract with,and or, make space available for cottage recycling operations in close proximity to
transfer stations and County landfills.
This goal is extremely important ifwe are to reach our waste diversion goals.
This subsection: Source Separation Ordinance: Revise Section 20-43 to reflect resource recovery objectives
and material separation rules. . . includes a typographical error.
10) Codify prohibition of organic material(green waste) disposal at the landfill.
This shouldjust say "green waste."
11) Develop an E-Scrap ordinance: all electronic discards should be designated as reuse items which
essentially bans anything with a plug from being landfilled.
This is one ofthe most important actions the county can take.
12) Codify County facility ordinance to require recycling at all County offices,facilities, and base yards.
This should read: "Codify a County facility ordinance to require County offices,facilities, and base yards to
develop zero waste plans."
A zero waste plan would include provisions for recycling but, as we know, we are better offreducing and reusing
to begin with, so it is not enough to require the county offices to recycle.
13) Conduct pilot studies to facilitate waste recovery and increase diversion rates. The following types of
pilot programs are recommended. . . b)Partner/coordinate to facilitate the private use of large recycling
roll-off bins in rural areas.
This should read: "Partner/coordinate to facilitate the private use oflarge recycling roll-offbins."
Every private waste hauler should be allowed to deposit uncontaminated recyclable materials at the county
recycling bins on behalfof their non-commercial clients, notjust in rural areas.
My final comment has to do with implementation. I believe the county charter should create a provision whereby
each mayor would be rated according to the effort she or he made to implement the provisions in the charter, so
that this information can be made available to voters,prior to re-election.
Sincerely,