Plan to reduce waste in landfills

Maui County should take advantage of technology, advisory panel member says

By CHRIS HAMILTON, Staff Writer
WAILUKU — Maui County would like to reduce in half — at least — the amount of waste that reaches its landfills within the next decade, according to the long-awaited draft Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan.

The voluminous plan, which is required by state law, has been 10 months in the making by a committee made up of 16 members who represented the county as well as waste haulers, recycling companies, restaurants and hotels.

“It is important for us to have a clear vision for the future in order to figure out where you are going,” said Maui County Environmental Coordinator Kuhea Paracuelles. “This is our road map, and it will allow us to keep up with the times. . . . All and all, it’s a good plan.”

Here are some of the major recommendations from the report by the Solid Waste Resource Advisory Committee. The report can be found online at www.mauicounty.gov/departments/EnvironmentalMgt/swplan.htm:

• Implement curbside household and yard waste recycling.

• Create a new centralized materials recovery facility at the Central Maui Landfill that can sort out abandoned goods that can be refurbished and reused.

• Build some form of refuse elimination, such as through burning or gasification, that can generate electricity.

• Establish a household hazardous waste collection center.

• Expand the appliance collection program to include all metals.

• Develop a solid waste campus, although no specific site was recommended since it would require further study and land purchases.

• Transport nearly all solid waste on Molokai, Lanai and Hana to the new central facility and the Maui landfill.

• Educate the public about the plan and its features.

Maui County diverts 36 percent of its solid waste for other uses before it reaches its landfills. The committee voted to improve that record to 60 percent — the state goal is 50 percent — and at some point in the not-too-distant future committee members hope they can achieve a 75 percent rate, according to the plan.

Its members asked the county to move forward with implementation as soon as possible.

“There is a lot of really good technology out there now that we should be taking advantage of,” said Council Member Bill Medeiros, who sat on the committee. “As islands, of course, we need to be very responsible with our waste. We can’t just ship to another state, like a lot of places do on the Mainland.”

Medeiros said one project he found interesting involved incinerating waste. Committee members saw video of a plant in Japan that produces little greenhouse gases and even uses the leftover ash to make bricks and tiles, he said.

“Something like that would cost us in excess of $50 million,” he said. “Of course, we couldn’t do that in one budget session, but maybe we could get the funding going and get some help from the state and federal governments.”

The anticipated life span of the Central Maui Landfill is to 2042, according to the solid waste management plan. That’s if current practices for eliminating waste and population growth trends continue on their current trajectories.

The state requires each county to review its integrated solid waste management plan every five years. The last time Maui County completed a plan was in 1994. That plan should have been updated in 1999, but it wasn’t.

County spokeswoman Mahina Martin said the county is not facing sanctions for not having revised the plan.

Maui County’s Department of Environmental Management and Solid Waste Division worked with the committee as well as the consulting firm, Gershman, Brickner & Bratton, Inc. of Virginia, to develop the plan.

Aside from numerous meetings, the committee toured solid waste facilities in Oregon and California. The committee members are Greg Apa, Mauricio Avila, Eve Clute, Stuart Funke-d’Egnuff, Darlene Endrina, Jack Freitas, Rob Hoonan, Debra Kelly, Steve Perkins, Suzie Thieman, Terryl Vencl, Rick Woodford, Paracuelles, Victor Reyes, Medeiros and Mike Victorino.

Mayor Charmaine Tavares appointed the committee members.

“We have been fortunate to have them work together to craft new plans for Maui County,” Tavares said in a written statement. “Each member participated in an involved and demanding process and demonstrated great commitment. I’m pleased with the results and am grateful to the committee members for their thorough work.”

Now, the public will get three months to comment on the plan, which must also undergo a series of public hearings this summer before it’s sent to the state Department of Health for final approval, Martin said.

“This is not about just bringing us in compliance with the law,” she said. “The results of this process, and the public’s input, could be just immeasurable as we address our waste problems.”

• Chris Hamilton can be reached at chamilton@mauinews.com.