Curbside recycling is sought

WAILUKU - Maui County Council members took steps Wednesday that could lead to the long-anticipated curbside pickup of residential recycling items such as glass, cans, newspapers and plastic.

The Maui County Land Use Committee took action to pave the way for the county's nascent plans to eventually build a roughly $100 million, technologically advanced centralized materials recovery facility adjacent to the Central Maui Landfill.

The committee's actions on Wednesday including comments in support of the plan and a unanimous vote that shelved a bill that would have built a much smaller abandoned vehicle facility in Puunene that had competed with the recycling facility for attention and dollars.

After the island's only scrap yard closed in 2005, the county became littered with abandoned vehicles with no means to get rid of them. In 2007, the county forwarded a final proposal to build an almost 15-acre scrap yard for the vehicles.

However, in the interim, private companies such as Kitagawa's Towing & Transport and SOS Metals Recycling have stepped in with facilities that handle not only abandoned cars but also appliances and scrap metal, most of which is compacted and sold off island. The county also contracts with the companies for their services.

The county's new plan goes in another direction completely. It calls for a materials recovery facility, which sorts out small-sized recyclables, as part of the recently approved Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan, said Environmental Management Director Cheryl Okuma.

"We're talking about dealing with this whole household waste stream," said Council Member Gladys Baisa.

"It's basically everything you see on the street curb," added Council Member Joe Pontanilla.

The Solid Waste Resource Advisory Committee put together the long-awaited report. In it, the volunteer committee members recommend curbside recycling and the sorting facility as part of a larger effort to get Maui to recycle up to 75 percent of its trash in what's supposed to be the not-too-distant future.

But it will likely be a while still before just curbside pickup comes to Maui, Okuma said.

A lot needs to be done. First, the county must negotiate with Alexander & Baldwin Inc. to purchase 20 acres adjacent to the Central Maui Landfill, which is also in Puunene but at the intersection of Hansen and Pulehu roads. The County Council approved $1 million for the purchase in this year's budget.

Okuma also said that the administration must secure the proper land-use entitlements and finally come up with the money for design and construction. Her department might seek a third party to design and build the facility, she said.

The recycling facility, however, does not qualify for President Barack Obama's federal stimulus package, she said. Not enough work's been completed to meet that program's requirements, Okuma said, and the county doesn't own the land.

"I would just say stay tuned for the future," Okuma said. "Hopefully, we'll have a better idea of what to expect as we get these pieces in place."

Planner Robyn Loudermilk said, hopefully, the work done to date on the discarded abandoned vehicle project will be recycled. The county has spent $400,000 preparing the area for the facility.

In addition, the county is moving forward with a master planning project for the entire 200 acres of the Puunene site, which includes the U.S. Armory, dirt bike and race car tracks and - potentially - a prison proposed by the state.

The master plan should help the county keep the recreational activities there as well as secure the prison deal and a proposed expansion of the armory, Loudermilk told council members.

Council Member Mike Molina said he wants to make sure the county gets value out of what it has spent so far on the abandoned car plan.

Council Member Jo Anne Johnson suggested forwarding the preliminary work done so far, such as land studies and archaeological work, to the Armory and prison planners. Perhaps that spent money can go toward the county's share for building those big capital projects, she said.

"I can think a lot of good things that $400,000 could be used for instead," Molina said.

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