Clarification on the Aug. 29 letter titled “Gardeners dumping green waste along the roadside”:

At the Central Maui Landfill EKO green waste drop-off site, residential vehicles are not charged a tipping fee. Vehicles with commercial license plates are charged a fee of $46/ton. The average load weighs 400 pounds, which comes out to $9.20.

Several known commercial landscapers enter the facility with residential plates and drop off green waste as “residents” every day. This means they are able to bypass the scale house despite the fact they are frequent users (large generators) that charge others for services. This is unfair to both the businesses that do pay fees and to EKO that pays to process it without receiving an income.

There is a commercial composting facility in Kihei that charges their disposal fees based on the size of the vehicle.

We think that if there is a concern about costs, these individuals or “gardeners” should add the $10 compost fees to their services like any other professional landscaper has to do.

Yes, recycling comes at a cost, but its value is necessary for all of us.

Rubens Fonseca

Facilities Manager

EKO Compos

Wailuku