I am a student at Lahainaluna High School and I am writing to you today because of my concern about the trash on Maui.

Trash can travel through wind gusts, landing in areas where it is isolated and won’t be picked up. This free-floating trash, either in populated or isolated areas, if left alone and not picked up, can be fuel for fires.

The 2023 Lahaina wildfires can be used as an example. PBS states in their website that the trash in Lahaina was a “tinder dry fuel for fires.”

I urge you to please spread the word about trash on Maui. Whether small or big the trash someone sees or leaves, it can still contribute to the disturbance of the environment.

Please consider letting people know about organizations that can volunteer to for picking up trash.

Christopher Apilado
Lahaina