• Move in the right direction • Above and beyond Move in the right direction Howard Tolbe’s Sept. 20 letter “Automated trash pickup is noisy” was just another fine example of the administration’s and the council’s rush to enact a
• Move in the right direction • Above
and beyond
Move in the right direction
Howard Tolbe’s Sept. 20 letter “Automated trash pickup is noisy” was just another fine example of the administration’s and the council’s rush to enact a new policy (tax) on the public that is filled with flaws and unanswered questions.
The public has testified three times about Bill 2367 which relates to Integrated Solid Waste Management. TGI has also printed letters from citizens complaining about the way this bill is structured but not one of our elected officials is listening.
And yet, these people we put in office tell the public that they need their input and form their policies by what the people want — words with no truth behind them.
The following written and oral testimony was given to the council when Bill 2367 was on the agenda for second reading and, in their “wisdom” they unanimously passed this bill without one word or answer to the many questions asked. Is this the kind of representation we want from our elected officials?
I strongly recommended that Bill 2367 be received and a new thoroughly thought-out Integrated Solid Waste Management plan put in its place.
I believe that a number of glaring flaws are in this bill and since I and members of the public have already pointed them out, there is no need to repeat them unless you want me to. But the problems are there and they badly need addressing before any bill is passed.
First and foremost, I believe that we are again putting the cart before the horse by going after our waste problem before we address and get our recyclable program up and running.
Even though our mayor has prospectively sited our new landfill (I commend him for this), we are a long ways from actually getting this operation at that location — public hearings, known and unknown problems that will surface, an EIS that could take one or two years to finish, Hanama‘ulu residents again protesting the location, and the KVB possibly protesting a dump being placed a half-mile from one of the most famous waterfalls on Kaua‘i, Wailua Falls.
But, the point I was trying to emphasize before was to make our recycling program a reality before addressing our solid waste. The recyclables will undoubtedly take a lot of trash out of the waste stream and thus our trash pick up that Bill 2367 addresses could change.
I do commend this council and Tim for at least addressing our waste problem but, again, let’s get the horse and cart in the right order and not pass any bill until it corrects the entire problem. Yes the $8.25 million yearly output for solid waste should be addressed but let’s do it right the first time and not redo it at a much higher cost.
We continually believe that we have to reinvent the wheel when we start a new program. This is completely false. Our Island is not the only municipality around the world to have a solid waste problem so why not duplicate what a successful program is doing instead of starting from scratch?
Ken Taylor lived in a municipality in Southern California (Santa Barbara) that solved these same problems 20 or 30 years ago. Ken was part of finding solutions so why doesn’t this council or administration consult with ken and pick up on what and how they did it rather than going after a pilot program that may not work or be needed?
We are also privileged to have one of the best solid waste people in Hawai‘i living on Kaua‘i, John Harder. He has a proven track record in the problems we face — he cleaned up Saipan and helped solve solid waste problems on Maui. Why haven’t we gotten this very learned person on board to help us?
I have heard John testify before this council giving his opinions for nothing — not for the hundreds of thousands of dollars we have spent on consultants over the years.
As Derek has said, a lot of people on Kaua‘i are hurting badly right now and a new tax on top of what they are already paying would only hurt more. Yes, as Derek has also said, this problem needs solving but before we move forward lets see that we are moving in the right direction.
Glenn Mickens, Kapa‘a
Above and beyond
In the Sept. 28 article about the Kaua‘i firemen caught fishing off the shore of Ni‘ihau in a KFD boat, all I can say is so what.
Our firemen deserve rest and relaxation like anyone else. Their job can be very stressful and demanding and I’m sure many people on Kaua‘i are happy for a job well done. At times they go above and beyond their job description.
The ocean around the state belongs to Hawai‘i and the U.S.A., not the Robinsons. Haven’t they taken enough from the Hawaiian people. They live on stolen land from the Hawaiians and now they want the ocean too.
If the Robinsons are so worried about the monk seals they should put them in their bath tubs and watch them day and night. Don’t get me wrong, I’m for the seals, but this is ridiculous.
James Silva, Lawa‘i
