I am happy that this discussion is going on. I have a couple of things
to say. One is a story about a friend who used to furnish his
apartment with people's throwaways from the alley. I once hauled away
an overstuffed chair from the alley near my home, while someone called
threats from an apartment window. The chair was not in great condition
and was obviously being thrown away. I even asked someone from the
building if it was being thrown out and she affirmed that it was. It
did make me wonder about the legality of taking "garbage" from the
alley. Then I read an article in the paper about a drug dealer that
protested the use at his trial of evidence from his garbage can. He
said that it was his garbage can and had been searched illegally. This
led
a to a ruling from the
judge that once something was placed in a garbage can it no longer
belonged to the "thrower". I clipped the item out of the newspaper and
give it to my friend.
We need to cut down on landfill and
anything reusable should be removed from garbage. As I've mentioned
before there is a company that puts forward the ideal of zero waste.
That's what we should aim for. Otherwise we'll have the County
Commissioners making a decision about using toxic waste ash from the
garbage burner to re-surface rural roads, as they did quite a few years
ago most likely without anyone being aware of it. Once garbage has been
burned there is still solid toxic waste to dispose of. Some can be
placed in lined landfill. But let's be realistic, it still isn't safe
and we will run out of room. We need a better plan. The technology
exists for it.
Here's a little sample from Zero Waste:
"Zero Waste" is a way of life that promotes the goal to reduce the
amount of material we throw away and instead, and reincorporate
by-products of one system for use for another system. There is no such
thing as "waste" in Nature. In nature, the by-product of one system is
feedstock for another system. Only humans have created this thing
like "waste." Ancient Hawaiian culture lived this way before the term
"Zero Waste" came to be. We can live this way again through small
shifts in our daily activities. In this way, we greatly reduce our
impact on Hawai'i Island's natural environment, and how much rubbish we
generate, protect Hawai'i Island's natural environment, preserve our
resources for future generations, and save our community tax dollars.
In 2007, the Hawai`i County Council joined hundreds of states,
counties, cities, nationwide municipalities, and countries passing
legislation adopting the mission to reduce our county's ecological
footprint. With the right strategy and appropriate education, we can all
begin to see valuable resources in our waste and divert those resources
from the landfill to the right place for recovery. In February 2009,
the County received the Draft
Zero Waste Implementation Plan and held public meetings on the plan
to get public input. A copy of the Zero
Waste Presentation or as an download at the bottom of this page.
Both non-organic and organic materials can be recycled or
reconstituted into new products, extending our resources useful life
cycle. Non-organic materials that can't be used anymore are recycled
into new products. Organic materials are processed to produce mulch or
compost for agricultural purposes.
It doesn't require a lot of effort, just a little bit of creativity
and some awareness. Zero Waste is worth it. It safeguards our future,
saves money and protects the environment.
Here are some things you can do to reach our Zero Waste goal:
Buy products that can be reused or recycled.Avoid buying items that are made of
or packaged in non-recyclable
materials, for example, styrofoam.Ask your favorite take-out restaurant to use
biodegradable
containers and utensils. Take them home and compost them.Products and packaging
can be redesigned to use less materials, last
longer and not create pollution. Hawai'i residents can choose to buy
these products. This will encourage producers to offer products with
less overall packaging and use more recyclable and recycled-content
materials.When you go to a store take reusable shopping bags.Buy products in
bulk or with less packaging.Recycle used materials.Take your green waste to be
made into mulch.Compost food scraps for use in a garden.Take the Survey on the
Hawai‘i
County Integrated Resources & Solid Waste Management Plan - the
Path to Zero Waste and participate in upcoming public meetings on
the Plan.
Good for Hawaii! I guess they had a more immediate problem than we landlocked
people. Nevertheless, landfill, especially with toxic waste from garbage
burners, is not the answer. Let's press forward with real solutions that will
leave a healthy environment for generations to come.
Janet Nye
Phillips