HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.C.R. NO.

253

TWENTY-SECOND LEGISLATURE, 2004

 

STATE OF HAWAII

 
   


HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting the department of health to determine the feasibility of the following issues: (1) mandating that hotels recapture and reuse water and recyclable materials; (2) advance disposal fees for hazardous and large goods and other recyclables; (3) establishing a statewide waste diversion strategy; and (4) mining LANDFILLS to extract recyclable materials or to determine whether prohibited waste was dumped.

 

WHEREAS, with the State's landfills rapidly filling, along with the proliferation of illegal dumping in Hawaii, proper disposal of solid waste and recycling programs have become increasingly vital to the environmental and social health of the State; and

WHEREAS, it is estimated that approximately six to seven million visitors come to Hawaii each year; and

WHEREAS, the large number of visitors understandably contributes significantly to the State's waste stream; and

WHEREAS, developing a waste recycling program that diverts the waste generated by visitors from the State's landfills has the potential for lengthening the landfill's lifespan; and

WHEREAS, such a program should emphasize recycling all materials for which recycling is a feasible option; and

WHEREAS, advance disposal fees are considered "front-end" fees placed on products at the point of purchase, before they are discarded as waste; and

WHEREAS, the idea is to break down the cost of disposal for a particular product and impose it on the manufacturer, wholesaler, or retailer so it may be influenced to incorporate reduction strategies into product or packaging design; and

WHEREAS, advance disposal fees are also an attempt to shift the disposal cost from the taxpayer to the consumer; and

WHEREAS, the State charges or has charged an advance disposal fee for glass, lead acid batteries, and automobile tires; and

WHEREAS, the current fee is one and one-half cents per glass container under the glass container recovery program, which is codified under sections 342G-81 to 342G-87, Hawaii Revised Statutes; and

WHEREAS, glass container importers and manufacturers are required to register with, and pay an advance disposal fee to, the Department of Health; and

WHEREAS, the revenues generated from the advance disposal fee are deposited into a special account in the environmental management fund; and

WHEREAS, the environmental management fund is to be used to finance only disposal fees for hazardous products, large goods, and other recyclables; and

WHEREAS, moneys in the account are distributed to each county in proportion to the amount of glass containers imported into each county; and

WHEREAS, all county glass recovery programs are required to provide some form of glass incentive or "buy back" program as a means of encouraging participation by the public or private collectors; and

WHEREAS, an advance disposal fee for hazardous and large goods and other recyclables may help to encourage more efficient use and disposal of these types of products; and

WHEREAS, the State maintains and supports various waste management initiatives, including recycling; and

WHEREAS, at this time, recycling and all other current initiatives do not divert a sufficient amount of solid waste to meaningfully extend the life of the State's landfills; and

WHEREAS, pursuant to chapter 342G, Hawaii Revised Statutes, each county and the State are required to develop and implement Integrated Solid Waste Management Plans; and

WHEREAS, those plans have not been revised or fully implemented to sufficiently address the landfill crisis and other related issues; and

WHEREAS, the number of complaints by Hawaii residents are increasing as the ill effects of overfilled and improperly maintained landfills reach residential areas; and

WHEREAS, a recent investigation reveals that illegal dumping of an estimated thirty tons of solid waste occurred on property of the City and County of Honolulu at the former Waipahu incinerator site, which was not a valid waste site; and

WHEREAS, it has been reported that the area upon which the illegal dumping occurred is situated over an aquifer, thus increasing the potential for contamination of Oahu's potable water resources; and

WHEREAS, this illegal dumping may only be an initial indication of widespread illegal disposal of solid waste on county property and the actual prevalence of environmentally hazardous materials may be greater than currently estimated; and

WHEREAS, this revelation likely foreshadows future discovery of illegal dumping sites, additional violations of solid waste management laws, rules, and procedures, and the extensive environmental damage and risks to public health caused by irresponsible disposal of solid waste; and

WHEREAS, every effort should be made to identify the personnel, agency, procedural, and resource shortfalls that need to be addressed in order to ensure that solid waste is disposed of appropriately; and

WHEREAS, the State must now refocus on solid waste management issues to avert a health and environmental catastrophe; and

WHEREAS, in order to move forward in an efficient manner to resolve the State's solid waste management problems, a coordinated and efficient hazardous and non-hazardous strategy that addresses all aspects of solid hazardous and non-hazardous waste management must first be developed; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-Second Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2004, the Senate concurring, that the Department of Health is requested to determine the feasibility of the following issues:

(1) Establishing a mandatory recycling program for hotels that includes the recapturing and reuse of gray water, food waste, and other recyclable materials;

(2) Advance disposal fees for hazardous and large goods and other recyclables;

(3) Establishing a statewide waste diversion strategy; and

(4) Mining landfills to extract recyclable materials or to determine whether prohibited waste was dumped; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that in determining the feasibility of the statewide diversion strategy, the Department of Health is requested to consider that the purpose of the diversion strategy is to promote recycling, bioconversion, and reuse that includes, but is not limited to:

(1) Reducing backhaul rates established by the Public Utilities Commission for recycled materials;

(2) Establishing reporting and recycling requirements for construction and demolition debris in each county;

(3) Reducing rent for public lands used for recycling operations; and

(4) Requiring the counties to develop and establish recycling and waste diversion programs that include:

(A) A residential recycling program in each county and a determination of any costs associated therewith;

(B) A workplace recycling plan for traditionally recyclable materials, including but not limited to glass, plastics, aluminum, and paper for businesses with more than fifty employees; and

(C) A food waste diversion plan for food service establishments to divert food waste away from the traditional waste stream; provided that the implementation of any such program, inclusive of in-house labor costs, is at the same cost or lower than that of disposal; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the analysis of the feasibility of mining landfills is requested to determine:

(1) Whether it is possible to extract recyclable materials for reprocessing, reuse, or sale;

(2) Uses and residual markets for the recycled products recovered under paragraph (1); and

(3) Whether any waste material prohibited by law or Department of Health rules was dumped into the landfill, the extent to which the prohibited material exists in the landfill, and how best to remediate the problem; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Health is requested to report on its findings and recommendations to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2005, and to include its findings and recommendations in the revision of the Hawaii State Integrated Solid Waste Management Plan due in 2005; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Director of Health, the Mayor and the Chairperson of the Council of each county, and to the President of the Hawaii Hotel Association.

 

 

 

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title:

DOH Feasibility Study; Solid and Water Wastes