Zero Waste

[james weatherford]

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Zero Waste talk story

Last week, the Zero Waste team did talk story in Kona and Kohala. The people attending were “entrepreneurs wanting to access the resources.”

The team is asking what opportunities people see and what the obstacles are.

Talk story for East side of the island is this week:
All are 5:00-7:00pm
* September 15: Reuse and Recycling, Hilo, Mokupapapa Discovery Center; 308 Kamehameha Avenue
* September 17: Organics, Pahoa; 5:00-7:00pm, B&B at 13-3775 Kalapana Highway (between 14mm and 15mm, makai side)
* September 18: Special Discards, Hilo, Naniloa Volcanoes Resort-Kilohana Room
* September 19: Education and Policy Hilo, Naniloa Volcanoes Resort-Kilohana Room


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Zero Waste Conference

Where? Waikaloa, Mauna Lani Resort, recipient of several ‘green’ awards

Who attended?
Businesses. Non-profits. Students. Farmers. Tradesmen. Entrepreneurs. Local and state government officials and staff (Mayor Kim was scheduled to open the Conference the morning of his heart failure).

The timing relative to the election was regrettable. With the sprint to the finish of a competitive campaign, elected officials’ and candidates’ schedules were crunched -- no worries, they'll be hearing plenty more about it
In attendance and being engaged as leaders were: Bob Jacobson, Faye Hanohano, and Kaniu Stocksdale.
Pete Hoffmann visited briefly; his Legislative Assistant attended and was very engaged in the sessions.

The power points will be posted on the HIEDB website. Video was happening – don’t know (yet) where that will be available.

A few quotes from notes to give the gist:
Waste is not a “technical problem”
Required: “political will”
“Composting is an agricultural process not an industrial process” -- as it is now zoned to be.
...“deconstruction” to keep building materials out of landfills

What to do?
Spend a lot of money? No.
Start up a new government agency? No.
Change the rules so that resources are re-used and recycled rather than wasted? Yes.


James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park

[roseroo14]

Aloha James,

Good to see that you don’t stray away from your objectives. I love the “idea” of zero waste but in reality it is simply an impossibility. There is always going to be some waste left that will have to be disposed of one way or the other. Landfills, bail & barge, burry it in your own back yard, whatever something will have to be done with it.

James you know me I don’t like just thinking outside the box I try and think outside of the factory that makes the box. You seem to be the Guru of garbage tell me what you think about my new plan.

Why can’t the county of Hawaii set up sorting stations on four points of this island being North, South, East, & West one station for each area. I know that it will cost some start-up money at first, but compare that cost to a new landfill. Try and envision this, a conveyor belt going thru a large and long open air free standing building. Now on both sides of that conveyor stands many people on each side sorting out the recycle materials and placing them in bins behind them. Some doing plastic some cardboard and so on, what is left at the end of the conveyor is what goes to the landfill [hopefully very little].

I’m sure that this sort station is being done elsewhere and can be duplicated here. No big new thinking process going on here. Now here is my up-shot on the plan. Lets man the conveyor lines with court mandated community service workers. You know those people that can’t pay their traffic fines and such. There is a large labor pool out there and new ones coming in every day. Give then paper suits and masks to work in and at the end of their shift recycle them.

We could also sell the recycled materials to pay the employed personal and equipment needed for the conveyor line. Another source of labor could be from welfare Dads that don’t pay their child support. That in itself would probably man all of the stations and if these Dads thought that they would have to man a sorting line they might think twice before abandoning their children.

Now if we did this we would have next to none “landfill bound trash” and if we have to send the Puna trash to the Kona side it would be minimal. If we could get it down to say one barge full of trash trucks being towed from Hilo to Kawaihae harbor ounce a week, then driven to the land fill and returned by barge the same day we could get a good grip on the “trash troubles blues”.

The Lack

[Bob Orts]

quote:

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Originally posted by Tom Lackey

I’m sure that this sort station is being done elsewhere and can be duplicated here.

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Yes, it's the basic operation format of a sorting transfer station. Very common on the mainland.

The only change I would suggest, get government out of the process! The most successful Waste to Commodity sorting stations are privately run with NO government involvement. The reason that government programs or sponsored programs generally fail is government wants their piece of the pie and have their hands always in the cookie jar.

No need to reinvent the wheel, it's already there, just stop talking, studying, researching, committee’ing, philosophizing, and thinking about it to death, just get it done!!!!!!

[james weatherford]

"Zero Waste" -- is about getting closer and closer to zero -- if you are not for zero waste, how much waste are your for?

It is not a government or a 'tree-hugger' idea -- it originated with private industry: Xerox, Ricoh, Toyota.

In the many communities that have adopted a Zero Waste policy -- doing more than twice as much diversion from burying (or burning) than this County is, it is consistently the community and local entrepreneurs who are making it work, and not so often a government agency.

So, Tom (or anyone else), before you say "can't", find out what is being talked about.

Check out: ecocycle.org, zerowaste.org, zerowaste.co.nz, zwia.org

James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park

[Tiffany Edwards]

I'll try to make one of these talk stories.

[james weatherford]

See you there, Tiff.

Talk story for East side of the island is this week:
All are 5:00-7:00pm
* September 15: Reuse and Recycling, Hilo, Mokupapapa Discovery Center; 308 Kamehameha Avenue
* September 17: Organics, Pahoa; 5:00-7:00pm, B&B at 13-3775 Kalapana Highway (between 14mm and 15mm, makai side)
* September 18: Special Discards, Hilo, Naniloa Volcanoes Resort-Kilohana Room
* September 19: Education and Policy Hilo, Naniloa Volcanoes Resort-Kilohana Room


James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park

[Tiffany Edwards]

James,

I'd like to get to the Organics presentation in Kalapana on Wednesday...
All hinges on da little one... but she might be up for some trash talk

[james weatherford]

Childcare available, for special cases and Coco qualifies

James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park

[james weatherford]

one suggestion from the Zero Waste conference:

Every time an advisory committee is formed, a child should be one of the members.


James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park

[james weatherford]

Final talk story this evening:

September 19, 5 - 7 pm: Education and Policy Hilo, Naniloa Volcanoes Resort-Kilohana Room

Excellent feedback from the other 9 sessions (they added one yesterday in Volcano due to interest).

The team will put a report to Council, where the $50K to fund it came from.
There will probably be a briefer follow-up (November?) with people who have come forward with ideas on using resources instead of wasting them -- these ideas are what have come out of the talk story sessions: construction & demolition materials, compost, gypsum board for soil amendment, tire crumbing, and much more...

...watch this space...



James Weatherford, Ph.D.
15-1888 Hialoa
Hawaiian Paradise Park