11-12-2007, 07:09 AM
I don't want to rain on anybody's parade, but there ARE downsides to incinerators. They always produce emissions, no matter how good the scrubbers are. Are those emissions worse than groundwater pollution seeping from landfills? I don't know, but airborn dioxin (produced by burning many plastics) is a nasty buggah. The scrubbers must be meticulously maintained and monitored, resulting in periodic down-time for upkeep. Incinerators produce ash, which must be disposed of, usually in landfills. Incinerators are expensive, with waste to energy type units being more expensive to build and maintain. Our County has a long and well-documented history of going way over budget on its building projects.
As far as Ms. Naeole's visits on the mainland, with all due respect, do we really think that the guys from Wheelabrator would show her anything but their very best? The ability of our local and state environmental protection agencies to monitor an incinerator is a concern to me. They are already stretched beyond their abilities and funding with currently mandated duties.
The garbage to energy conversion appeals to most of us, and this should be considered, but we need to look at all aspects before we commit to spending $40 million (probably more) of scarce Big Island funds. And if you think this might lower your power bill, think again. Geothermal and wind farm energy producers on the Big Island have been guaranteed prices equivalent to whatever HELCO is getting for their oil fired electricity, regardless of the production cost of the green power.
I am not saying that Wheelabrator or something similar would absolutely not work. It might be part of the solution. I just think we need to be aware of exactly what we are buying into. FWIW, I think the ultimate solution to rubbish disposal is to create LESS of it and recycle every conceivable bit of what's left after reduction. Then we just might end up with some manageable amount of stuff to be disposed of.
Cheers,
Jerry
As far as Ms. Naeole's visits on the mainland, with all due respect, do we really think that the guys from Wheelabrator would show her anything but their very best? The ability of our local and state environmental protection agencies to monitor an incinerator is a concern to me. They are already stretched beyond their abilities and funding with currently mandated duties.
The garbage to energy conversion appeals to most of us, and this should be considered, but we need to look at all aspects before we commit to spending $40 million (probably more) of scarce Big Island funds. And if you think this might lower your power bill, think again. Geothermal and wind farm energy producers on the Big Island have been guaranteed prices equivalent to whatever HELCO is getting for their oil fired electricity, regardless of the production cost of the green power.
I am not saying that Wheelabrator or something similar would absolutely not work. It might be part of the solution. I just think we need to be aware of exactly what we are buying into. FWIW, I think the ultimate solution to rubbish disposal is to create LESS of it and recycle every conceivable bit of what's left after reduction. Then we just might end up with some manageable amount of stuff to be disposed of.
Cheers,
Jerry