HRS 343 NEW revised statutes

[Obie]

So you prefer mulch that is infested with fire ants over clean compost ?

[dan d]

So obie, i asked the guy on CL who posted free fire ant free mulch from da dump w, delivery charge. He said," u know , da pile gets hot enough to kill ,da LFA. As a master gardener with small kine experience i can assure you no more than 40 % of LFA is killed by the spontaneous thermal indothermic reaction. Most much must break at least 145 deg to kill most pests and be held at that level for several hours. Theres a mg pub on it.
I will post later
. Reccomended practise is to take your mulch, make a mote arround it. Test the pile many times over days. With pnut btr stick. If clean use. If not apply serious pain to LFA.
Aloha



HPP

[Midnight Rambler]

dan - it does get over 145, assuming it's done right (which large-scale commercial composters should do). That's kind of the whole point of having a facility like this rather than just dumping it in a big pile.

[dan d]

Cool just ckin, crazy master gardener


HPP

[1voyager1]

I have been a fairly regular user of mulch and more recently the compost from the county's Hilo green waste facility.
I am becoming a bit disturbed by the things I hear about the county's plan for the new East Hawaii Organics Facility.
My use of the materials has been curtailed since the eruption began.
But, a few days ago, I went to town to pick up a load of wood chips to mulch our fruit trees to hold the grasses and weeds down from growing under the trees.

Not all that long ago I first became aware of the plan from a BIVN report: East Hawaii Organics Facility Update.
In that report it was stated that the county will be charging for the composted material produced at the new Kea'au facility.
No further information was offered.

My concern is that the county's plan may put the cost of the composted materials out of the reach of, or not even available for, self hauled for personal use.

My mid sized pickup is usually loaded with about 3/4 of a ton [1500#] of the compost per the scales at the present facility.
Because of better loading by the operator at the facility, my truck can carry a full ton [2000#] of the wood chips just as easily.
These loads are only about 1 to 3yds, within the vehicle's rated GVW and the weight capacity of the tires I have on the truck.
It cost me almost $20 in fuel to drive to town and haul a load back home.
I have been considering putting air overloads on my truck to even out the ride with a load of compost on it.

I can see the county charging commercial haulers that are filling larger vehicles for sales to customers.
Since the composting began, loads have been limited to 10yds max for everyone, as far as I know, because of less volume being available.
Talking to someone at the Hilo facility the other day, I was told that even less will be available when the new facility goes on line.
I'm beginning to wonder if the county's plan is to only supply commercial haulers, or they are planning to charge for personal use.

[randomq]

I too appreciate the free mulch and wood chips. But I could also see where a single working Hilo mom or Kona city folk might say "why am I paying taxes so a bunch of hippies can get free mulch?" Maybe it's OK if there is a self-sustaining fee, and (nonprofit) private sector jobs can be created?

[kalakoa]

Maybe it's OK if there is a self-sustaining fee, and (nonprofit) private sector jobs can be created?

Isn't the new Facility private, contracted to County, leasing land from Shipman?

[1voyager1]

The excuse given for building the new composting facility is to keep green waste out of the landfill.
Which was the same reason for, and is already being accomplished by the present operations.
I do not remember who to, but I have been told that the present Hilo operation is already contracted out.
I believe it is a native group.

Since they began composting the mulch into a more user and environmental friendly material, the quantity available has decreased.
Now you have to find out when it will again be available, often having to wait of a week or more.
The new facility, as I am given to understand, will increase the shortage, creating more demand for the county to take advantage of.

They shuffle equipment back and forth between the east and west sides of the island to support the green waste operations being conducted on both sides.
The larger operation is here on the east side because of the amount of green wast generated by the difference in climate.
Compost users on the west side will also be affected as their source may end up being from the new Kea'au facility.
That means it may need to be transported across the island for their use.
Or, they might decide to build a new multi-million $ facility on the west side for their use.
In any case, they will also need to pay for access to the compost.
By everything indicated, they will need to pay a higher price for their compost than us here on the east side.
Or, will we have to subsidize their use of it by paying more for a locally produced, in larger quantities material?

I do not see a need to build a probable multi-million $ facility to replace something that is already serving the same purpose that's given as the need for the new facility.
Opening a new landfill should not be affected by continuing the present operation.

I have yet to see a valid reason for the new facility except to put the county into the business of turning our green waste into compost to sell back to us.

[Durian Fiend]

Oh, that's a bummer. A pilot reimbursement program for farmers and ranchers implies that homeowners without an official AG status operation will have to pay out of pocket.

Yes, I will miss the good old days of getting loaded up free of charge at the Hilo dump site.

[kalakoa]

The excuse given for building the new composting facility is to keep green waste out of the landfill.

Recyclables will continue to end up in the landfill. After the July 1 styrofoam ban, compostable containers will probably end up in the landfill.

Pretty sure the $20M closure cost doesn't include a subsidy for the increased operational costs to drive truckloads of refuse to the next landfill -- expect tax/fee increases to cover this.

https://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/201...questions/

Compost -- made from food waste, compostable paper and yard waste -- would be sold at rates set by the contractor, Hawaiian Earth Recycling.
...
The county's goal is to have the facility complete by July 2020. That's when the county will have to start paying higher rates to the contractor for processing green waste whether or not the facility is operational.

County is paying a contractor to charge us for compost. After buying them a $10M processing facility.