Gathering Place
Gary H. Okino
Honolulu City Council
committed to recyclingRecent allegations fingering the Honolulu City Council for killing a proposed curbside recycling program are way off the mark. The Council strongly believes that an island-wide recycling program is the right thing to do. However, the city administration's recent proposal was hastily conceived and riddled with flaws. Were it implemented, national experts told us, it would have failed. To rush implementation of such an important program would be foolhardy.
To demonstrate our commitment, the Council this year appropriated $340,000 for a pilot curbside recycling project with the requirement that an island-wide program be rolled out no later than next July. Councilman Mike Gabbard, chairman of our Public Works Committee, will take the lead in developing the project. With this approach we expect to resolve the following problems inherent in the administration's proposal:
>> Second-day trash pick-up.
The administration's idea of providing a second trash pick-up each week as a fee-based option would severely exacerbate our illegal dumping problem, and be troubling if not unsanitary for those trying to live with just one pick-up per week. In addition, monitoring who pays for a second pick-up and who doesn't would be an administrative nightmare. From our standpoint, maintaining regular twice-a-week trash pick-up is essential.
>> One or two containers.
National experts have told us that using the same container for both recycling and trash collection will not work. While the administration has opted for just one container, claiming that a second will cost $12 million, we note that other municipalities, with participation from civic-minded private-sector firms, provide a second container at a fraction of that cost. By developing a cooperative program, I'm confident a second container can be provided at an acceptable cost.
>> Extensive education.
A successful recycling program requires extensive public education. Rather than taking a blind-faith leap, as proposed by the administration, we first will test options via the pilot project and then invest the time to educate residents to achieve maximum broad-based participation.
Most municipalities in the nation operate a fee-based trash collection service with integrated curbside recycling that works well. The National Recycling Coalition has studied every municipality in the nation and knows exactly what works and what won't. With this knowledge, we can design and conduct a pilot project, then tailor an effective program for Honolulu.
Far from killing recycling, this Council is committed to it, but we want to do it right. With proper preparation we can provide a superior, cost-effective curbside recycling program for our community. The City Council has taken the steps necessary to assure this.
Gary H. Okino is chairman of the Honolulu City Council.