MAUI'S RECYCLING PROGRAMS

Rob McLennan asks good questions about Maui's recycling programs, and apparent lack of same. He first asks why we (the residents of Maui) don't recycle. Well, the answer is that we do recycle, at least to some extent and more than any other county in Hawaii. Latest County figures show that 34% of our waste stream is diverted to recycling programs, including aluminum, glass, plastic bottles and bags, newspaper, cardboard, organic waste, some types of paper, wood, and food waste. A total of 82,000-plus tons of so-called garbage is recycled, reused or composted annually on Maui.

 Rob also asks why resorts don't collect cans, bottles, and newspapers for the purpose of recycling. Again, the answer is that many resorts do just that. Employees in large hotels, such as the Fairmont Kea Lani, the Whaler on Kaanapali Beach, and others, manage programs to heighten awareness of recycling opportunities and encourage visitors and residents to take part.

 The answer to his third question - why offices don't separate and collect paper for recycling - is more complicated. Because we are an island 2,000 miles from large markets, the cost of collecting, sorting, storing, and hipping a commodity such as office paper is often prohibitive. And when the market price drops considerably, as it has in recent months, the whole effort becomes too costly. One solution would be to have a use for the paper on-island, and several entrepreneurs are working on the problem. One such person, Robert Bell of Maui Earthkeepers Earthworm Farms, is actively feeding shredded paper to his compost worms in Kihei, hoping to come up with the perfect diet and the perfect answer to this question. By the way, many hotels, offices, and residents do separate their paper for collection by Maui Recycling Service, a private company that has gone out of its way to respond to Maui's waste paper flood.

 A fourth question asks why malls don't collect cans and bottles.  First, there is the problem of storage space. As you know, the price of land on Maui is sky-high and still going up. Space in a shopping center is rare and valuable, not to be taken up by bins of used beverage containers. Individual restaurants within shopping centers, such as Koho Grill & Bar at Queen Kaahumanu Center, have their own glass collection programs, washing and storing bottles to be deposited in the Center's big recycling bins. Another problem is the matter of vector control. Unlike Ontario, where at least part of the year it's too cold for bugs and vermin, here on Maui we battle them year-round. A large collection of used soda cans and bottles, unless thoroughly washed, could turn your favorite shopping center into a

roach resort. There is light at the end of this tunnel though: the State everage Container Redemption Program (aka the bottle Bill) starts January 1, 2005. It's the familiar 'deposit' system, where you get money back for every bottle or can returned. The State and County are working on the logistics now.

 And finally, you ask why restaurants are still using styrofoam for take-out orders? You're right - styrofoam is not a wise environmental choice. It cannot be recycled easily, isn't collected for recycling, lives for eons in landfills, and is bad for our marine life. Fortunately, there are alternatives and McDonald's has led the way with their recyclable cardboard take-out boxes. Hopefully, others will follow their lead.

 Thank you for your insightful questions, Rob. As you can see there are no quick answers but it is important for you and other visitors to know that people here are aware of the issues and are working hard on solutions to our recycling problems. You can find even more answers on the County website <www.co.maui.hi.us/recycle>, on the Maui Recycling Group website <www.mrgweb.org>, or in the next Recycling Guide coming January 23.

Joy Webster

Editor

The Recycling Guide