Help sought on recycling, illegal dumping

By Lynda Arakawa
Advertiser Capitol Bureau

Government should give residents more incentives and easier ways to recycle and give agencies more resources to better enforce existing environmental laws, community activists and others told a legislative task force on waste management yesterday.

Henry Curtis of Life of the Land said government officials should begin an aggressive recycling plan and develop a campaign to encourage and educate residents about proper waste disposal and recycling. He also said officials should encourage market development of recyclable items and seek innovative technologies to dispose of or reuse tires, batteries and other waste products.

"Recycling is the key to dealing with our waste products," Curtis said.

Shannon Wood of the Kapa'a Quarry Road Working Group urged communities to create grassroots efforts to fight illegal dumping. But she warned that volunteers alone are not enough, adding that there needs to be more enforcement and other measures to make it harder for people to dump items illegally and make it easier to follow laws.

Honolulu Police Maj. William Chur said there are sufficient laws to enforce environmental crimes in Hawai'i. But he added that the key to successful enforcement is sufficient resources for personnel and training. He said the police department has trained 441 officers in the identification and investigation of environmental crimes and has taken other steps.

The Joint Legislative Task Force on Waste Management and Recycling, created amid concerns over illegal dumping and insufficient landfill management, is continuing its public information briefing at 1 p.m. today in State Capitol room 016 as it prepares a legislative package for next year's session. The task force recently completed a several-months-long inspection of sites statewide and documented cases of illegal dumping and other problems.

Reach Lynda Arakawa at larakawa@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.