Ex-councilwoman Mansho urges state to promote recycling
By Bruce Dunford
Associated Press
Former Honolulu City Council member Rene Mansho, who recently completed a one-year prison sentence, resurfaced in the political arena yesterday, lobbying for the recycling industry during a legislative hearing.
Mansho was released from prison in June after pleading guilty in April 2002 to two counts of felony theft for misusing campaign money and city staff. She remains on five years' probation.
Rene Mansho now works as community and government relations person for Hawai'i Metal Recycling Co.
Mansho is employed by Hawai'i Metal Recycling Co., and serves as co-chair of the Recycling Industry Committee of the General Contractors Association of Hawai'i.
Mansho said she got the job a couple of months ago to serve as the company's community and government relations person.
She resigned from the council in April 2002 as prosecutors prepared to present their case against her to an O'ahu grand jury.
A city Ethics Commission investigation conducted while Mansho was in office concluded she misused $148,000 in city money by having her staff perform campaign tasks and other noncity functions.
She paid back $40,000 and agreed to pay $25,000 more in restitution.
Yesterday, she told the Joint Legislative Task Force on Waste Management and Recycling that state government needs to do more to promote recycling, including having state agencies buy more recycled products and give preference to bidders who use these products.
That was a common call by officials of the recycling industry, including Stephen Nimz, president of Hawaiian Earth Products Ltd., the state's largest recycler of yard trimmings.
"... The state and county must be willing to lead the way and purchase and use recycled materials in their projects," he said. "Otherwise, why would we expect the general public to do so?"
Nimz said many recycling companies in Hawai'i are indicating that they will not survive much longer without help.
Mike Leary of Island Demo Inc., which demolishes buildings, said government needs to improve the situation and costs the recycling industry faces and keep the recycling movement alive.
"If all of us were to stop what we're doing, you'd have a serious problem and it would happen really fast because the amount of material we process and recycle would be mind-boggling if you guys could see it in one year," Leary said.
With O'ahu's Waimanalo Gulch landfill at capacity, a major solution will be required to cope with the military's plans to rebuild its enlisted housing units, he said.
The Army project alone will see three houses a day demolished for four years, meaning material from 1,095 old houses a year will be going into landfills unless much of it can be recycled, Leary said.
Sen. Melodie Aduja, D-23rd (Kane'ohe, Kahuku), who chairs the legislative task force, said her concern is that Hawai'i appears to be well behind the recycling activities taking place on the Mainland.
She said she'll propose that the state's procurement code include a mandatory minimum of recycled materials used in state and county projects.
"We're also looking at advance disposal fees," a surcharge on such things as vehicles and home appliances to pay for the eventual disposal of these items, Aduja said, noting that there is a disposal fee on batteries.
