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The Honolulu Advertiser

Posted on: Thursday, June 3, 2004

City recycling plan 'on hold'

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer

The city's annual budget brawl is coming to an end this week, but Mayor Jeremy Harris' plan to create an islandwide residential recycling program is still far from settled.

The City Council has inserted a restriction into the budget that could stop a key recycling contract from going to the lowest bidder, Island Recycling, because it has been cited for various permit violations.

And an alternative plan, to privatize collection of recyclables, would be more expensive and has been put on hold by a bid protest that won't be resolved for at least a month. In the meantime, that contract can't be approved or rejected.

Officials say O'ahu badly needs residential recycling and remain hopeful that a program can be launched soon in some form.

"We're just on hold, we're not stuck," said city recycling coordinator Suzanne Jones. "The train will be moving again shortly."

The original plan would cost about $5 million per year, officials say. City crews would pick up recyclables and Island Recycling would process and market them for a fee of $36.50 per ton. The sole competing bid, from Honolulu Resource Recovery, called for $68 per ton.

The second plan, for private collection and processing, would cost about $13 million per year for five years under the single bid, submitted by Honolulu Disposal Service Inc. A rival company is challenging the bid process.

City Council Chairman Donovan Dela Cruz said it's important that any contractor have a clean permit record, but Managing Director Ben Lee said it's not clear that the council can ban a company that's had problems.

Island Recycling has been cited for lacking building permits and a water discharge permit but is working to clear the problems. The city's planning director recently overruled inspectors' findings and determined that the company's Sand Island yard does not need a special permit for waste disposal and processing.

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.