One of the frustrations about cleaning up marine debris is the issue of what to do with the stuff.

"Marine debris" is the term for anything not of natural origin that floats in the sea or washes onto reefs or the shore. Some of the most destructive of the debris are tangles of netting and rope that can entrap birds, fish and marine mammals; snag and damage corals; and clutter coastlines.

But if you pick it up, what to do with it? It seems unfortunate to clean up the seashore only to dump the material on the land.

A Hawai'i program that seems to have resolved that issue is now gaining considerable attention.

The solution, developed by more than a dozen local organizations and agencies, is to recognize that much of the netting, rope and other marine debris is plastic, originally made from oil or other fossil fuels. So how about using it for fuel?

Honolulu's waste-to-energy plant, H-POWER, provided the vehicle for converting marine debris to energy. Much of the debris consisted of abandoned fishing gear collected from the reefs of the Northwestern Hawaiian Islands. More than 250 tons have now been converted from debris to electricity.

Among those involved at the start of the effort was Christine Woolaway, then with Sea Grant and now serving as Pacific coordinator for the Environmental Protection Agency-funded National Marine Debris Monitoring Project, whose results will be on her Web site, www.woolaway.com.

She said the organizations involved in developing the debris-to-energy program, in addition to the state Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, included Schwitzer Steel, the City and County of Honolulu, Sea Grant, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Fisheries, the Coast Guard, the Navy, the Fish and Wildlife Service, Ocean Conservancy, Ocean Futures Society and others.

The Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism submitted the concept, under the title "Pollution Prevention Produces Power," to the Innovations in American Government Awards, sponsored by the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. The program has been named one of the top 50 among more than 1,000 entries and remains in the running for a spot among the 18 finalists.

The program also has gained attention on the other side of the Pacific, where Japan's Asahi TV produced a 30-minute documentary that tracked the passage of debris from the ocean to Honolulu's H-POWER plant.

If you have a question or concern about the Hawaiian environment, drop a note to Jan TenBruggencate at P.O. Box 524, Lihu'e, HI 96766 or jant@honoluluadvertiser.com. Or call him at (808) 245-3074.