STAND. COM. REP. NO.2128

Honolulu, Hawaii

, 2002

RE: S.B. No. 2909

 

 

Honorable Robert Bunda

President of the Senate

Twenty-First State Legislature

Regular Session of 2002

State of Hawaii

Sir:

Your Committee on Water, Land, Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2909 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO COUNTIES,"

begs leave to report as follows:

The purpose of this measure is to require the counties to establish a program for recycling food waste.

Testimony in support of this measure was received from Hawaii's Thousand Friends, Sierra Club Hawai`i Chapter, Pacific Forums, Asia Pacific Environmental Technology, and Eco-Feed, Inc. The Department of Health and County of Hawaii testified in opposition. The Hawaii Food Industry Association submitted comments.

Your Committee finds that landfills in each county are nearing capacity, and expanding existing landfills or siting new ones is challenging from both an environmental and community perspective.

Your Committee further finds that the City and County of Honolulu currently has mandatory food waste recycling, and in 2000 one recycling company alone recycled over 11,000 tons of food waste that would otherwise have gone to a landfill or been incinerated.

Your Committee has heard concerns that Neighbor Island counties currently do not have options for food waste recycling. However, your Committee believes that given the landfill shortages on these islands, programs such as this one should be pursued.

As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Water, Land, Energy and Environment that is attached to this report, your Committee is in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2909 and recommends that it pass Second Reading and be referred to the Committee on Tourism and Intergovernmental Affairs.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Water, Land, Energy and Environment,

____________________________

LORRAINE R. INOUYE, Chair