Glass recycling contract overdue

CIRA de CASTILLOTGI Staff Writer

LIHU’E — The county Solid Waste Management Division has fallen behind with

its glass recycling program.

J. C. Sandblasting and Recycle Glass

Company’s two-year contract expired last April, ending the processing of over

30 tons of glass per month on Kaua’i.

Troy Tanigawa, county solid waste

coordinator, said bids for the new contract closed on Oct. 18. Contractors

expected the county to award the contract by Nov.15, but no contract has been

awarded.

“We’re working on it,” Tanigawa said.

“The delays make it hard

on all businesses that are connected to the glass programs, not just us,” said

Jim Carvalho, owner of J C Sandblast and Recycle Glass.

Garden Island

Disposal has been stockpiling glass in containers and on leased land waiting

for the county to take action on the contract, said Cathy Shibuya, GID

president.

An estimated 240 tons of glass are currently

stockpiled.

Both J C Sandblast and GID responded to the county Request for

Proposal (RFP) to operated the glass recycle program.

Representatives of

the companies have been in touch with Tanigawa regarding the fact that the

award date has come and gone. Both companies said they were told over a month

ago by the solid waste coordinator that written notification of the status of

their proposals would be in the mail within the next couple of weeks.

One

of the concerns for small business is that their operations and revenues are

tied to the contact award and according to procurement guidelines any numbers

that are included in bid proposals hold for 90 days. That means that if no

contact in awarded by mid-January all submitted RFPs could be null and

void.

Funding for the glass recycling program is provided by a grant from

the state health department and administered by the county.

Carrie McCabe,

recycling coordinator for the state, said the county’s grant amounts to

$110,000 a year and is extendable for three years.