Let’s talk trash

Let’s talk trashTo the Forum:

Let’s talk trash — the kind that is ending up along our roads, by

the

streams and reservoirs, along our pristine hiking trails and everywhere

else it should not be to ruin the beauty of our paradise island.

To be

even more specific, there is a favorite “dumping” place

for

everything from car engines to tires, batteries, TV sets,

mattresses,

refrigerators, household garbage to derelict autos.

This

“place” is on Kainahola Road around the reservoir and where I go on

my daily walk. This area surrounded by streams, rolling green pastures with

cattle grazing and the majestic Makaleha mountains with waterfalls cascading

down its crevices is one of the many beautiful spots on Kaua’i and should never

be contaminated by waste deposited there by unthinking humans.

So the

question is, what do we do to solve the problem? I notice that after

one

auto part or sack of trash is discarded there, a great amount of dumping

follows. Because of this, I regularly call head of county roads to report the

mess and request the clean up.

Sometimes the trash is gone within two

days, but other times it takes numerous calls and many weeks to have the mess

disappear.

Here are a few solutions:

1. Have the police patrol these

areas on a more regular basis, catch the

violators and put teeth in the

$1,000 litter law that is on the books.

2. If the police are too

understaffed to do this, have the county crews

pick up any litter on a

weekly basis.

3. If these two options fail, then how about allotting a few

dollars to the

millions Wally Rezentes found to fund a gargantuan pay raise

for the mayor

and 32 other administrators to fund a position (police or

trash-picker) and

solve the problem?

Our property tax was just

increased, our gas tax was increased and our

vehicle weight tax was

increased. If these tax increases are not going for

the maintenance of the

beautification of our island, for road repair, beach

parks and recreation

upkeep, then where is this money going?

And, if we cannot maintain and

upkeep what we have, then why is our mayor traveling around the world promoting

more people to come here? If you can’t figure this out either, call our mayor

(241-6000) and maybe she can tell you.

Glenn

Mickens

Kapaa