Kaua`i County is still stuck on two garbage disposal options. County Council members and numerous critics of the plan have argued in public about choosing a new landfill (plan A) versus a combined landfill-incinerator (plan B) for months ever since
Kaua`i County is still stuck on two garbage disposal options.
County
Council members and numerous critics of the plan have argued in public about
choosing a new landfill (plan A) versus a combined landfill-incinerator (plan
B) for months ever since garbage consultant Jean Camp, part of Mayor Maryanne
Kusaka’s administration, proposed the options more than a month ago.
The
disposal debate continued for another two hours during a council meeting
Wednesday night without a decision.
The argument became even trashier as
one critic of the administration’s plan got personal with his
comments.
“The only word that comes to mind is dumb. There are no brains in
this administration. Everybody knows that. There are no watch dogs (in local
government), only lap dogs,” Andy Parks said.
Other critics were less
personal but just as unhappy with the two plans being discussed.
Michael
Edwards said the county need not make a choice between the two proposals.
Edwards is a proponent of composting, recycling and other alternatives not
stressed in either of the plans.
“You can actually reduce costs. Green
waste is actually green resource,” Edwards said.
Councilman Gary Hooser
spoke about increasing diversion of waste from the landfill and recycling.
Hooser mentioned some mainland successes and expressed an unwillingness to
support either plan as proposed.
Councilman Ron Kouchi repeated that he
wouldn’t be against researching the more expensive plan B combination of
incinerator and landfill if he could be assured the county wouldn’t be bound to
the plan if it proved too expensive or unwieldy.
But the administration did
not have an answer to Kouchi”s query about whether the county could get out
the “back end.”
“Exploring a lot of options is different than being locked
in. I won’t be able to vote on it until I know the answer to my question,”
Kouchi said.
The mayor’s administrative assistant, Wally Rezentes Sr.,
agreed with Kouchi.
“I know the decision is a very significant one, and I
don’t have the answer for you today,” Rezentes said.
Staff writer
Dennis Wilken can be reached at 245-3681 (ext. 252) and [
HREF=”mailto:dwilken@pulitzer.net”>dwilken@pulitzer.net]
