Island Recycling, Inc. officials are considering leaving Kaua‘i because they are at odds with county leaders about moves to amend company leaders’ solid-waste permit. At issue, said Island Recycling President Jim Nutter, is that Island Recycling employees cannot collect glass
Island Recycling, Inc. officials are considering leaving Kaua‘i because they are at odds with county leaders about moves to amend company leaders’ solid-waste permit.
At issue, said Island Recycling President Jim Nutter, is that Island Recycling employees cannot collect glass because they are not certified to.
In order to be a certified redemption center for containers, a center must be certified to handle plastic, aluminum and glass.
Nutter said the his company has been in business on Kaua‘i for three years, and came in with the understanding they would be allowed to collect glass.
That has not happened, Nutter said, because the county will not amend the company’s solid-waste permit.
“We could pull out,” he said. “We’ve lost money in our three years,” Nutter said, adding a decision on leaving could happen soon.
Troy Tanigawa, county Department of Public Works Solid Waste Program Administrator, said the county did receive an amendment request from Nutter in July 2004.
“There’s no final decision on it,” Tanigawa said, adding there were issues including unspecified legal questions that needed to be addressed within the county.
“It’s not in the contract,” Nutter said, “but in my opinion, it’s stupid. Why have a resource center unless you allow it? So far, they (the county) have refused.” County Public Information Officer Mary Daubert said Monday DPW officials are looking into setting up a meeting with Mayor Bryan J. Baptiste and his administration to “discuss amending the scope of work for Island Recycling.”
Daubert said no definitive time had been set for that proposed meeting. Nutter said he was disappointed it was taking so long. The state bottle bill became fully effective Jan. 1.
“We came in on the assumption we’d be handling glass if the bottle bill became law, and we could use our facility as a redemption center,” he said.
According to reporters with Honolulu’s channel 9, KGMB, a CBS affiliate, Island Recycling leaders claim they are owed hundreds of thousands of dollars by the state for all the nickel reimbursements it has paid out in its two Honolulu sites under the bottle law.
According to a KGMB report, state Deputy Attorney General Hugh Jones reportedly said Island Recycling owes the state $146,000 in back taxes. He estimates the state owes the recycling company $266,000 for reimbursements on beverage containers. They are expected to split the difference. Island Recycling pays $3,000 to $5,000 a day in reimbursements at its Kalihi, O‘ahu recycling site.
