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List of stories about solid waste operations in San Juan County

Accusations spewed over solid waste

By Sharon Kivisto

posted 09/24/01
No one wants to continue the status quo regarding the county's handling of solid waste. But that is about the only area of agreement among county commissioners and citizens who are dealing with the issue. Today the solid waste advisory committee (SWAC) will discuss possible solutions to the financially troubled operation at their monthly meeting at noon in the Garden Room at Key Bank in Friday Harbor.

The county commissioners will attend the SWAC meeting and at 2 p.m. will resume their own discussion -- continued from their Sept. 19 meeting. During that meeting, Solid Waste manager Jon Shannon presented three options for handling recycling and told the commissioners he needed a decision before the end of September.

Accusations flew as the commissioners debated the issue. Commissioner Darcie Nielsen said Lopez Island residents were in hysterics over recycling. She accused Commissioner Rhea Miller, who has questioned the facts and figures presented by the Public Works department, of alienating the staff. Miller said the award-winning Lopez facility will be gutted. She suggested decisions made by Shannon and county Public Works Director Tom Huse purposely made the lines longer at the San Juan Island transfer station. "It is now the slimiest, grossest it has been in its history.," she said.

Miller, concerned the county is about to make a mistake by switiching to a Materials Recovery Facility (MRF) rather than the source-separated system currently in use, will present her own solution Monday. She disagreed with Shannon's assertion that a switch to a MRF is easily reversible. She said county Administrative Services Manager David Zeretske told her the decision can't be easily undone.

Shannon said the switch to a MRF will not affect the Lopez facility operations. Both Shannon and Huse are in favor of the MRF option.

Commissioner John Evans said the goal is to come up with an economically viable solution. The solid waste program has over a million dollar debt stemming from landfill closure costs and other long term expenses.

Miller has said she favors relieving the burden on the program by forming a taxing district to pay off the debt. Evans strongly opposes setting up a "trust fund" for solid waste.

Is recycling threatened it depends on definition

By Sharon Kivisto

posted 09/17/01
Is San Juan County's recycling program threatened? The answer depends on your definition of recycling. Instead of the current practice of selling source-separated recyclables the county may pay a Material Recovery facility to take unsorted recyclables. See earlier story.

Worried about the effects such a change could have the Citizens for Our Right to Self-haul group handed out leaflets at the solid waste transfer station at the beginning of the month. The flyers warned citizens about money and jobs leaving the county if MRFs are used. It also said "The transfer stations will be minimized and the Exchange and the Take It Or Leave It will be forced out. " The two non-profit facilities take in items and rebuild them or use parts from them.

County Commissioners Darcie Nielsen and John Evans were appalled at the information being disseminated by the group. "They are deliberately misrepresenting, it is unconscionable," said Evans. "It is tantamount to propaganda."

Nielsen said, "If county workers were handing out the leaflets it will have serious effects on their employment."

Commissioner Rhea Miller was astounded by her fellow commissioners reaction to the leaflet. "It is interesting the amount of fervor and the response to this."

During a heated debate the three worked on a press release to be issued in response to the leaflet. Miller asked that the phrase -- the BOCC will follow proper public procedures -- be added to the release.

Evans said he wanted it kept simple. By adding those words, "We would have tons of discussions on where recycling begins....It would be like the nation discussing where life begins." If recycling were to be eliminated, public hearings would be necessary before such a change could be made to the county's Solid Waste Plan. There is disagreement on the board whether switching to MRFs requires a public hearing.

Miller said, I need some kind of reassurance what we're doing is what we say we're doing. " She believes the public is having a crisis of confidence.

Evans responded, "This is bull crap. Someone got all this going. It came from somewhere... We're having a crisis of common sense. "

Nielsen said there was no crisis of confidence on San Juan Island. The calls she received about the recycling issue all came from Lopez Island residents. She called on Miller to step down as liaison to the Solid Waste Advisory Committee (SWAC). "Quite frankly, Commissioner Miller, you are too emotionally involved."

Miller replied that all she was asking was for the BOCC to follow the rules and use the proper procedure when contemplating changes to the county's handling of solid waste.

The commissioners worked on a press release, but could not reach unanimous approval. Miller wouldn't sign the release. "I don't see what is wrong with putting in due process... I would never sign something like this as a commissioner, it is unbefitting the office."

In the end, Nielsen and Evans issued one release and Miller released a separate one.

Press release from County Commissioners
John Evans and Darcie Nielsen

Sept. 12, 2000

Re: False and Misleading Information being distributed by a group called, "Citizens for Our Right to Self-Haul"

The Board of County Commissioners has no intention of closing any of the solid waste transfer stations, nor has our Public Works Solid Waste staff made any proposals to that effect.

To the contrary, we are investigating ways to increase hours of operation to make it more convenient for self-haulers and commercial haulers alike.

Neither the Board of County Commissioners nor our staff has any intention of eliminating the option our citizens have to self-haul their own garbage and recyclables to the transfer stations, and no proposals have been made to that effect.

We are however, investigating ways to improve the existing facilities to make them safer, cleaner, more accessible for our customers, and more cost efficient for our staff to operate.

Neither the Board of County Commissioners nor our staff has any intention of eliminating the "Exchange" at the Orcas Island transfer station or the "Take It or Leave It" at the Lopez facility, nor have proposals been made to that effect.

We are hoping a similar service can be offered to the citizens of San Juan Island. Achieving this goal is dependent on acquiring additional space from the Town of Friday Harbor at the San Juan Transfer Station.

In San Juan County, we will continue to support the concepts of reduce, reuse, and recycling. we will seek ways to improve the availability of hazardous waste disposal and we will seek to improve the availability of solid waste and recycling services to underserved islands.

It is our goal to continue the recycling program, to improve service and facilities, and, to operate a program that is financially sound and environmentally sustainable.

Press release from County Commissioner Rhea Miller

Sept. 12, 2000

Regarding the recent solid waste proclamation by my fellow commissioners, I believe "they protesteth overmuch." Actions speak louder than words, and the road to hell is paved with good intentions.

I simply need to see positive action, not negative, by the Board of County Commissioners and the Public Works Department in the areas of "reduce, reuse, and recycling" for San Juan County. I need to see grounded, accurate data regarding the solid waste budget proposals. I need to see the long term debt addressed directly. And I need to see due public process in implementing our solid waste program.

I sincerely hope that I will see it so I can believe it.

Leaflet from Citizens for Our Right to Self-Haul

Preserve our right to self-haul our trash and recyclables

Keep our money and our jobs in our community

The San Juan Islands are not the big city -- we can do it ourselves!

When the people of San Juan County made the decision in 1993 to quit burying our garbage in the landfill and have it hauled to the mainland, we also started a Model 3-R Program -- to Reduce waste, Reuse, and Recycle. Over the last eight years, islanders have embraced this program whole-heartedly, and now we:

Reduce waste -- through educational programs for kids and adults which promote less use of packaging, carrying a travel mug, learning composting techniques, etc.

Reuse -- by taking advantage of the "Exchange" on Orcas, and the "Take it or Leave It " on Lopez, removing tons of materials from the waste stream. Islanders have learned that one person's trash is another person's treasure, from clothes to lawnmowers, bicycles to building materials.

Recycle -- Most citizens recycle at home and bring their sorted recyclables to the transfer station. The enables the county to send high quality, high value recyclables to market.

Because of the commitment of our citizens, our 3-R Program has been highly successful. In fact, San Juan County has won the Best Small Government award twice for our recycling program.

So what's wrong with that? The county has been advised by the department of Public Works that we'll save money by closing our island transfer stations, and paying a big city company to haul and sort our recyclables for us. Public Works is asking us to believe the savings will enable the county to pay off the $385,000 long term debt from closing the landfill, cover the costs of landfill monitoring, and pay for the debt accumulated from the dispute with the franchise hauler from years ago.

The Real Problem is this policy will not save San Juan County a dime. Right now, recycling and trash removal pay their own way through user fees. If the county contracts with a Material Recovery Facility (also known as a MRF) it will actually cost us more to transport and sort recyclables off-island. And we'll get back less money from the sale of recyclables than if we sort it ourselves, here at home.

In addition, it means:

• Our employees at the transfer stations will lose their jobs.
• Our money will leave the island to pay a big corporation in Seattle to separate our recyclables.
• The transfer stations will be minimized and the "Exchange" and the "Take it or Leave It " will be forced out.

There are more effective ways to pay off this debt than sabotaging one of the most effective and respected recycling programs in the state, sacrificing local jobs, and sending our hard-earned money off-island.

Take this opportunity to:

• Preserve your right to self-haul.
• Recycle with your own two hands.
• Keep our jobs and money in the islands; and
• Hand the next generation responsible stewardship.

If you're concerned about MRFs and recycling in the San Juans, now's the time to act.Write or call your county commissioners. Contact the Department of Public Works. Write to your local papers. Call for public meetings. Remember, it is your chance to make your voice heard.

Citizens for Our Right to Self-Haul
Janet Thomas, chair San Juan
Oscar Smaalders, Lopez
Marilyn Cochran, Lopez