SAN JUAN ISLANDER EDITORIAL January 7, 2002

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Can the rush on solid waste program changes

posted 01/07/01
When the county raises marriage license fees or lowers speed limits, public hearings are held. Two of the three commissioners -- Darcie Nielsen and John Evans -- appear ready to approve a major change to the county's recycling program without public input. Approval of a "low ball" bid by the nation's largest waste management corporation will have long range implications that the public should be aware of and should have opportunities to comment on.

Waste Management Inc. submitted a bid of $45 per ton to haul recyclables to its materials recycling facility (MRF) on the mainland. San Juan Sanitation bid $72.40 per ton, Rabanco bid $105.46 per ton. The county pays $109 per ton for hauling and receives some revenue when markets can be found for recyclables.

Few, if any, would deny changes need to be made in the way the county's solid waste program is run. The program is saddled with debt and in need of capital improvements. However, more investigation of the MRF plan and other possibilities is needed.

Switching to a MRF means residents place their garbage in one container, their glass in another and the rest of their recyclables in a third. The recyclables are then taken off-island and sorted by workers at the MRF. The county is not paid for the recyclables but instead pays to have them hauled. While the market for recyclables is currently down that does not mean they won't go back up.

Before the county throws away its current source-separated recycling program, it needs to fully examine the options. Installing balers on Orcas and San Juan islands would reduce costs significantly. Charging a gate fee or short-term tax to get rid of the debt built over several years should be considered. Reworking the traffic flow and changing the hours of operations are other ways to increase efficiencies.

Public works managers have said the decision to switch to a MRF is easily reversible. But is it? It means people will get out of the habit of sorting their recyclables. It means the loss of jobs at San Juan Sanitation and most likely at the county's solid waste sites. Once the county has made the switch it would be difficult to undo.

The projected savings need to be more closely examined. Such a large discrepancy in the cost of hauling should trigger questions. Switching to a MRF on the basis of a bid which may be deceptively low would not be a prudent decision.

The county's Solid Waste Plan, adopted in 1995, is scheduled to be updated this year. Public hearings are included in that process. Waiting until the plan is updated before approving changes in the county's recycling program is the right thing to do.

--San Juan Islander Editorial