Letters | 10-4-14

Disputing statements concerning incinerator

The letter written by Matt Binder in West Hawaii Today Sept. 26 was a rant that should have been printed on the comic page. His effort at sounding the alarm was obviously to cause panic and therefore support his favorite council candidate.

Ten years ago, the proposed incinerator project had a price tag of $120 million. Today, Binder places the price tag at $150 million. That is a matter of concern. The fact remains that we need to dispose of the trash generated on the east side of the island before the Hilo landfill reaches maximum capacity. That predictably will occur in a few years.

Mr. Binder expresses concern that we will have to reduce recycling to meet the minimal trash requirement or pay huge fines. Recycling is great but not all recyclable materials can be recycled cost-efficiently so maybe it is not such a bad interim idea. He conjures the idea that dozens of trash hauling trucks will need to be added daily to haul the trash. The fact is, the trucks hauling trash are already on the road doing just that today. Only when we generate more trash will there be a need for more trucks to haul the additional trash.

The conclusion Mr. Binder reaches as to the reason for his assumption is, as he puts it: campaign contributions. Then he reveals the secret: Mayor Billy Kenoi aspires to higher office. Oh how fortunate we are to have Mr. Binder reveal to us that the mayor has ambitions and if so, is that wrong? Is it his business?

It is obvious that Mr. Binder does not support the incinerator concept in dealing with the east side trash. In stating his assumptions, he exaggerates the doomed outcome but never suggests a reasonable solution. It may be that he draws his conclusions from the hot atmosphere we have been experiencing of late or his desire to support his favorite candidate overrode his ability to comprehend the trash situation.

Leningrad Elarionoff

Waimea