Exporting garbage is socially irresponsible

A July 6th letter writer states that Mike Gabbard's proposal of shipping our garbage to other communities "has the potential of freeing Hawaii from its dependence on landfills."

You mean, it increases our dependence on Mainland landfills, right?

Is this the aloha we want to share with the world, our garbage? Is the writer not aware of efforts in many states, most notably Michigan and Pennsylvania to stop taking other's trash? Does the fact that "Alaska does it" really warrant our behavior? I think not.

Shipping our trash to others is an insult to their humanity, and as such, immoral. Are we willing to take other’s garbage if it makes economic sense in their state to send it here? Does your landfill operator speak for you and your children?

Bob Armantrout

Makawao

129 words

Submitted 7/6/04

In reply to:

Shipping trash a proven idea that could benefit islands

Like the writer of a June 27 letter, I read congressional candidate Mike Gabbard's proposal to ship Hawaii's trash to remote, environmentally friendly landfills on the Mainland (Viewpoint, June 20). Unlike the writer, I didn't laugh.

I applaud his thinking "outside the box" and coming up with a creative solution to a serious problem, especially in Hawaii where landfills put our underground drinking water at risk.

The June 27 writer failed to appreciate the fact that Gabbard thoroughly researched his "ship it out" proposal. At his own expense, Gabbard traveled to landfills on the West Coast to see for himself that the landfills there do not jeopardize underground water. Nor did she note that the state of Alaska ships its trash to a huge, isolated landfill in the desert in eastern Washington state.

It's preposterous to call shipping our trash off-island "immoral." The proposal has the potential of freeing Hawaii from its dependence on landfills.

Ku'ulei Kapono

Kihei