Editorial

Hauling trash to Ogallala? Just be thankful we're not Hawaii

Saturday, July 19, 2008

If you think it's ridiculous that McCook hires trucks burning $4.50 diesel fuel to haul two loads a day of trash to Ogallala, imagine if you lived on Oahu.

Hawaii's most populous island is looking to send some 100,000 tons of trash to the Mainland each year. If that seems like a lot of trash, consider that each Oahu resident produces 10 pounds of garbage a day, compared to a national U.S. average of 4.5 pounds. That could be because a lot of tourists visit Hawaii, and everyone who lives there consumes many products that have been packaged for long-distance shipment.

That 100,000 tons of trash is only about 6 percent of the island's trash.

Honolulu hopes shipping trash to the West Coast will give them time to expand their curbside reycling system, and construct another boiler like the two that already burn trash to produce electricity.

McCook is a long way from Hawaii, but we're facing a lot of the same issues, and only employing one or two of the same solutions.

We have a good recycling system, but only for those who choose to participate by sorting their recyclables and hauling them to the center on the southwest side of the city.

Curbside pickup certainly would increase participation, but only at the cost of more of that high-priced diesel fuel, plus the trucks and labor to get the materials to the recycling center.

The city made the decision years ago to close its solid waste disposal site after new regulations made it too expensive to maintain, expand or replace the old one that formerly existed just east of Walmart.

But all of us are having to re-examine everything we do in light of the new reality of high fuel prices. It's good we've had at least initial contact with other towns regarding the possibility of making some sort of new arrangement, perhaps even establishing a new landfull and sharing expenses.

Or, maybe we should look at some of the same solutions other towns have tried. Should we be destroying garbage by burning it and producing electricity in the bargain?

Unfortunately, that would involve another one of those expensive engineering studies.

And, we'd like to see solid waste disposal stay as a self-supporting enterprise fund in the McCook city budget.

But, surely, there must be a better, more efficient way of disposing of our trash.

Comments
View 3 comments
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • I think that when the save the world used 'green' as their icon, they had it right. Everything we do to try to follow all of EPA's rules cost's us mucho green. I guess we deserve it though.

    -- Posted by Navyblue on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, at 3:49 PM
  • Here in Valparaiso Indiana, They have curbside recycling. Those that participate don't even have to separate things just keep it separate from the trash in designated containers. However, since I live in an apartment I don't know the costs of doing so.

    -- Posted by npwinder on Sat, Jul 19, 2008, at 10:08 PM
  • i'll have to agree w/navyblue for the first time ever! The costs for us to be "green" really stems from our initial lack of trying. It will cost more money to dig yourself out of a deep hole than a shallow one! I think if we had made the attempts to save and preserve the environment 20 years ago we would be in a much better position today, but that just goes to show you, People tend to not act on something the the situation is dire!

    -- Posted by billybobi on Mon, Jul 21, 2008, at 9:19 AM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: