August 2006 Home   Newsletters

September 2006

October 2006

Membership Meeting (Sue Miller)
Transit Update (Charles Carole)
Progress on Solid Waste Management (Pearl Johnson)
Wisconsin LWV Sets an Example (Pearl Johnson)
Election Day Workers Needed (Pearl Johnson)
Welcome New Members
Passage of Transparency Bill Illustrates Citizen Power (Pearl Johnson)
Honolulu City Charter Amendment (Jackie Parnell)
Candidate Information Online

Progress on Solid Waste Management

In 2003, Honolulu League complimented the City for starting the installation of a sludge digester at the Sand Island Waste Treatment Plant. The digester would produce dry pellets which could be used for plant fertilizer, thus eliminating tons of hard-to-handle sewage sludge from going to the landfill. Well, construction was completed this year in April and the equipment is in the testing stage.

Some objected to using sewage for fertilizer. Some objected to the appearance of the digester, which is an egg shaped structure. League addressed these objections at a City Council hearing:

“The elimination of many tons going into the landfill, coupled with the prospect of utilizing all those wasted nutrients in our soils, make this project desirable from both an ecological and a practical point of view. We understand that eight dump trucks PER DAY go into the landfill.

“And why not use a natural fertilizer which also adds organic matter to our soil? The City of Milwaukee has been producing a highly desirable fertilizer from its sewage for over 75 years. The website www.milorganite.com shows that it is still being marketed to homeowners, golf courses, landscapers, stadiums and other plant people.

“The fact that the digester is on the site where its raw material is produced is good planning. Trucking to another site for processing is eliminated. It is in an area already designated for such activities. The only reason it even needs a permit is its height, and it is surrounded by industrial cranes far taller and, shall we say, less aesthetic.

“So let’s get this fine project going as soon as possible and save landfill space as well as make Oahu greener.”

Pearl Johnson
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