STAND. COM. REP. NO. 2387

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.B. No. 2509

       S.D. 1

Honorable Donna Mercado Kim

President of the Senate

Twenty-Seventh State Legislature

Regular Session of 2014

State of Hawaii

Madam:

     Your Committees on Human Services and Energy and Environment, to which was referred S.B. No. 2509 entitled:

"A BILL FOR AN ACT RELATING TO SOLID WASTE REDUCTION,"

beg leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to clarify that the Hawaii Public Housing Authority is authorized to contract with private businesses to remove food waste and green waste from public housing projects.

     Your Committees received testimony in support of this measure from the Hawaii Public Housing Authority and two individuals.

     Your Committees find that an effective way to increase environmental sustainability is to diminish the need for landfills by diverting food waste and green waste from landfills to composting and energy production.  Your Committees further find that the Hawaii Public Housing Authority currently recycles in a variety of ways including composting and using mulch and wood chips to soak up old paint.  This measure allows the Authority to contract with private businesses to remove food and green waste if the Authority's waste quantities become too burdensome.

     Your Committees have amended this measure by making technical, nonsubstantive amendments for the purposes of clarity and consistency.

     As affirmed by the records of votes of the members of your Committees on Human Services and Energy and Environment that are attached to this report, your Committees are in accord with the intent and purpose of S.B. No. 2509, as amended herein, and recommend that it pass Second Reading in the form attached hereto as S.B. No. 2509, S.D. 1, and be referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committees on Human Services and Energy and Environment,

____________________________ MIKE GABBARD, Chair

____________________________ SUZANNE CHUN OAKLAND, Chair