By Stan Matthews
County Website and Communications Manager
The San Juan County Public Works Department on Oct.20 today released a preliminary draft Solid and Hazardous Waste Plan. It is limited to information that will help voters make an informed decision about the ballot measure which would create a solid waste user charge on developed parcels of land. The proposal is on the November 8, general election ballot.
Major chapters of the draft released today include three chapters projecting how solid waste operations would function in the county with and without the proposed solid waste user charge. The first chapter summarizes and contrasts the two potential systems. The others contain background on the current system and the legal requirements for what a revised and updated Solid and Hazardous Waste Plan must contain.
The draft plan is available online at https://sanjuanco.com/SWMP
If the proposed charge passes, most collection on San Juan, Orcas and Lopez Islands is expected to remain self-haul. If the charge fails, almost all garbage and recycling will be route-collected. Additional differences are detailed in the Plan document.
State law requires San Juan County to have a current plan for managing solid and hazardous wastes. The planning process has been ongoing in the public works department for more than a year. The process has included a county-wide survey, community meetings, and research on the finances and logistics of collecting and transporting recycling and waste material to the mainland.
The next release of the draft plan will include the Hazardous Waste Management Plan, and sections on waste reduction and recycling programs, educational programs, and the administrative requirements for supporting the chosen solid waste system.
I’d like to know when the next draft plan will be released, since voting on this issue is 2 weeks away. Also, nobody has been able to answer what happens to the transfer stations, which are county owned on Orcas and San Juan Islands.
It’s very difficult to predict what will happen with either plan. One thing is for sure; it seems little consideration has been given to make “reduce, reuse and recycle” become an income generating thing in the San Juans and this is unfortunate. Our Solid Waste Vision was supposed to be to reduce the waste stream. When we did that, we were penalized. How does either plan give us incentive to keep to this vision, and furthermore, improve on it?
When and how are we going to address these important issues and give incentives for keeping to our vision, and charge according to the amount of garbage generated rather than a flat parcel tax?
So many unanswered questions, so little time to make a satisfactory decision.