HCR51

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.C.R. NO.	51
TWENTY-FIRST LEGISLATURE, 2002
STATE OF HAWAII

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HOUSE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

 

requesting the state procurement office to study the feasibility of requiring state and county agencies to give preference to the purchase of recyclable or compostable carpeting for government office buildings.

 

 

WHEREAS, because of their inability to be mechanically shredded without constantly clogging the machinery, large rolls of used carpeting cannot be burned in the City and County of Honolulu’s H-POWER plant and must be buried in the one remaining landfill on the island of Oahu that accepts used carpeting; and

WHEREAS, the Kekaha landfill on Kauai is nearing its capacity and no lateral expansion of the sole municipal landfill on Kauai is possible; the Hilo landfill -- one of only two municipal landfills on the island of Hawaii -- is scheduled to be closed in the year 2004 because it too is nearing its capacity and cannot be expanded because it does not meet current environmental standards; and Phase IV of the Maui Central Landfill has not opened because it lacks the necessary permits from the Department of Health; and

WHEREAS, although modern carpeting is comprised of nylon, polyester, polypropylene, and other synthetic fibers to reduce its cost and increase its durability, the inherent properties of these materials also render used carpeting resistant to biodegradation once it is buried in a landfill; and

WHEREAS, polyester and other synthetics are based on petroleum, the drilling, shipping, refining, processing of which have resulted in contaminated underground sources of drinking water, the contamination of nearshore fisheries, air pollution, and occupational exposure to carcinogens; and

WHEREAS, while used carpeting is environmentally benign, it does take up limited landfill space; for example, in 1993 it was estimated that one per cent of all municipal solid waste in the United States by weight and two per cent of all municipal waste by volume consisted of post-consumer carpet; and

WHEREAS, industrial hemp carpeting is biodegradable and can be composted instead of landfilled; is manufactured from a renewable resource that will never exhaust itself; and is environmentally friendly and comprised of materials that are not toxic to human beings and other lifeforms; and

WHEREAS, although industrial hemp carpeting is strong and durable, it can be composted and used to enrich (fertilize) fields, lawns, gardens, and planters in a manner that does not contribute to groundwater pollution; and coastal water, lake, and stream pollution; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the House of Representatives of the Twenty-first Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2002, the Senate concurring, that the State Procurement Office is requested to study the feasibility of requiring state and county agencies to give preference to the purchase of recyclable or compostable carpeting for government office buildings; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the State Procurement Office is requested to submit its findings and recommendations to the Legislature not less than twenty days before the Regular Session of 2003; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, the Comptroller, and the State Procurement Administrator.

 

 

	OFFERED BY:	_____________________________

Report Title:

Commercial Carpet; Gov't Bldgs; Recyclable/Compostable; Study