Tenakee Springs will vote on whether to join the Southeast Alaska Solid Waste Authority, or SEASWA, on Tuesday (10-3-23).  Assembly member Steve Lewis, who submitted the ballot proposition, said joining the regional coalition would be a first step towards addressing the Chichagof Island community’s garbage disposal problems. 

“It’s gotten really expensive to ship stuff south, and Juneau’s landfill is just about full, so they’re going to have to think about shipping things south,” Lewis said.

Without other options, he said Tenakee Springs residents are turning to less savory methods. 

“A lot of people burn their trash on the beach, and that may include some plastics and things like that, which can be a problem,” Lewis said. “If they don’t get it completely burned, it ends up floating off and ending up as marine debris.”

Solid waste disposal is an ongoing problem in many Southeast communities. In Petersburg, costs are slated to go up by 34 percent next year. Chris Cotta, the chair of SEASWA, said the organization’s goal is to reduce costs and increase the efficiency of solid waste disposal region-wide. He said that member communities banding together means more negotiating power in contracts. 

“You know, it’s harnessing the power of numbers,” Cotta said. “When there are more of you, you have more bargaining power.” 

SEASWA is also eligible for funding that is earmarked for regional organizations. Cotta said they’re currently applying for a grant that could bring as much as half a million dollars to SEASWA. 

SEASWA’s bylaws require communities to vote to join the coalition, which currently includes Petersburg, Wrangell, and several communities on Prince of Wales Island. Tenakee assembly member Steve Lewis doesn’t expect the proposition to be controversial – there are no fees to join, and the community can vote to leave the coalition at any time. 

“It’s kind of a win-win situation all the way for small communities – or any communities, as far as I can tell,” Lewis said. 

 The state Division of Elections reports 132 registered voters in Tenakee as of May 2022. If the ballot proposition passes, the Tenakee Assembly will initiate a working relationship with SEASWA later in October.

Voters can read the full ballot proposition and find voting information online at the KCAW Election Center. And for disclosure,  Steve Lewis’s spouse, Rachel Myron, is a member of the KCAW Board of Directors.