Options for landfill trash revisited

By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer

Faced with pressure to chose a site for the city's next garbage dump and tension from communities that don't want one nearby, the City Council is taking a second look at technologies that could sharply reduce the amount of trash going to landfills.

One option is a plasma arc system that would blast garbage with superheated air and burn it into a glassy substance that could be recycled as a construction material.

The city sought proposals over the past year from companies that wanted to build plasma arc plants, but decided against them. There were concerns that the process was too costly, that the companies didn't have enough experience handling the amount of trash Honolulu generates, or that they would take too long to build, city environmental services director Frank Doyle said.

But the City Council is looking at any option that could reduce the demand for landfill space, and heard yesterday from companies that still hope to land a contract with the city. They said the process would be cost-effective and could be in place within five years.

The council is seeking a six-month extension of the June 1 state deadline for choosing a new landfill site.

The council has also asked for clarification on whether the city's Waimanalo Gulch landfill can be further expanded. The city said last year that the Leeward site would close in 2008, but a study found that expanding it would cost much less than setting up a new landfill.

The state Land Use Commission is scheduled to hear arguments today for the deadline extension, but isn't likely to make a decision immediately. The commission meets at 10 a.m. in Conference Room 405 of the Leiopapa A Kamehameha building, 235 S. Beretania St.

Reach Johnny Brannon at 525-8070 or at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com.