Posted on: Friday, December 3, 2004
Hannemann wants to close Leeward landfill by 2008
| • | Run for mayor cost record $6.2 million |
| • | Harris, Hannemann spar over Natatorium |
| • | Hannemann plans double inauguration |
By Johnny Brannon
Advertiser Staff Writer
Mayor-elect Mufi Hannemann pledged yesterday to try to close the Waimanalo Gulch landfill by 2008, as Mayor Jeremy Harris had earlier agreed, despite the City Council's vote Wednesday to expand the dump.
He said he hoped to break the impasse that has stalled plans for a residential recycling program, and to further explore options such as shipping trash to the Mainland and trying new trash-processing technologies.
"That's my goal, to see whether I can put all the pieces together to terminate the need for a landfill," Hannemann said. "I know it's a tall order, but that's what you're paid to do as mayor, and that's what the public wants. And I feel for the Leeward community that was promised by this administration that the landfill was going to be shut down in 2008."
Hannemann said the city should provide a range of benefits to the community around the landfill, such as improvements to basic public infrastructure or parks. Specific proposals should come from the community, rather than the city, he said.
"We need to make this pono, and the first thing is that we need to get out there in the community," he said. "I want to urge again Mayor Harris to go out to the Leeward side, because it was his administration that made the commitment that it would terminate in 2008, and it didn't happen."
Harris had sought to expand the landfill for 15 years, but last year agreed to a compromise 5-year expansion. Part of that agreement required the council to pick a future dump site by Wednesday, and Harris had urged the council to expand the existing landfill rather than start a new one elsewhere.
Harris insisted he had not changed positions, because he consistently said Waimanalo Gulch was an appropriate landfill site. He said it likely would have been possible to close the dump on time if the council had not stymied his plans to launch an islandwide household recycling program and expand the H-Power garbage-to-energy plant.
Hannemann said he hoped to get the recycling program moving and would invite proposals for alternatives to the H-Power plant.
"Everything now needs to be put on the table that speaks to an alternative to a landfill," he said. "It's clear, because of the public testimony that we've heard, that no one wants a landfill in their backyard. And it's patently unfair for other communities on O'ahu to feel that it's OK to put it out on the Wai'anae side because they've always had it there."
The council balked last year at Harris' plan for a residential recycling program, largely because it would have required a fee for households that wanted to continue having their garbage picked up twice per week.
Harris revived the plan this year, but it remains on hold. The United Public Workers union is fighting a move to hire private companies to collect recyclables from homes, instead of having city workers do it. Hannemann said he will make it a high priority to resolve the dispute.
"We need recycling now more than ever," he said.
The council in 2002 required the city to study alternative forms of waste processing before expanding H-Power. The administration later rejected proposals for plasma arc plants that would blast garbage with super-heated air, saying the process was too costly, that the companies didn't have enough experience handling the amount of trash Honolulu generates, or it would take too long to build a plant.
Hannemann said he wanted to invite new proposals for other methods.
"We will roll up our sleeves and find out what has been researched thus far," he said. "Obviously there's a lot of ideas out there. People are starting to come forward, but I'm not the mayor yet, so we can't actually move forward until I'm actually at City Hall."
It remains unclear how large the expanded landfill would be, and how long it would be allowed to operate, if beyond 2008. The city Department of Environmental Services would have to define a proposal and seek approval from the city Planning Commission first. The plan would then go to the state Department of Health and Land Use Commission.
City spokeswoman Carol Costa could not say whether any plan would be submitted before Harris leaves office early next month.
Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8070.
