The city has been considering whether to expand its landfill at Waimanalo Gulch or to start a new one elsewhere after forcing the landowner to sell. The "Nanakuli B" site, owned by Leeward Land LLC, is among four the city is considering, and a decision is due within weeks.

Communities surrounding all the potential sites have raised objections about odor, pollution, increased traffic and impact on property values. Leeward Land is the only site owner to approve a dump, but says it wants to remain the owner.

"We are developing Nanakuli B as a privately operated landfill, therefore the cost to the City and County of Honolulu for the land and its development as a ... landfill would be zero or at no cost to the taxpayers," company president Greg Apa wrote in a letter to City Councilman Rod Tam.

Tam, who chairs the council's public works committee, said the idea is intriguing but will require close scrutiny. His committee is scheduled to select a site on Nov. 17, and the full council is to vote on the choice Dec. 1.

Leeward Land is the only site owner that has offered to run a private dump, but that doesn't necessarily mean the proposal has an inside track, Tam said.

Council chairman Donovan Dela Cruz said he wants to know exactly how much the city would have to pay to dump its trash there.

"It's an interesting proposal, but we have to look at the financial impact that each site would have," he said. "And we definitely need to hear from all the communities that could be impacted."

Apa's letter said the company is seeking a long-term contract and would charge the city for each ton of garbage dumped. He declined in an interview to immediately provide more details.

"We're willing to sit down and talk with the city," Apa said. "We're committed to providing a privately owned and operated landfill that will be a long-term solution to the city and county solid waste problem."

Council budget chairwoman Ann Kobayashi said it's too soon to say whether the proposal is likely to win approval, but that she looked forward to hearing more about it.

Mayor Jeremy Harris' administration was unaware of the proposal and had no immediate comment, spokeswoman Carol Costa said.

The city has used Waimanalo Gulch for a landfill since 1989. The other locations under consideration include a quarry in Kailua, Makaiwa Gulch near Makakilo, and a site in Ma'ili.

An advisory committee concluded last year that expanding Waimanalo Gulch would be far cheaper than starting a new dump elsewhere. Harris has said that expanding the current dump is the logical choice, but that the city must cut down on waste by recycling, and by expanding the H-Power garbage-to-energy plant.

Some Leeward landowners and residents have lobbied hard to close the Waimanalo Gulch dump, and it's unclear whether the state would allow it to remain open past 2008.