Hawaiian Waste Systems on Monday begins accepting municipal trash that will eventually find its way to a disposal facility in Washington state.

Under the contract, the city will pay the company $99.89 for each ton of refuse it ships to the Mainland. The company is expected to take 100,000 tons annually for three years, or until a third boiler is constructed at the city's waste-to-energy H-Power plant in Kalaeloa, whichever comes first. That third boiler is expected to process 300,000 tons annually.

Mayor Mufi Hannemann yesterday stressed that shipping waste to the Mainland is only an interim measure, despite suggestions from those seeking to shut down the controversial Waimanalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill that shipping is a better alternative than prolonging use of the landfill.

He said shipping to the Mainland long-term is not environmentally friendly and that the trash needs to be diverted to H-Power to meet contractual obligations.

Only non-burnable and non-recyclable materials will be directed to Hawaiian Waste Systems' $10 million processing facility at Campbell Industrial Park, except when H-Power operations are temporarily suspended for routine maintenance.

Jim Hodge, Hawaiian Waste Systems president, said the company will start off accepting only about 100 tons a day.

Eventually, that will ramp up to between 200 and 300 tons a day, he said.

"We're fine, we've tested the machinery," Hodge said yesterday.

Once the trash is accepted, it will be baled and wrapped for shipping.

The first shipment is expected to depart Kalaeloa Harbor for the Mainland next month.

Hawaiian Waste Systems had the lowest of three bids last year, but city procurement officers initially declined to award the Washington-based company a contract, citing non-compliance with several conditions of the bidding process.

That led to a yearlong stalemate that resulted in an appeal by Hawaiian Waste Systems to the state Department of Consumer Affairs.

The two sides were able to reach an agreement in August that included a stipulation that the city would be allowed to retain flow control and maintain control over a scale installed at the baling facility.