Long-stalled plans to ship some of O'ahu's trash to a Mainland dump could finally get under way early next year — if the city can afford the cost and guarantee shippers enough trash to make a deal worthwhile.

Meanwhile, plans to expand the city's Waimanalo Gulch dump have been complicated by the discovery of large upright stones that may be culturally significant to Native Hawaiians.

The issue could delay an important environmental report the city must complete before seeking state approval to expand the dump and operate it for at least 15 more years.

Officials have decided to ask for a 20-month extension of the site's operating permit — which expires in May 2008 — before trying to expand the dump's size and secure the longer extension.

If state experts determine the 6-foot-high stones are important, they could be moved to a safer location, or be left undisturbed while the dump is expanded around them.

"If they are culturally significant, we want to make sure they remain that way," said Waimanalo Gulch manager Paul Burns of Waste Management Inc., which runs the dump for the city.

Diverting some trash to the Mainland would leave more space in the gulch, and the city soon will seek proposals to ship about 80,000 tons over six months, said city environmental services director Eric Takamura.

Such a deal could be extended if it proves beneficial, he told a City Council panel yesterday.

O'ahu produces more than 1 million tons of trash per year, and the city is contractually obligated to send more than 500,000 tons to the H-Power garbage-to-energy plant. The rest is dumped in Waimanalo Gulch, near Kahe Point on the Leeward Coast.

CITY WILL STILL GET FEES

Plans to send some of O'ahu's trash to the Mainland have percolated for several years, but a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision appears to have cleared the way.

The city had long opposed private trash haulers' plans to bypass the city's waste disposal facilities and use lower-priced Mainland dumps.

But the court ruled in May that municipal governments can maintain "flow control" of garbage — meaning haulers must pay city "tipping fees" even if the trash is destined for the Mainland.

Honolulu's current fee is $92 per ton, and the revenue subsidizes free city trash collection from most private homes.

At least three companies are interested in shipping some trash to Washington or Oregon, and have applied for state health permits.

Jim Hodge, CEO of Hawaiian Waste Systems, said his company expects its permit to be granted within days and would soon be ready to begin shipments to rural Washington.

"We have all of our regulatory house in order," he said.

Hodge said he does not object to the city controlling the flow of garbage, but that his firm would need a guarantee of more than 100,000 tons per year to recoup needed investments in equipment and infrastructure.

"We can live with the city controlling the gate, as long as there are certain volume thresholds," he said.

NO PLAN B

About 800 tons are dumped in Waimanalo Gulch each day, along with 600 tons of ash from H-Power.

Hodge said his company could arrange to ship some ash to Washington if the city were interested.

The city is considering expanding H-Power's capacity or having a new facility built.

Several City Council members expressed frustration that officials don't seem to have contingency plans for dealing with O'ahu's waste if the state Land Use Commission rejects the request to expand Waimanalo Gulch.

"If we don't get it, what are we going to do?" Councilman Todd Apo asked officials.

Environmental services executive assistant Martin Okabe repeatedly declined to answer directly, but said the city's goal is to keep the dump open, "and we're going to try with everything we've got."

"We are moving ahead very optimistically," Okabe said.

Reach Johnny Brannon at jbrannon@honoluluadvertiser.com.