HILO — In about another month, Hawaii County’s Department of Environmental Management expects delivery of the first three trucks and trailers it will use to haul rubbish across the island following closure of the Hilo landfill.
Bill Kucharski, department director, said each of the truck and trailer pairs cost $330,000. Another five will be ordered, and bids on those will close next week, he said.
Kucharski said the county will have the 20-ton trailers on hand by the end of the year when the Hilo landfill could reach capacity. Afterward, waste from windward transfer stations will be hauled from Hilo to the county’s other landfill at Pu‘uanahulu in South Kohala, an approximately 70-mile trek.
The trucks will transport about 160 tons of waste per day, he said.
The trailers used to haul waste from the transfer stations will still be in use, and the county needed additional vehicles to transport to Pu‘uanahulu, Kucharski said. The new trailers also will haul green waste from West Hawaii to East Hawaii, where a mulching and composting facility is planned to be built.
“We want to make sure we have good solid pieces of equipment for these functions,” he said.
Closure of the landfill is anticipated to cost about $20 million, according to a recently completed environmental assessment.
Kucharski said closure, which would include a new cover system, passive gas venting, and a new storm water detention and infiltration basin, would take 18 months to complete.
He said the county will proceed with final closure design following the 30-day period to challenge the EA, which was published Feb. 8.
Depending on how much waste is accepted, the landfill could reach its capacity by November or possibly as late as March 2019, Kucharski estimated.
“The issue that we have with the closure is we don’t know exactly when it will be closed,” he said. “It depends on how much waste material we get in.”
“We do know that once we reach the maximum elevation we will then physically stop taking any kind of commercial waste into the facility,” Kucharski added.
Expanding the Hilo landfill has been considered impractical because of permitting issues, the heavy amounts of rain Hilo receives, proximity to the airport and residences, and costs.
“Closing that landfill I think will be a net positive for the community,” he said.
Email Tom Callis at tcallis@hawaiitribune-herald.com.
Wow, What a waste of money. Large trucks damaging the roads, and the dangers of transporting rubbish across the island. Some lives will be lost, but they don’t care. There’s a lot of land in Hilo,why not build there own dump. We don’t need there rubbish here in Kona. Cronies spending money stupidly and someone they know filling there pockets.
That’s what happens when you elect Demoncrats. It wasn’t long ago that the headline in West Hawaii Today said that Harry Kim gave himself and all his cronies a 35% raise. Now that’s your tax dollars at work!
I must have rolled out of the wrong side of the bed this morning, Corkky. Your post will not pass without comment.
This is not what happens because you elect Democrats. Both parties are complicit in really bad governing and poor spending today. We have been lax as citizens, in not attending meetings and demanding more from our elected officials of all stripes. The Democratic party has had too much power in this state for too long, but I doubt that Republicans would do any better today.
Harry Kim did not give himself the raise. The salary commission did. They should be disbanded and you can be a force by educating yourself and talking to friends and going to meetings and writing to the editor. I am all for your efforts and further the raises were a disgrace and a GET tax hike would also be and we could go on all day fighting this out, however…. When I see your first sentence the first thing I think is armchair grumpster and that is not helpful to making changes.
Hauling this garbage is not only a waste per areapolice, but it is a slap in the face when an official says that it will be good for the neighborhood when they mean THEIR neighborhood while every neighborhood between Hilo and Pu’uanahulu will be suffering the noise and inevitable littering. I agree, again, disgusting decision; while I find your first sentence to be disagreeable and inaccurate.
“Harry Kim did not give himself the raise.” Gee, I was under the understanding that Harry had packed these raises already into his $500 Million Dollar plus budget (largest ever in Hawaii County) approved earlier. The salary commission just put a stamp on it.
You are ignorant of how a 2 party system works.
If we had a tangible opposition party to keep the Dems honest, we would not be living with such a sophomoric government.
When an opposing party is watching over the shoulder of politicians they tend to do their jobs better.
In this case, all the costs associated with moving waste to the Kona side should be bourne by Hilo taxpayers.
But we ALL know that will not be the case.
not ignorant, just saying both parties are equally complicit in being bought by special interests. Also saying we are complicit due to being complacent.
America suffers from several diseases: Wall Street, CEO and an insane one party political system created by an insane electoral college established at slave time. The Big Island is done soon!
Hawaii County needs to do more effective recycling and do more to encourage reduction of plastic packaging.
Hawaii county should split! That keeps Kim like creatures on the other side. The West Hawaii population should consider to build a wall.
What is the most likely route they will be taking to the dump? Any ideas?
Yes folks, this why the saddle road was improved and the bypass to get the trash closer and faster was added.
We’re we told, over the past decade, that the improvements to Saddle Road were a wonderful political triumph and a great gift to all of us? And, if I remember, weren’t we told that the trash would not be shipped to West Hawaii?
Perhaps my memory has finally failed – or time has gone by so quickly that the long term NEED has finally become today’s reality.
Please – everyone, correct my recollections!
The brain trust in Hilo take west side money to support their inbred burecracy and then dump their trash on us. Yet the citizen morons on the west side of the island continue to elect these losers…….pathetic….
Study-up Finn, Honolulu voters decides what best for the people on all the Islands.
Hilo is the determining factor here in Hawaii County. How is Kona and the west side voter going to effect the vote. 2010 population, Hilo 45K Kona 12K, ratio wise would still be the same 2017 We are not morons in Kona we’re just out numbered.
I agree Honolulu is calling the shots to some extent and we are footing the bill for their poor decisions. However we have almost 200k people on the island. By your math we have only 57k….not even remotely close to the correct percentage break down between east and west. Check what percentage of tax revenue comes from the west side vs east. Maybe it is time to split into two counties…… and let Hilo live with their own bad decisions and crappy tax revenue
Great – the American, I might say insane way of solving things. Sustainability: zero.
Where are the Sierra club and the local hippy’s at to protest this as they did the Super Ferry, Depleted Uranium and the TMT? Oh, it’s just trash, it’s not in my backyard and there’s no money in it. As Do Mo stated we were once told no garbage from the east would be trucked over to the west…but I think that was lying Billy K.
And they’ve already been doing it as I’m a frequent user at the landfill and have followed county rubbish trucks all the way up Waikoloa Road where they turn right to the new Saddle Road on their way back to Hilo…..
looking at you Totally from the outside. It seems it is an environmental thing, very simply put to you- water, especially rain, and landfills are a very bad combination. Dry Kohala is sadly a better place for it.