Dive Summary:
- The Mayor of Hawaii County wants to create a waste-to-energy facility on the main island within the next three years.
- Mayor Kenoi is receiving pushback from the County Council, who are opposed to the plan and unanimously passed a nonbinding resolution suggesting the county implement alternative solutions to a landfill—including composting and recycling.
- The county's low garbage tonnage will make it challenging to meet minimum weight requirements, making a new landfill both costly and impractical.
From the article:
... With organic waste accounting for more than half the volume of the waste stream, several council members worry the county will be forced to dump it into a waste-to-energy plant to meet the required tonnage, rather than creating an organics program that offers mulch and compost to residents. ...
... Kenoi says the county has considered and continues to consider a host of options. Two alternatives he's not considering, however, are expanding the Hilo landfill or trucking Hilo garbage to the West Hawaii landfill at Puuanahulu. ...
