Honolulu revisits plans to ship city trash to mainland dumps

Honolulu revisits plans to ship city trash to mainland dumps Barges ferrying municipal trash for the City of Honolulu could begin arriving in West Coast landfills by the end of the year.
   The city has long opposed shipping trash to the mainland, but following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling, the city is now looking at the idea again — as long as the city maintains control.
   The high court ruled that local municipalities can ban private trash haulers from shipping city waste to other states, essentially bypassing city dumps and vis-'-vis city fees.
   Honolulu collects $92 per ton for disposing trash in O’ahu’s Waimanalo Gulch landfill. Out-of-state private haulers, threatening the city's revenue stream from dumping fees, have proposed to ship the waste to landfills in Oregon and Washington for significantly less than the city fee.
   The fees now collected from trash pickups at apartment buildings and businesses allow the city to provide free trash collection from most private homes.
   Three companies, Hawaiian Waste Systems, Pacific Rim Environmental Resources and Idaho Waste Systems, have proposed to bypass the city by offering private collection for apartments and businesses for much less.
   The city is now looking at hiring the private haulers for the lower price per ton and continuing to collect the $92 per ton fee, using the difference to sponsor the fee pickup at homes. The city claims that the idea could also prolong the life of the Waimanalo Gulch landfill.
   Only about half of the annual 1 million tons of trash collected in Honolulu would be available for shipment as the city is contractually obligated to provide 500,000 pounds a year to a trash-burning energy generating facility on the island. A similar energy generating facility now being proposed would also require a guaranteed flow of trash to operate and cut into the amount available for out-of-state shipment.
   The city council is considering two proposals on the matter: one would bar the city administration from interfering with the private trash-shipping plans and the other would allow the city-controlled shipments.