Company Could Ship Trash To Mainland By Summer

HONOLULU -- Hawaiian Waste Systems recently received final federal permissions to barge Hawaii garbage to Washington state.

A private Oahu garbage collection company has signed a long-term contract with the company to ship waste out of Honolulu.

That will be a first for Hawaii.

The Seattle-based company hopes to begin shipping garbage bales off Oahu by summer to the Roosevelt Regional Landfill.

"I think it does formalize a disposal alternative for all of the state of Hawaii, Honolulu in particular," Hawaiian Waste Systems Chief Executive Officer Jim Hodge said.

The state is now processing permits for a plant Hodge wants to build at Campbell Industrial Park to compact trash before it is shipped.

Rolloffs, one of Oahu's biggest private waste haulers, has signed a long-term contract to export its waste of up to 100,000 tons of trash a year, Hodge said.

Rolloffs didn't want to comment on camera, but officials said they imagined other Hawaii refuse companies would also be interested in shipping out trash.

There is a savings. Shipping out trash would cost about $80 a ton. Currently, private companies have to pay the city $92 a ton to use the landfill or H-Power power plant in tipping fees.

The city said it will try to stop Rolloffs from shipping out garbage under a state law allowing the city to force all waste to either H-Power or the landfill.

"They are proposing to ship out up to a 100,000 tons a year. That's going to significantly impact our revenue that we need for operations of our solid waste programs," city Environmental Services Director Eric Takamura said.

The city is also concerned about losing garbage it needs to fuel its H-POWER waste-to-energy facility.

It is awaiting the outcome of a New Jersey case currently before the U.S. Supreme Court to determine if private garbage haulers can control disposal of their own waste.

Hawaii is one of the few states that does not ship out any of its municipal waste.

The Honolulu City Council's Public Works Committee on Thursday approved a resolution to require the city to consider garbage shipping proposals.

Councilman Todd Apo, representing the Waianae District where the landfill is, said shipping city trash should at least be looked at as an option.