HONOLULU (KHON2) -- Oahu's waste may soon be shipped off-island as the county revives plans to export trash.
This proposal, first considered over a decade ago, is being revisited by the Department of Environmental Services.
Officials are exploring the possibility of transporting 75,000 tons of trash and 225,000 tons of ash from the H-POWER facility each year for up to ten years, should a new landfill not be ready in time.
Roger Babcock, head of the Department of Environmental Services, stated, "It's very unlikely that we can open a landfill in four years. No one's ever done that before." He added, "It’s not like we don’t ship waste now. All recycled material is shipped to the mainland, and hazardous waste is also transported off-island."
The current landfill in West Oahu is set to cease operations by March 2028, but the city has yet to secure a site for a replacement.
The city has issued a request for information regarding trash shipping, with responses due by December 2.
Cost estimates for the shipping plan remain uncertain, as they will depend on whether disposal costs at the destination are lower than on-island, in addition to transit expenses.