Fight Over Waimanalo Gulch Landfill Brewing

By Sophie Cocke 01/11/2012

The city and Ko Olina Resort are headed for a showdown this year over plans to keep the Waimanalo Gulch Landfill open past July.

Resort owners have pushed for years to close down the landfill because they are concerned that it's hurting business and is a public health hazard. The state Land Use Commission agreed and ordered the landfill to be closed in July.

Debate over the landfill has dragged on for at least a decade, with the city repeatedly requesting extensions to keep it open. The city says there is nowhere else to put the trash. The controversy peaked last year when pounding rains sent trash and medical waste from the landfill flowing into the ocean and onto nearby leeward beaches.

----------

Last June, the city asked the state to vacate a July 2012 deadline that it had imposed for shutting down the landfill. Ash and residue from H-Power, which burns much of Oahu's trash, would still be allowed.

http://www.civilbeat.com/articles/2012/01/11/14511-fight-over-waimanalo-gulch-landfill-brewing/

If they close Waimanalo Gulch, where do you think the trash should go?