County proposes Molokai landfill expansion as capacity looms

WAILUKU, Hawaii — Maui County has proposed expanding the Molokai landfill because it is expected to reach capacity by 2020.

The county is considering adding two new disposal sites and relocating the existing green waste facility to a new site on the property, The Maui News reported Tuesday.

The Molokai Integrated Solid Waste Management Facility is located on a 38-acre (15-hectacre) patch of land. It’s the island’s only municipal solid waste disposal facility and offers a recycling center for glass, aluminum and plastic containers accepted under the state’s HI-5 recycling program. The facility also accepts cardboard, newspapers and used motor oil, as well as green waste that is shredded to use as mulch onsite or provided free to residents.

Four disposal sites have been opened on the property since 1993. They’re expected to reach full capacity by mid-2020.

The county Department of Environmental Management wants to open two additional disposal sites that would take up 6.8 acres (2.8 hectares). The green waste facility relocation would open up space for one of the new disposal sites.

The green waste facility would be moved to the west of Molokai Metals, a separate facility that accepts and processes scrap vehicles, appliances and other scrap metal for storage and recycling.

Other improvements would include installing permanent fencing, perimeter drainage and road improvements. An entrance channel would be installed to carry runoff to an existing stormwater basin onsite.

The expansion project would cost an estimated $6.5 million. The department would develop the first of the two new disposal sites in fiscal year 2019, with the second to follow in fiscal year 2024. The improvements would allow the landfill to accommodate the island’s disposal needs through 2038.

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Information from: The Maui News, http://www.mauinews.com