Neal Bolton

By Neal Bolton

Imagine a paradise thousands of miles from the mainland masses. A land born of volcanoes, shrouded in cloudy mist, and surrounded by sand, surf, and swaying palms.

Hawaii is the southernmost state in the United States. And with the bulk of Hawaii sitting below the tropic of Cancer, it is truly a tropical island. It's a place where the warm trade winds sweep across the green of rain forest and sugar cane. Vegetation grows anywhere … everywhere.

Yes, Hawaii is a beautiful state. But if you're in the landfill business, the very things that define Hawaii can make the business of operating a landfill there problematic.

The geology of the islands was obviously created with vacation in mind. From the steep, rugged mountains, across the barren lava fields, to the sandy beaches, two things come to mind: rock and sand. Both are great for tourism but offer little in the way of landfill liner or cover material. In addition, the trade winds that ripple the sea and sway the palms also stir the dust and blow the litter.

And even the remoteness of Hawaii makes running a landfill difficult. Need parts for a tractor, geosynthetic clay liner (GCL) material, or a specialist to design your gas system? Many of those things we take for granted on the mainland cost more and take longer to arrive in Hawaii. When you're 2,400 mi. away from the rest of the country, contingency planning isn't just a catchword, it's the price of survival.

Hawaii isn't a big state and doesn't have a lot of landfills. Fact is, many of us on the mainland live within two hours of more landfills than there are in the entire state of Hawaii.

According to Gary Sui, environmental permitting engineer with the State of Hawaii, "Most landfills are very near urban areas, or urban development is advancing toward them. [As a result,] it is important that design and operations be advanced to a level to be protective of public health and the environment.

"Those wishing to site new landfills will have difficulty because the interior portions of the islands are the only source of current or future groundwater, and the beach areas are rapidly being developed."

NIMBY is alive and well in Hawaii.

From a distance, landfills in Hawaii might look like landfills anywhere else. Certainly there are similarities. There are also some big differences. A close look at Maui's Central Landfill offers a better feel for operating an island landfill.

Case Study: Central Maui Landfill

Central Maui Landfill is, as you might guess, located in the center of Maui. Maui can be described as an hourglass, running east-west, with mountains on either end, narrowing to a weathered plain at the waist. Kahului is located on the northern edge of the waist. The landfill is a couple of miles southeast of Kahului and approximately 4 mi. from the ocean.

More specifically, the landfill is located in an active rock quarry that has been excavated to a depth of approximately 45 ft. The landfill has no source of soil except for the quarry, which provides virtually all of the landfill's cover soil and various types of aggregate.

There are no nearby residential neighbors; the landfill is entirely surrounded by sugar-cane fields. There are also fantastic views of the Pacific Ocean to the north and mountains to the east and west.

Having recently presented an onsite training program for the landfill staff, I can verify that this landfill is definitely one of my favorite landfill picks when it comes to picturesque settings. But despite the beautiful setting, running a landfill in Maui is not a party. Similar to most other landfills, Central Maui Landfill has its share of tough issues. Here's a rundown on some of the issues that face the landfill.

Cover Soil. Cover soil–or, rather, the lack of it–is one of the most serious issues facing this landfill. As mentioned earlier, the only source of soil is the adjacent quarry operation. It's close, but it's costly, and aside from alternative daily cover, there's no other choice for cover material. They can't dig deeper, and they can't truck it in from the county next door. For Central Maui Landfill, soil management planning is vital.

Landfill Capacity. With only a year's worth of airspace left in the current (unlined) fill area, Central Maui Landfill is under considerable pressure to get its expansion area completed and approved as soon as possible. On an island, the problem of running out of landfill space is very serious. When it comes to a second choice for landfill capacity, there is no second choice.

Also, because of the lack of clayey soil, their expansion is based on a GCL design. Similar to many other landfills, the decision to use a GCL was based in part on economics. Unlike many other landfills, GCL was one of the few reasonable options (as opposed to importing clay by ship).

Greenwaste. Where there's green, there's bound to be greenwaste, and a tropical island such as Maui has more than average. To save airspace and provide a valuable product, Central Maui Landfill subcontracts with EKO Systems to chip and compost all greenwaste that enters the landfill.

Wind. Central Maui Landfill has its share of wind problems. Despite its relatively remote location, litter and dust can become problematic. Trade winds, funneled between the mountains on the east and west end, stream across the narrow waist of the island where the landfill is located.

It's Not All Bad

Don't be misled into thinking that operating a landfill on Maui is all difficult work. Central Maui Landfill has a decent machine fleet and a knowledgeable crew. Because of the limited service area, the wastestream is fairly consistent and predictable. Obviously there are few concerns with imported waste.

The landfill operations staff has developed a computer spreadsheet that receives input on tonnage, waste density, and surface area of the cell. Using this spreadsheet as a tool, the staff can track airspace use, cover-soil use, and soil costs.

Landfills are landfills wherever they are. They all have to deal with many of the same issues. Part of the success of any landfill is being able to rally the strong points while dealing with the negative issues. For the crew at Central Maui Landfill, dealing with dirt, wind, and garbage is just another day in paradise–at the landfill.

Neal Bolton is principal with Blue Ridge Services in Atascadero, CA.