>> AFTER MORE THAN 30 YEARS IN OPERATION, WAIMANALO LANDFILL IS SET TO CLOSE.

COMMISSION CHARGED WITH PICKING A NEW SITE RECENTLY OBJECTED SEVERAL OPTIONS DUE TO POSSIBLE EFFECTS ON GROUND WATER AQUIFERS.

NOW WHAT?

TONIGHT'S LIVE BROADCAST AND LIVE INSIGHTS ON PBS HAWAI'I START NOW.

>> Yunji: ALOHA, AND WELCOME TO "INSIGHTS" ON PBS HAWAI'I!

I'M YUNJI DE NIES.

THE WAIMANALO GULCH SANITARY LANDFILL WAS OPENED IN 1989 AND IS LOCATED OFF FARRINGTON HIGHWAY JUST PAST KO OLINA.

ACCORDING TO THE CITY, ABOUT 250,000 TONS OF WASTE GOES INTO THE LANDFILL EACH YEAR, ABOUT 72% OF THAT IS ASH AND RESIDUE FROM H‑POWER.

THE CITY HAS BEEN ORDERED BY THE STATE LAND USE COMMISSION TO OPEN A NEW LANDFILL AND SHUTTER THE CURRENT ONE BY 2028.

HOWEVER, A DECISION ON WHERE THE NEW LANDFILL WILL GO IS DUE BY THE END OF THIS YEAR.

THERE ARE ONLY FOUR AREAS ON O'AHU THAT COMPLY WITH LOCAL, STATE AND FEDERAL REGULATIONS FOR A NEW SITE.

A CITIZEN COMMITTEE THAT’S HELPING TO CHOOSE THE FUTURE LOCATION RECENTLY SCRAPPED PROPOSED OPTIONS BUT ULTIMATELY IT’S UP TO THE MAYOR TO MAKE A FINAL DECISION.

WE LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR PARTICIPATION IN TONIGHT'S SHOW.

YOU CAN EMAIL OR CALL IN YOUR QUESTIONS.

AND YOU’LL FIND A LIVE STREAM OF THIS PROGRAM AT PBSHAWAII.ORG AND THE PBS HAWAI'I FACEBOOK PAGE.

NOW, TO OUR GUESTS.

ROGER BABCOCK JUNIOR IS THE DIRECTOR OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES FOR THE CITY AND COUNTY OF HONOLULU.

HE PREVIOUSLY DIRECTED THE CITY’S DEPARTMENT OF FACILITY MAINTENANCE.

HE HOLDS A PHD IN CIVIL ENGINEERING AND PRIOR TO WORKING FOR THE CITY HE TAUGHT CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI'I AT MANOA.

NICOLE CHATTERSON IS THE CO‑FOUNDER AND THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ZERO WASTE O'AHU.

THE NON‑PROFIT PROVIDES RESOURCES AND EDUCATION ON WAYS THAT PEOPLE CAN CUT DOWN ON WASTE.

SHE HAS A MASTER’S DEGREE IN ENVIRONMENTAL ANTHROPOLOGY AND SPENDS MOST OF HER FREE TIME OUTSIDE, EITHER IN THE OCEAN OR EXPLORING THE KO'OLAU MOUNTAINS.

KIRAN POLK IS THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE KAPOLEI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE WHICH WORKS ON BEHALF OF MEMBERS TO IMPROVE THE REGIONAL AND STATE ECONOMIC CLIMATE TO HELP KAPOLEI BUSINESSES THRIVE.

SHE’S SPENT THE LAST 16‑YEARS OF HER CAREER FOCUSED ON THE WEST O'AHU LANDSCAPE AND IS THE EDITOR OF THE ANNUAL KAPOLEI MAGAZINE.

AND RACQUEL ACHIU IS THE VICE‑CHAIR OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD FOR O'AHU’S NORTH SHORE WHERE SHE WAS BORN AND RAISED.

SHE’S INVOLVED IN A VARIETY OF COMMUNITY EFFORTS INCLUDING THE PROTECTION AND PROPER USE OF LANDS.

THANK YOU, ALL, FOR BEING HERE TONIGHT.

WE REALLY APPRECIATE IT.

UM, KIRAN, I WANT TO START WITH YOU.

WHY DO YOU THINK THIS FACILITY SHOULD CLOSE?

WHAT HAS THE IMPACT BEEN ON YOUR COMMUNITY?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, YUNJI, WE MENTIONED WE'VE BEEN IN THIS FOR 30 YEARS.

IT'S BEEN ONE AFTER ANOTHER AFTER ANOTHER.

ORIGINALLY, THE LANDFILL WAS SLATED TO CLOSE IN 2004, AND SO IT'S DEFINITELY PAST ITS EARMARK TIME.

I THINK OUR COMMUNITY IS ‑‑ HAS BEEN PATIENT ENOUGH AND THEY'RE TIRED.

AND IT'S TIME TO MAKE A CHANGE.

WE'RE THE GROWING SECOND URBAN CORE.

WE'VE HAD 20% GROWTH IN THE LAST DECADE.

WE HAVE ALL OF OUR GROWTH IN OUR CITY MOVING OUT TO THE KAPOLEI REGION IN TERMS OF ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, SO IT JUST MAKES SENSE THAT IT'S TIME TO MOVE OUR LANDFILL INTO ANOTHER AREA AND LOOK AT ALTERNATIVES.

>> ROGER, LET'S TALK ABOUT THOSE FOUR SITES THAT WE IDENTIFIED IN THAT GRAPHIC AT THE TOP.

UM, THOSE SO FAR HAVE BEEN REJECTED FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS, BUT WHY WERE THOSE IN PARTICULAR CHOSEN, AND IF NOT THERE, THEN WHERE?

>> YEAH, THANKS, YUNJI, THAT'S AN IMPORTANT QUESTION.

SO THERE ARE CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS ON WHERE A LANDFILL CAN BE LOCATED.

UM, SOME OF THE ONES THAT'S BEEN AROUND FOR A LONG TIME CAN'T BE LOCATED IN A TSUNAMI INUNDATION ZONE OR CAN'T BE LOCATED WITHIN 10,000 FEET OF AN AIRPORT, THE OUTSIDE OF AN AIRPORT, THAT'S ABOUT TWO MILES BEYOND THE OUTSIDE OF AN AIRPORT.

UM, THEN ‑‑ IN ACT 73, IT PASSED IN 2020 BY THE STATE LEGISLATURE AND THAT FURTHER LIMITED ‑‑ IT PLACED ADDITIONAL RESTRICTIONS.

THE FIRST ONE IS IT CAN'T BE LOCATED IN ANY CONSERVATION LAND AREA, AND THE SECOND ONE IS IT CAN'T BE LOCATED WITHIN A HALF MILE OF ANY RESIDENTIAL PROPERTY LINE.

SO THAT ONE IN PARTICULAR ELIMINATES A LARGE ‑‑ LARGE PARTS OF THE ISLAND.

WE DO HAVE AN INTERACTIVE MAP ON OUR WEB PAGE FOR THE LANDFILL ADVISORY COMMITTEE.

THAT'S HONOLULU.GOV/OPALA/NEW LANDFILL.

THERE'S NEW INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR ACTIVITIES, HANDOUTS OF ALL OF THEIR MEETINGS AND ALL OF THAT.

IT SHOWS YOU THE LIMITS OF WHAT IS AVAILABLE.

WHAT IS LEFT BASICALLY IS A LOT OF THE MIDDLE PART OF THE ISLAND WHICH IS AGRICULTURAL AREAS, AND BECAUSE THERE JUST ISN'T RESIDENTIAL AND IT'S NOT ON THE COAST AND THERE AREN'T AIRPORTS.

SO THAT'S WHY ‑‑ THERE'S ACTUALLY SIX SITES, KIND OF FOUR AREAS AS YOU MENTIONED, AND IN ONE OF THOSE AREAS, THERE'S THREE SITES THAT ARE KIND OF CLOSE TOGETHER TO EACH OTHER.

SO THAT'S WHAT WE ‑‑ SO LEGALLY, THAT'S KIND OF WHAT WE'RE LIMITED TO.

SO, YEAH.

>> Yunji: I'M LOOKING AT THAT PICTURE RIGHT THERE, AND RACQUEL, I WANT TO GO TO YOU, BECAUSE TWO OF THE QUALIFIED AREAS ARE ON THE NORTH SHORE, ONE IS IN WAIALUA AND THE OTHER IN HALEIWA.

WE SEE THAT IN YOUR PICTURE RIGHT THERE.

WHAT ARE YOUR CONCERNS ABOUT BRINGING A FACILITY LIKE THIS INTO YOUR COMMUNITY?

>> WHERE DO I START?

NATURALLY THE INITIAL CONCERN IS THERE IS AN AQUIFER THAT THIS LANDFILL WOULD EITHER BE ON AND/OR AROUND.

OBVIOUSLY, A LANDFILL WILL TAKE A LOT OF SPACE.

THAT AREA IS ALSO NOT AS VACANT AS MOST WOULD THINK IT IS.

THERE ARE FARMING ‑‑ FARMERS UP THERE.

PEOPLE LIVE ON THE LANDS UP THERE.

THAT'S A HUGE CONCERN AS WELL FOR THEM.

ANOTHER LARGE CONCERN WOULD BE THE RUNOFF OF JUST LAST YEAR, MARCH 2021.

THEN WE SUFFERED SIGNIFICANT FLOODING.

WE SUFFERED A LOT OF RUNOFF FROM UP ON THE MOUNTAIN.

THE RUNOFF FROM THAT LANDFILL COULD BE DETRIMENTAL TO OUR COMMUNITY, AND IT WOULD END UP IN THE STREAMS, POSSIBLY WITHIN THE COMMUNITY AGAIN.

SO THAT WOULD BE AN ADDITIONAL CONCERN.

ALSO, THE NORTH SHORE HAS A SIGNIFICANT AMOUNT OF CESSPOOLS STILL, SO ANY LEAKAGE OR RUNOFF COULD IMPACT THOSE OR ALSO IMPACT PART OF OUR NEAR SHORE ENVIRONMENT.

SO THERE ARE QUITE A BIT OF ANGLES, YOU KNOW.

THERE'S A MULTITUDE OF CONCERNS, AND THE INFRASTRUCTURE OF WHAT A FACILITY AND TRAFFIC, DAILY TRAFFIC WOULD TAKE IN THAT AREA.

WE JUST DON'T HAVE THAT INFRASTRUCTURE.

I THINK IT'S JUST DEFINITELY TIME TO LOOK AT DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVES.

WE'RE GOING TO RUN OUT OF LAND SOON.

WE'RE NOT FARMING IT IF WE'RE PUTTING LANDFILLS ON THEM.

SO I THINK THERE'S DEFINITELY ALTERNATIVES.

I SPOKE WITH SOMEONE RECENTLY ABOUT ‑‑ I BELIEVE IT'S CHATHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, THAT'S GOT AN ALTERNATIVE OPTION.

I'M NOT SUPER FAMILIAR WITH IT, BUT IT SEEMS VERY SUCCESSFUL WHERE YOU DRIVE IN AND DROP OFF YOUR LIGHTLY‑USED RECYCLABLES.

SECOND STOP IS YOUR WET GARBAGE AND WHEN YOU COME OUT, YOU CAN PICK UP COMPOST.

THE WET GARBAGE WOULD BE USED FOR COMPOSTING.

SO IT WAS SOMETHING THAT WAS OF INTEREST.

I THINK IT'S A HUGE ‑‑ IT WOULD BE A CHANGE OBVIOUSLY, BUT, UM, YOU KNOW, THE NORTH SHORE NEIGHBOR BOARD HASN'T TAKEN A POSITION.

WE WERE JUST KIND OF WATCHING WHAT THE COMMISSION WAS GOING TO DECIDE AND WE'RE SUPER GRATEFUL THAT THE SITES WERE DROPPED, HOWEVER, IT DOESN'T ELIMINATE IT.

I DON'T BELIEVE ‑‑ I THINK IT'S STILL KIND OF FLOATING IN THE AIR, AND WE WANT TO BE SURE THOSE CONCERNS ARE HEARD.

OUR COMMUNITY ‑‑ WE HAD A LANDFILL YEARS AGO.

IT GOT CLOSED, SO WE'RE KIND OF FULL OF RUBBISH ALREADY.

SO ‑‑ >> Yunji: NICOLE, LET'S BUILD ON THAT AND TALK ABOUT SOME OF THE ALTERNATIVES.

DO YOU THINK WE NEED A NEW SITE OR CAN WE CONTINUE TO USE THE ONE WE HAVE?

>> I THINK WHERE THAT CONVERSATION STARTS IS ON THE UPSTREAM END OF THE WASTE WE CREATE.

I TEND TO THINK ABOUT THE WAY WE MAKE WASTE AND THEN THE WAY WE MANAGE THE WASTE WE MAKE.

AND I THINK MOST OF THE EXCITING POSSIBILITIES THAT WOULD HELP MEDIATE ‑‑ REMEDIATE SOME OF THE IMPACTS COMMUNITIES ARE GOING TO FACE IF HAVING TO HOST A LANDFILL ALL LIE UPSTREAM.

SO THESE ARE MAKING DIFFERENT CHOICES ABOUT WHAT WE BUY, THE PRODUCTS THAT WE'RE IMPORTING INTO OUR ISLANDS AND ENSURING THAT WE CAN REDUCE THE VOLUME OF WASTE THAT GOES ANYWHERE.

I THINK THE LANDFILL MAY TECHNICALLY HAVE CAPACITY TO CONTINUE ON, AND I DON'T KNOW THAT THAT MEANS IT SHOULD.

AS KIRAN WAS SAYING, THE COMMUNITY'S HOSTED THAT LANDFILL FOR THREE DECADES, AND THAT'S A LONG TIME.

I ALSO THINK WE'RE GOING TO RUN INTO THE SITUATION THAT RACQUEL BROUGHT UP WHICH IS NO ONE IS GOING TO BE EXCITED TO HOST A LANDFILL.

THAT LEADS ME TO BELIEVE THAT THE ‑‑ AND RIGHTFULLY SO, RIGHT?

NO ONE'S WATER SHOULD BE IMPACTED.

NO ONE'S LAND SHOULD BE USED THAT WAY IT IS A SOCIAL JUSTICE ISSUE.

IT'S AN ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE ISSUE.

IF WE DO SITE LANDFILL SOMEWHERE, THE COMMUNITIES NEED TO BE COMPENSATED FOR THAT.

WE NEED TO REALLY LOOK AT WHAT THAT LOOKS LIKE.

THAT'S NOT REALLY AN ANSWER ABOUT WHAT SHOULD HAPPEN, BUT THE PIECE THAT EXCITES ME OR FEELS LIKE POSSIBILITY HERE IS DOUBLING DOWN ON WASTE REDUCTION SO THAT WE DON'T HAVE TO KEEP MAKING THESE TERRIBLE DECISIONS.

>> Yunji: KIRAN, I THINK NO COMMUNITY WANTS THIS.

WHAT DO YOU SAY TO COMMUNITIES WHO ARE FACED WITH THIS PROSPECT?

I KNOW THAT YOU ‑‑ YOU KNOW, YOUR COMMUNITY IS BASICALLY SAYING WE'VE DONE THIS LONG ENOUGH, BUT WHAT DO YOU SAY TO OTHERS THAT ARE LIKE RACQUEL WHO ARE FACING THIS?

>> NO, I MEAN IT'S A VERY VALID POINT THAT NIMBY ACRONYM OF NOT IN MY BACKYARD, I THINK WE ALL HAVE THAT SENSE ABOUT IT, BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, UM, YOU KNOW, WE DO NEED TO MAKE OTHER ALTERNATIVE CHOICES AND EVEN LOOK AT THINGS DIFFERENTLY AND ADDRESS THAT.

I MEAN, DO WE REALLY NEED TO HAVE A LANDFILL WITH THAT MUCH OF AN IMPRINT OR DO WE FIND WAYS THROUGH REDUCTION OR ALTERNATIVE RECYCLING, REUSE AND EVEN REGENERATION INTO ENERGY?

I MEAN, EXPLORE THAT IN THE LONG‑TERM BUT THERE'S NO PERFECT ANSWER FOR THAT, AND TO YOUR POINT, NO ONE IS GOING TO BE EXACTLY THRILLED AND HAPPY FOR IT, BUT WE CAN'T JUST KICKING THE CAN DOWN THE ROAD EITHER.

THAT'S SOMETHING MY COMMUNITY IS VERY CONCERNED ABOUT AT THIS POINT WITH NO SOLUTIONS THAT THIS IS GOING TO BE EXTENDED AND EXTENDED AND EXTENDED, BECAUSE IT COULD BE, AND THAT'S NOT THE RIGHT ANSWER.

>> Yunji: RIGHT!

THERE'S BEEN TALK ABOUT CHANGING THE DESIGNATION SO THAT AT LEAST WOULD GO BEYOND 2028.

WHEN YOU HEAR THAT, WHAT GOES THROUGH YOUR MIND?

>> OH, IT'S ‑‑ IT'S ‑‑ IT'S VERY DISHEARTENING, AND IT'S VERY UPSETTING!

I MEAN, I DON'T THINK ‑‑ I DON'T THINK THE WEST SIDE REALLY KNOWS THE GRAVITY OF THIS AND IT'S BEEN VERY QUIET TO THIS POINT, BUT I CAN GUARANTEE YOU WHEN THE WORD DOES GET OUT IF THAT WERE TO HAPPEN, THERE'LL BE SOME VOICES THAT WILL COME FORWARD.

IT IS VERY, VERY STRONG ‑‑ STRONGLY FELT ACROSS ‑‑ LIKE I SAID, I HAVE 200,000 RESIDENTS IN WEST O'AHU AND WE'RE GROWING, AND THEY ALL CARE.

>> Yunji: ROGER, UM, YOU KNOW, THOSE 200,000 RESIDENTS ARE PART OF THE ISSUE WE FACE, RIGHT?

WE ALL HAVE TRASH.

NO ONE WANTS IT IN THEIR COMMUNITY.

IS THE 2028 DEADLINE IS ABSOLUTE?

CAN IT BE EXTENDED?

UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCE CAN IT BE EXTENDED?

>> IT'S ALWAYS POSSIBLE TO EXTEND DEADLINES, AND THE CITY WOULD HAVE TO GO BEFORE THE LAND USE COMMITTEE AND REQUEST THAT.

JUST TO LET YOU KNOW ABOUT THE PROCESS, SO, UM, LANDFILL ADVISORY COMMITTEE WAS PUT TOGETHER AND THEY STARTED MEETING IN OCTOBER OF 2021.

THEY'RE SCHEDULED TO HAVE EIGHT MEETINGS.

THEY'VE COMPLETED SEVEN MEETINGS AND SO THERE IS STILL ONE MORE MEETING, AND THAT MEETING WILL INVOLVE THE COMPLETION OF THEIR FINAL REPORT AND RECOMMENDATIONS.

THEY DID INDICATE AT THE LAST MEETING, THE SEVENTH MEETING WHICH WAS JUST APRIL 4th THAT AT THAT MEETING THEY COMPLETED THEIR SCORINGS AND ESSENTIALLY THE RANKINGS OF THE SIX SITES, WHICH WAS PART OF THE PROCESS OF THEIR EVALUATION AND VOTING.

AND AT THAT SAME MEETING, THOUGH, THEY DID SAY THAT BY A VOTE OF ALL THE FOLKS THAT WERE AT THAT MEETING THAT THEY WOULD NOT RECOMMEND USING ANY OF THE SITES.

THAT SAID, THE SITES HAVE BEEN RANKED, SO WE DO HAVE A RANKING OF THE SIX SITES.

AND THEY WERE ASKED TO EVALUATE THE SIX SITES ON A SET OF 17 DIFFERENT CRITERIA.

SOME OF THOSE ARE OBJECTIVE CRITERIA, AND SOME OF THOSE ARE SUBJECTIVE CRITERIA THAT THEY GET TO ‑‑ WHATEVER THEY FEEL, AND SO THE FIRST STEP OF THAT IS THEY REPRESENT WITH THAT CRITERIA.

THEY KIND OF AGREE TO THE WORDING OF THEM, AND THEN THEY GAVE WEIGHT.

THEY EACH ASSIGNED A WEIGHT BETWEEN 0 AND 100 FOR EACH CRITERIA.

SO THEY ASSIGNED A WEIGHT AN AGGREGATE WEIGHT WAS PUT TOGETHER FOR ALL OF THEIR CRITERIA.

OBJECTIVE CRITERIA RANGED FOR THE HIGH OF 92 AS HIGHEST OF IMPORTANCE AND THAT WAS RELATED TO GROUNDWATER OF NO PASS ON THE BOARD OF WATER SUPPLY'S CONCERN DOWN TO THE LOWEST RATE WAS HOW LONG IT WOULD TAKE TO OPEN A LANDFILL.

ANOTHER ONE WAS COST WERE THE TWO LOWEST ONES.

THAT'S NOT AN ISSUE.

IT'S MORE ABOUT THE LOCATION.

THEN THERE WAS SUBJECTIVE CRITERIA.

THE HIGHEST RANKED ONE WAS NEAR ECOLOGICALLY‑SENSITIVE AREAS AND SURFACE WATER THAT ALSO CAME AS VERY HIGH.

ALSO NEAR COMMERCIAL AREAS AND OBSTRUCTING THE VIEW PLAINS.

THEN THEY WERE ASKED TO RANK EACH OF THE SIX SITES AS 1 THROUGH 6 FOR EACH OF THOSE CRITERIA.

THEN THE NUMBERS WERE ALL MULTIPLIED TOGETHER AND ADDED UP.

THEN THE HIGHEST‑SCORING ONES OF 1 THROUGH 6 WERE ALL CREATED.

THAT'S THE PROCESS.

IT'S NOT DONE.

THEY HAVEN'T WRITTEN THEIR FINAL REPORT AND SAID WHAT THEY WANT THE MAYOR TO KNOW ABOUT THIS PROCESS AND ABOUT WHAT THEY THINK, BUT AS YOU SAID, IT DID MAKE NEWS THEY HAD SAID THEY DON'T LIKE ANY OF THE SITES.

>> Yunji: RIGHT, SO THAT'S A PROBLEM BECAUSE THEY'RE SAYING WATER IS THE BIGGEST CONCERN.

WE'VE SEEN OBVIOUSLY WITH RED HILL HOW MUCH OUR WATER HAS BEEN IMPACTED.

WE'RE CURRENTLY UNDER A DROUGHT AND YOU LOOK OUTSIDE AND THE HILLSIDES ALL LOOK PRETTY DRY CONSIDERING THE TIME OF YEAR IT IS, SO GIVEN THAT THAT THE BOARD OF WATER SUPPLY BASICALLY SAID NONE OF THE SITES ARE A GO BY THEIR ESTIMATION.

DO YOU HAVE TO GO BACK AND FIND NEW SITES OR DO YOU HAVE TO WORK WITH THESE SIX?

>> WELL, IT'LL BE A COMBINATION ‑‑ IT'LL BE A COMBINATION OF THINGS.

I THINK THE MAIN THING IS THE ‑‑ THE FIRST THING THAT NEEDS TO HAPPEN IS TO HAVE THE COMMITTEE, YOU KNOW, FINISH THEIR WORK, AND ‑‑ SO WE'RE NOT REALLY DOING ANYTHING RIGHT NOW TO ‑‑ THAT WOULD, UM, INFLUENCE, YOU KNOW, THAT PROCESS.

SO WE'RE WAITING FOR THEM TO FINISH THEIR WORK, WHICH WILL BE IN JUNE AND THEN WE WILL FIGURE OUT NEXT STEPS DEPENDING ON EXACTLY WHAT THEY RECOMMEND, AND NOW ‑‑ BECAUSE THEY HAVE TALKED ABOUT A LOT OF OTHER POTENTIAL SITES AND OTHER THINGS THAT THEY WOULD LIKE US, THE CITY, TO LOOK INTO AND, UM, SO I THINK WE'RE KIND OF JUST WAITING FOR THAT AND THAT PROCESS TO HAPPEN.

AND I WOULD NOTE THAT, UM, LANDFILLS, UM, HAVE ALWAYS BEEN AROUND AND ONE PART OF THE THING THAT ‑‑ A COUPLE OF PARTS I WANTED TO MENTION ABOUT WHAT THE LANDFILL ADVISORY COMMITTEE HAS DONE IS INITIALLY THEY TOOK TOURS OF H‑POWER AND THE LANDFILL AND LIKE YOUR PICTURE SHOWS, THE PICTURE ‑‑ THE VIDEO THAT WAS SHOWN IS PRETTY ACCURATE.

YOU KNOW, YOU SEE A TRUCK THERE.

WHAT YOU DON'T SEE IS BIRDS.

AND YOU DIDN'T SEE TRASH REALLY BLOWING AROUND.

IT'S MOSTLY AN ASH LANDFILL.

AND ASH HAS ITS ‑‑ IT'S COOLED WITH WATER, SO IT LOOKS LIKE CEMENT.

IT'S GRAY CEMENT‑LOOKING MATERIAL.

SO IT ISN'T NECESSARILY WHAT YOU THINK OF WHEN YOU THINK OF A LANDFILL AND WHAT YOU MIGHT SEE ON TV OF SOME OTHER LANDFILLS SOMEWHERE ELSE.

AND THE OTHER THING IS THAT ‑‑ ONE OF THE THINGS WE SHOWED THEM WAS THE LOCATION OF 45 PREVIOUS LANDFILLS ON THE ISLAND, AND THEY'RE EVERYWHERE, SO JUST SO PEOPLE KNOW EVERYBODY HAS HOSTED LANDFILLS.

SOME OF THEM WE STILL MAINTAIN AFTER CLOSURE.

WE HAVE TO MAINTAIN THEM FOR 30 YEARS AFTER THEY ARE CLOSED.

>> Yunji: I APPRECIATE THAT.

I WANT TO GET TO VIEWER QUESTIONS.

CASEY ON FACEBOOK SAYS HOW MUCH OF THIS LANDFILL GARBAGE IS FROM AND WILL BE FROM THE 10+ MILLION TOURISTS?

IS THIS LANDFILL YET ANOTHER HIDDEN COST OF OVERTOURISM WITH THE TAXPAYER RESIDENTS GETTING STUCK WITH IT?

IS THERE A WAY TO ENGAGE OUR PARTNERS IN THE COMMUNITY, BE IT COMMERCIAL, OBVIOUSLY US AS INDIVIDUALS TO REDUCE SOME OF THE TRASH IN THE WAY THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT?

>> YEAH, AND THAT'S A REALLY INTERESTING QUESTION.

I KNOW IN 2020 THE VOLUME OF WASTE GOING TO LANDFILL DID DECREASE WHICH WAS ALIGNED WITH A DECREASE IN VISITORS AS WELL AS A DECREASE IN LOCAL COMMERCE, PEOPLE WEREN'T OUT BUYING AS MUCH, ALTHOUGH YOU COULD ARGUE MORE RESTAURANT TAKEOUT WAS HAPPENING AND MAYBE THAT, YOU KNOW, IT'S HARD TO SAY EXACTLY WHY THE VOLUME OF WASTE DECREASED, BUT IT DID.

AND IT WAS ALIGNED WITH VISITORS STEPPING BACK FROM VISITING.

SO I THINK THAT POINTS TO, ONE, THE ABILITY FOR US TO REDUCE.

IT CAN HAPPEN.

AND HOW THAT IS ATTACHED TO THE WAY WE PARTICIPATE IN THE ECONOMY.

AND OUR VISITORS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE WAY THEY PARTICIPATE WHEN THEY'RE HERE.

AND I THINK THERE'S A TON OF ROOM FOR EDUCATION.

I MEAN, WHILE ON THE FLIGHTS INTO HAWAI'I ‑‑ AND I KNOW THERE'S SOME WORK BEING DONE THERE ‑‑ ANY RESTAURANT YOU GO TO, YOU KNOW, LEARNING ABOUT THE LOCAL FOOD OPTIONS.

LOCAL FOOD HELPS DECREASE PACKAGING WASTE, WHICH IS A BIG PORTION OF WHAT IS IN OUR WASTE STREAM.

UM, WHEN YOU ‑‑ SO IN 2017, THE CITY UNDERTOOK A WASTE CHARACTERIZATION STUDY, WHICH IS PRETTY COOL TO LOOK AT IF YOU WANT TO GEEK OUT ON NUMBERS, AND ONE OF THE LARGEST PORTIONS OF WHAT IS GOING INTO H‑POWER AND THEN ULTIMATELY INTO WAIMANALO GORGE IS PLASTIC WASTE.

PLASTIC FILM IS IN THE TOP 10 MOST PREVALENT ITEMS GOING INTO THE LANDFILL.

THIS IS LIKE PLASTIC BAGS, WRAPPING FROM, YOU KNOW, SHIPMENTS THAT MIGHT HAVE COME IN.

THE PLASTIC WRAP THAT GOES AROUND CONTAINERS.

IT'S FOOD PACKAGING.

WHEN LOOKING AT WHAT GOES IN THERE, I THINK IT'S EXCITING TO THINK ABOUT HOW TO INCENTIVIZE OUR COMMERCIAL SECTOR TO PACKAGE PRODUCTS DIFFERENTLY AND SHIP PRODUCTS DIFFERENTLY.

THAT'S ALL WITHIN OUR ‑‑ THE REALM OF POSSIBILITY.

AND ONE LAST THING I'LL ADD THERE IS THERE'S A BILL THAT'S MADE IT MOST OF THE WAY THROUGH THE STATE SESSION, HB2399, AN EXTENDED PRODUCER RESPONSIBILITY BILL, SO IT'S ASKING LARGE PRODUCERS TO PLEASE BEAR SOME OF THE COST BURDEN.

THE PUBLIC HERE IS REALLY TAKING CARE OF MANAGING THE WASTE THEY'RE PRODUCING AND SHIPPING TO THE ISLAND.

>> Yunji: RACQUEL, I WANT TO BRING YOU BACK IN.

I'M INTERESTED IF NOT IN YOUR COMMUNITY, WHERE IS THIS APPROPRIATE TO GO?

NOT TO PUT YOU ON THE SPOT THAT YOU HAVE TO COME UP WITH THAT SOLUTION BUT NO MATTER WHERE WE GO, WE CAN FIND SOMEONE FROM THAT NEIGHBORHOOD TO COME ON THIS PROGRAM AND TELL US WHY THEIR COMMUNITY IS NOT RIGHT TO HOST THIS.

WE'RE GOING TO PRODUCE SOME TRASH.

AS WE NOTED AT THE TOP, 70+% OF THAT IS THE ASH FROM H‑POWER, SO THAT IS ‑‑ OBVIOUSLY WE COULD PRODUCE WHAT WE'RE BURNING BUT THAT'S ALREADY WASTE THAT'S CONVERTED INTO ENERGY.

WHAT WOULD YOU SAY TO OTHER COMMUNITIES WHY YOUR COMMUNITY IN PARTICULAR SHOULDN'T BE THE ONE?

>> I ‑‑ YOU KNOW ‑‑ BEING WE'RE ON AN ISLAND, AND SPACE IS JUST LIMITED.

IT ‑‑ I WOULD SUPPORT ANY COMMUNITY THAT DIDN'T SUPPORT IT.

SO IT'S ‑‑ I THINK THE OBLIGATION OR THE IDEA WOULD BE TO GET REALLY ALTERNATIVE AND COME OUT OF THE BOX AND LOOK AT DIFFERENT ALTERNATIVES, HOW OTHER STATES ARE ABLE TO GET AWAY.

I REALIZE LANDFILLS HAVE BEEN SOMETHING FROM THE BEGINNING OF TIME.

THAT'S JUST THE WAY IT IS, BUT I DO BELIEVE THAT THERE'S PROBABLY NEW IDEAS, NEW TECHNOLOGY, NEW SYSTEMS THAT CAN BE IMPLEMENTED IN MAYBE A FACILITY TYPE OF OPERATION THAT WOULD MINIMIZE TAKING AWAY THE LAND FOR RUBBISH.

ONCE WE DO THAT TO THE LAND, WE SERIOUSLY COMPROMISE OUR ABILITY TO MAKE THAT LAND SUSTAINABLE FOR OURSELVES AND THAT'S PRETTY CRITICAL, BECAUSE WE KEEP TALKING ABOUT BEING SUSTAINABLE.

WE'RE ON AN ISLAND.

WE NEED TO TAKE CARE, BUT WE CAN'T DO THAT IF IT JUST KEEPS BECOMING A DUMP.

>> Yunji: UM, MARK IN KAILUA HAS A QUESTION.

I THINK THIS IS A GOOD ONE FOR YOU, KIRAN.

HE SAYS CAN THE CITY REALISTICALLY FIND A NEW SITE BY THE END OF THE YEAR GIVEN THAT THE GROUP THAT HE'S TALKING ABOUT HAS HAD SEVEN OF THE EIGHT MEETINGS AND REJECTED ALL THE SITES.

THE BOARD OF WATER SUPPLY SAYS NO GO.

YOU KNOW, YOU'LL HAVE ADVOCATES LIKE RACQUEL ARGUING IN THE SAME WAY YOU'RE ARGUING THAT IT SHOULDN'T BE HOSTED BY THEM.

DO YOU THINK THAT THE CITY COULD REALISTICALLY FIGURE THIS OUT?

>> I HAVE MY DOUBTS.

I'VE BEEN SITTING THROUGH THE COMMITTEE MEETINGS RECENTLY AND WATCHING THIS.

THERE'S A TIMELINE TO ROGER'S POINT, THERE ARE CERTAIN THINGS THAT NEED TO HAPPEN.

THAT'S NOT TO BODE THE POINT IT SHOULD BE EXTENDED AND EXTENDED AND EXTENDED BUT WE NEED TO THINK PROACTIVELY, AND WE NEED TO LOOK AT THIS AND SAY, OK, IF THIS ISN'T THE SOLUTION, THEN WHAT IS?

JUST PUSHING IT BACK AND PUSHING IT BACK IS NOT GOING TO SOLVE ANYTHING.

TO YOUR POINT ABOUT THE ‑‑ YOU WERE TALKING ABOUT FINDING WAYS TO REDUCE, AND I THINK OUR VISITOR INDUSTRY, THAT'S AN EXCELLENT ‑‑ I MEAN, REGENERATIVE TOURISM, THERE'S CONNECTIONS THAT COULD BE MADE AND SOLUTIONS THAT CAN BE FOUND.

I DON'T THINK IT'S VERY REALISTIC.

IF THERE IS ONE THAT'S SELECTED, IT'S OBVIOUSLY THERE'S REPERCUSSIONS IN DIFFERENT AREAS, WHETHER IT BE THE BOARD OF WATER SUPPLY OR A COMMUNITY THAT IS UP IN ARMS ABOUT IT, SO I DON'T KNOW.

>> Yunji: THERE'S TWO COMMENTS HERE ON THE MILITARY AND ROGER, I WONDER IF YOU COULD TAKE THIS ON.

I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THIS.

MOSES SAYS WHAT PERCENTAGE OF THE STATE'S WASTE IS COMING FROM THE MILITARY TO FOLLOW ON THAT, EDDIE SAYS ARE MILITARY LANDS CONSIDERED IN THE LANDFILL SITE SELECTION?

>> YEAH, UM, THE ‑‑ I HONESTLY DON'T KNOW THE ANSWER TO THE FIRST QUESTION EITHER ABOUT MILITARY ‑‑ THE MILITARY WASTE, THEIR RUBBISH.

WITH RESPECT TO MILITARY LANDS, THAT'S A GOOD POINT, AND IT IS SHOWN ON THE WEBSITE, ON THE SITES THAT ARE AVAILABLE AND NOT AVAILABLE, AND SO, UM, FEDERAL LANDS WERE NOT CONSIDERED, SO THAT WOULD INCLUDE MILITARY LANDS.

THE REASON FOR THAT WAS THAT IT'S NOT CONSIDERED FEASIBLE WITH THE TIMELINE THAT WE HAVE TO GET IN AGREEMENT OR HAVE THE MILITARY FOR EXAMPLE SAY, YEAH WE DON'T NEED THAT LAND.

IT SEEMS VERY UNLIKELY.

THERE'S NOT THAT MUCH SPACE THAT WOULD MEET ALL THE CRITERIA THAT WE HAVE.

THERE IS SOME LARGE MILITARY AREAS THAT ARE ON THE WEST SIDE WHICH WOULDN'T BE A GOOD ALTERNATIVE.

UM, AND, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE DIDN'T TALK ABOUT ‑‑ WE TALKED ABOUT WAIMANALO GULCH, HALF OF THE WASTE CONSTRUCTED ON THE ISLAND IS CMD WASTE.

IT GOES TO LANDFILL CALLED PVT OFF FARRINGTON HIGHWAY.

THAT LANDFILL IS UNABLE TO EXPAND ANYMORE.

SO IT MAY HAVE FIVE TO 10 YEARS OF SPACE LEFT, AND THEN IT'LL BE CLOSING, PARTLY BECAUSE ‑‑ MOSTLY BECAUSE OF ACT 73.

THERE'S RESIDENTS IN THE AREA.

AT THAT POINT UNLESS SOMETHING ELSE HAPPENS, WHICH IS VERY UNLIKELY, ALL OF THAT WASTE WILL COME TO THE CITY AS WELL.

OUR NEW LANDFILL THAT WE'RE CITING AND HAVE THE ALTERNATE SITES AND WE SIZED AND HAVE SHOWN THEM AND YOU CAN LOOK AT THE WEBSITE TO SEE WHERE THEY ARE EXACTLY DO CONSIDER ALL THE CMD WASTE AND THE ASH FROM H‑POWER AND THE SMALL AMOUNT OF MUNICIPAL SOLID WASTE THAT GOES DIRECTLY TO THE LANDFILL AS WELL AS SPECIAL WASTE THAT GOES TO THE LANDFILL, WHITE GOODS, MATERIALS FROM CARS THAT ARE SCRAPPED, THAT'S CALLED "FLUFF" AND VARIOUS OTHER THINGS THAT CAN'T BE BURNED.

UM, BUT JUST TO LET YOU KNOW HOW BIG IT IS, UM, THE SITE OF THE LANDFILL ‑‑ SO THE LANDFILL IS DESIGNED TO LAST 20 YEARS.

IT'S 80 ACRES IN A FOOTPRINT.

SO TO GIVE YOU A PERSPECTIVE ON THAT, A TYPICAL GOLF COURSE IS 110 OR 120 ACRES, SO IT'S ABOUT 2/3 THE SIZE OF A GOLF COURSE, BUT THAT'S THE PILE, AND THEN THERE NEEDS TO BE A BUFFER, SO IF YOU PUT A HALF‑MILE BUFFER AROUND THERE, YOU END UP WITH ABOUT 500 ACRES.

AND WHEN WE TALK ABOUT, YOU KNOW, APPROPRIATE AREAS OR INAPPROPRIATE AREAS, UM, IT TURNS OUT THE CENTRAL PART OF THE ISLAND WHICH DOES GO ALL THE WAY TO HALEIWA WE CAME OUT NUMBER SIX, IS THE MOST OPEN SPACE WHERE THERE'S NO PEOPLE.

A LOT OF IT IS FAIRLY FLAT, BUT IT IS IN AGRICULTURE, SO IT WOULD BE ONE OF THE NEGATIVE THINGS.

IT WOULD BE A LOSS OF PRODUCTIVE AGRICULTURAL LAND, ACTUALLY THE BEST LAND THAT WE HAVE.

HOWEVER, IT'S NOT ZONED RESIDENTIAL.

THERE'S NOBODY THAT IS SUPPOSED TO BE LIVING THERE, AND IT IS FAR AWAY FROM PEOPLE.

WITH RESPECT TO THE FARMLAND, IT IS WHAT IS CALLED IMPORTANT AGRICULTURE LANDS AS A DESIGNATION.

THERE'S A AND B.

A IS INACTIVE CULTIVATION.

B IS SUITABLE FOR ACTIVE CULTIVATION.

THERE'S 136,000 ACRES OF THAT IN THAT AREA, AND ‑‑ AND THE LANDFILL WOULD BE 500, SO WE ‑‑ AT THE LEDGE, WE MADE THAT COMMENT.

IT'S LESS THAN 1/2 OF 1% WOULD BE UNAVAILABLE.

SO THAT'S NOT IMPORTANT, BUT WE DO FEEL IT'S A FAIRLY SMALL AMOUNT, AND SO ANY WAY, THAT'S ‑‑ HOWEVER, IT IS OVER A POTABLE AQUIFER.

EVERYTHING IS OVER A POTABLE AQUIFER PRETTY MUCH.

THAT ISN'T A LEGAL RESTRICTION, THE POTABLE AQUIFER PART.

>> Yunji: WHEN YOU HEAR ABOUT THAT SCALE OF LAND, LESS THAN 1/2 OF 1%, WHAT DO YOU SAY?

>> THERE IS ‑‑ THE NORTH SHORE DOES HAVE A VAST AMOUNT OF LAND.

I'M HUGELY PROTECTIVE OF THE AG LAND.

THERE'S A LOT OF MISUSE OF THE LAND AS IT IS.

WE DO HAVE QUITE A BIT, A VARIETY OF ISSUES THAT DO COME AND HIT OUR AG LANDS.

AND TRYING TO SUPPORT AND IMPLEMENT PROGRAMS FOR FARMERS AND PEOPLE WHO EVEN LIVE ON THEIR LANDS TO FARM, IT'S HARD TO GET THOSE PEOPLE TO COMMIT WHEN, YOU KNOW, AT ANY TIME THERE'S ALWAYS A CONSIDERATION OF DEVELOPMENTS OR LANDFILLS OR WHATEVER YOU HAVE.

UM, I ‑‑ THE AMOUNT OF LAND THAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT NUMBER‑WISE SOUNDS AMAZING.

IF YOU WERE TO GO OUT THERE AND LOOK AT IT, IT'S NOT ‑‑ I DON'T BELIEVE IT'S THAT FEASIBLE FOR A PROJECT SUCH AS A LANDFILL.

I THINK FOR THE NORTH SHORE, OBVIOUSLY THE PROTECTION OF THE AQUIFER IS A HUGE, HUGE, HUGE, HUGE POINT.

WE HAVE TOO MANY WATER CONCERNS, BUT I'M JUST GOING TO THROW THIS OUT THERE AS A DIFFERENT ANGLE IS AS TO YOUR POINT OF THE REDUCTION IN WASTE DURING THE PANDEMIC LEADS ME TO THINK MAYBE THERE'S A CARING CAPACITY OF THIS ISLAND THAT NEEDS TO BE CONSIDERED, AND THAT'S OUT OF THE SCOPE AND PROBABLY ANOTHER MEETING, BUT OBVIOUSLY SOMETHING TO BE CONSIDERED IN TERMS OF USE AND WHAT WE'RE PRODUCING, AND HOW TO MANAGE IT BETTER.

THAT'S A COMPLETELY ‑‑ LIKE I SAID, THAT'S A COMPLETELY OUT‑OF‑THE‑BOX KIND OF COMMENT BUT THINGS WE HAVE TO THINK ABOUT ULTIMATELY THAT HELP US REDUCE THAT WASTE AND BE ABLE TO MANAGE IT BETTER IN AN ALTERNATIVE MEANS VERSUS JUST PUTTING IT INTO THE GROUND.

>> Yunji: THAT CONVERSATION IS ONE THAT IS ONGOING ON THIS PROGRAM AND OTHERS ABOUT HOW MANY TOURISTS WE CAN REALLY TAKE.

I APPRECIATE YOU BRINGING THAT UP.

I WANT TO BRING UP THESE TWO QUESTIONS TO YOU, BUILDING ON WHAT SHE WAS SAYING EARLIER ABOUT FINDING ALTERNATIVES.

DAVE IN MILILANI SAYS DO YOU KNOW OF ANY NEW TECHNOLOGIES OF WASTE MANAGEMENT THAT COULD BE TRIED IN THE NEW LOCATION INSTEAD OF JUST DIGGING A HOLE AND PUTTING RUBBISH IN IT.

HOW DO OTHER ISLAND COMMUNITIES IN THE U.S. AND AROUND THE WORLD DEAL WITH THIS PROGRAM?

ARE THERE SOLUTIONS HAWAI'I CAN MODEL?

>> IN MY OPINION, THE LOW‑HANGING FRUIT WOULD BE REMOVING THAT 20% OF OUR WASTE STREAM THAT'S FOOD FROM THE PICTURE, SO WE'RE NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT BURYING IT.

WE'RE NOT GOING TO TALK ABOUT INCINERATING IT FOR ENERGY.

INSTEAD, WE'RE GOING REINCORPORATE IT INTO SOIL.

MAYBE SOME OF IT GOES TO ANAEROBIC DIGESTION TO CREATE ENERGY AND THERE ARE SOIL OUTPUTS AFTER THAT.

THERE ARE GREAT TECHNOLOGIES, LOW‑TECH AND HIGH‑TECH FOR DEALING WITH THE FOOD PORTION OF THE WASTE STREAM AND I DON'T KNOW THAT ANY OF THOSE ARE PARTICULAR TO ISLAND COMMUNITIES, BUT THEY ARE ABUNDANT IN MANY OTHER PLACES.

A COUPLE LEGISLATIVE SESSIONS AGO, WE MODELED POTENTIAL SOLUTION TO OUR LACK OF COMPOSTING HERE AFTER WHAT OHIO WAS DOING.

SO THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH IN HAWAI'I IS THE ENTITY THAT SAYS YES OR NO TO COMPOSTING FACILITIES AND THERE'S A LONG AND ARDUOUS PERMITTING PROCESS WHICH IS ARGUABLY A GOOD THING, BUT NOT MANY ENTITIES HAVE MADE IT THROUGH AND THAT'S BECAUSE SOME OF THE WAYS WE'RE THINKING ABOUT FOOD WASTE ARE A LITTLE ANTIQUATED AND SOME OF THE RISKS WE'VE ASSOCIATED IN OUR POLICIES WITH COMPOSTING IS NOT ‑‑ IS NO LONGER, UM, SERVING US AND IS NO LONGER ACCURATE.

SO OHIO DID A GREAT JOB OF TIERING THEIR COMPOSTING PERMITS.

SO IF YOU'RE DOING A LITTLE COMPOSTING PROJECT AT A SCHOOL, THAT'S ONE TYPE OF PERMIT.

IF YOU'RE DOING A BIG FACILITY, THAT'S ANOTHER TYPE OF PERMIT, BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY THEY HAVE VERY DIFFERENT POTENTIAL IMPACTS.

SO IF WE CAN GET SOMETHING LIKE THAT GOING, THERE'S NO REASON WHY EVERY DOE SCHOOL COULDN'T HAVE THEIR OWN COMPOSTING PILE WHICH IS EDUCATIONAL FOR KIDS AND IS SOLVING A BIG PIECE OF OUR PROBLEM.

SO THAT'S AN EASY LOW‑TECH SOLUTION THAT JUST REQUIRES A POLICY SHIFT.

>> Yunji: THAT'S VERY INTERESTING AND BUILDS ON THIS QUESTION FROM A VIEWER IN MAUI.

MANY RECYCLING MATERIALS ARE BEING LANDFILLED TO THE ABSENCE OF SUCH A FACILITY IN HAWAI'I.

BUILDING ON THE 20% SHE'S TALKING ABOUT, TELL US ABOUT SOME MEASURES THAT ARE UNDER CONSIDERATION THAT COULD HELP WITH FOOD WASTE.

>> SURE, YEAH, THANKS.

THE MOST IMPORTANT THING WE CAN DO IS SOURCE REDUCTION.

WE HAVE TO CHANGE AS A SOCIETY THE WAY WE DEAL WITH OUR WASTE AND THAT'S HOW MUCH WE PRODUCE.

I JUST WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THAT'S UNDERSTOOD.

WE HAVE WHAT IS CALLED INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT PLAN.

IT'S A REQUIRED THING TO HAVE.

OUR LATEST ONE IS FROM 2019.

NUMBER ONE ‑‑ IS IN ORDER OF IMPORTANCE ‑‑ NUMBER ONE IS SOURCE REDUCTION.

IT'S IMPORTANT TO SAY ZERO WASTE O'AHU REALLY HAS WAYS OF DOING THAT.

YOU BUY FOOD IN BULK.

YOU DON'T BUY THINGS IN BAGS.

THERE'S OTHER WAYS AS WELL.

IN TERMS OF COMPOSTING, RIGHT NOW, ALL GREEN WASTE, EVERYTHING THAT GOES INTO THE GREEN BINS IS COMPOSTED.

THAT'S A VERY LARGE COMMERCIAL OPERATION.

THAT'S WHERE ALL GREEN WASTE GOES.

IT'S WHERE THE COMPOST GOES.

FOOD WASTE CURRENTLY AS WE ALL KNOW GOES IN YOUR GRAY BIN, RIGHT?

THAT'S WHERE YOU PUT YOUR FOOD WASTE.

AS NICOLE MENTIONED CORRECTLY, THAT'S 20% ABOUT OF THE ‑‑ OF WHAT GOES IN THERE, SO, YOU KNOW, ONE OF THE QUESTIONS ‑‑ BUT, AGAIN, THIS IS JUST TALKING ABOUT RESIDENTIAL, SO THERE'S ALSO THE WHOLE COMMERCIAL SIDE, RESTAURANTS, HOTELS, ETC., HAVE A LOT OF WASTE AS WELL, AND WE DON'T COLLECT THAT WASTE AT ALL, SO THAT'S ALL DONE BY COMMERCIAL SERVICES INCLUDING THE GREEN WASTE AND ANY OTHER ‑‑ WHETHER THEY COLLECT MIXED RECYCLABLES OR NOT AS WELL AS CARDBOARD OR ANYTHING ELSE.

SO SOME OF THAT GREEN WASTE DOES END UP BEING COMPOSTED.

NOW, WHAT HAPPENS TO THE FOOD WASTE?

SOME GOES TO MAKING FOOD FOR PIGS.

A LOT OF THE LARGE SOURCES ARE COLLECTED THERE.

COMING BACK TO INDIVIDUAL RESIDENCES.

THE TRICK IS TO GET PEOPLE TO SEPARATE IT AT THE SOURCE.

SOURCE SEPARATION IS IMPORTANT.

ONCE IT'S IN THE GREEN BIN, WE CAN'T SEPARATE IT.

IT'S GOING TO H‑POWER AND WILL GET BURNED WITH EVERYTHING ELSE AND REDUCED FROM 90% TO 10% ASH, BUT WE MISSED THE OPPORTUNITY TO DO SOMETHING WITH THAT.

THE TRICKY PART IS HOW DO WE COLLECT THAT AND WHAT'S THAT GOING TO COST?

THE BEST THING TO DO IS NOT PRODUCE THE WASTE IN THE BEGINNING.

THERE ARE PROGRAMS ‑‑ AND I KNOW NICOLE IS INVOLVED WITH ONE IN CHINA TOWN WHERE WE TRY TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE.

USE ALL THE FOOD THAT YOU GET.

DON'T LET IT ROT.

EAT ALL THE FOOD, I GUESS, THAT YOU ORDER.

>> IF YOU DON'T, MAKE SURE IT GOES TO PEOPLE!

>> MAKE SURE IT GOES TO PEOPLE, RIGHT?

THERE ARE PROGRAMS LIKE THAT WHERE PEOPLE ARE REALLY DOING THAT KIND OF STUFF, SO WE DON'T WANT TO END UP IN THE GRAY BIN, BUT PRODUCING ANOTHER BIN OF SOME OTHER COLOR THAT ALSO GETS PICKED UP HAS REALLY LARGE COST IMPLICATIONS.

IF YOU HAD ANOTHER BIN, IT'LL HAVE TO BE COLLECTED ON ANOTHER DAY.

ONE OF THE MAIN ISSUES IS EVERYTHING EXCEPT FOR THE ‑‑ WELL, THE GRAY BIN IS PICKED UP EVERY WEEK, RIGHT?

WE ALL GET THAT SERVICE ONCE A WEEK, BUT YOUR GREEN BIN AND YOUR BLUE BIN ARE ONLY COLLECTED EVERY OTHER WEEK.

SO WHAT ARE YOU GOING TO DO WITH THE FOOD WASTE?

FOOD WASTE, YOU DON'T WANT TO PUT IT IN THE GREEN BIN BECAUSE IT'S ONLY PICKED UP EVERY TWO WEEKS.

THERE'LL HAVE ODOR AND OTHER ISSUES IN THERE.

PERHAPS IT COULD ATTRACT THINGS WE DON'T WANT TO ATTRACT, RATS AND STUFF, OR JUST FLIES AND WHATEVER.

SO ESSENTIALLY, YOU KNOW, WE'RE AT A SITUATION WHERE WE NEED ANOTHER WEEKLY PICKUP.

THAT ADDS A REALLY LARGE COST ACTUALLY, AND THEN, YOU KNOW, YOU'VE GOT TO DEPEND ON A WILLING PUBLIC TO BE ABLE TO MAKE THAT SEPARATION AND PUT IT IN SOMETHING ELSE AND PUT IT OUT ANOTHER DAY OF THE WEEK.

THEN WE WOULD HAVE TO HAVE ENOUGH VEHICLES AND ENOUGH ‑‑ >> Yunji: IS THAT OFF THE TABLE BECAUSE OF THOSE COST BARRIERS AND THAT SORT OF INCONVENIENCE?

>> NO!

IT'S NOT OFF THE TABLE, AND ACTUALLY I THINK WE WERE TALKING ABOUT EARLIER THE CITY COUNCIL DOES HAVE A BILL THAT'S WORKING ITS WAY THROUGH ‑‑ AND IT HASN'T BEEN FINALIZED YET ‑‑ BILL 62 WHICH IS THE FOOD WASTE, DIRECTING THE DEPARTMENT TO START COLLECTING FOOD WASTE.

WE'RE HOPING TO DO THAT AS A PILOT FIRST SO WE CAN FIGURE OUT WHAT THE WHOLE PROGRAM IS GOING TO COST, IF WE'RE GOING TO NEED NEW TRUCKS.

WE'RE DEFINITELY GOING TO NEED NEW CARTS TO DO THAT, PROBABLY, OR ACTUALLY WE DON'T HAVE ‑‑ WE DO HAVE SORT OF A DRAFT PILOT PLAN THAT WOULD BE A SIX‑MONTH THING, AND THE BILL MAY REQUIRE US TO DO SOMETHING IN A YEAR AND COME BACK WITH A REPORT AND SAY THIS IS WHAT WE RECOMMEND AND THIS IS WHAT THE COST WOULD BE, BUT INITIALLY JUST TO SAY, OK, WE'RE GOING TO PICK UP ANOTHER NEW CART ONCE A WEEK, THAT'S $43 MILLION A YEAR!

THAT'S A GIANT NUMBER, RIGHT?

WE'RE LOOKING AT OTHER IDEAS LIKE PUTTING FOOD WASTE IN A BAG AND THEN PUTTING THE BAG THAT CAN'T BE EASILY TORN APART IN THE GREEN BIN, BUT THEN IT'S GOT TO BE THERE TWO WEEKS, SO THERE'S SOME ‑‑ IT'S NOT EASY.

THAT WOULD THEN GET DUMPED IN THERE AND THEN WOULD HAVE TO BE SEPARATED SO WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT RECYCLING, THERE'S SOME DIRTY WORK GOING ON WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT DOING MIXED RECYCLABLES, HAVING TO GO TO A PROCESSING PLANT AND BE SEPARATED.

AND IF IT'S WET OR THERE'S CONTAMINATION, IT'S REALLY PROBLEMATIC, SO, UM, YOU KNOW, AGAIN, OUR BUSINESS, THE REFUGE BUSINESS IS A MESSY BUSINESS, SO THE BEST THING TO DO IS TO DO STUFF UP FRONT AND CHANGE THE WAY ‑‑ CHANGE THE WAY WE DO THINGS AND NOT CREATE ALL OF THIS WASTE.

WE'LL BE HAPPY ‑‑ I'LL TELL YOU, WE'LL BE HAPPY TO NOT HAVE AS MUCH WASTE, TO NOT BURN AS MUCH, MAKE LESS ELECTRICITY, THAT'S FINE AND MAKE THE LANDFILL LAST FOREVER, RIGHT?

OR HAVE, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN'T GO TO NO LANDFILL, BECAUSE WHEN YOU HAVE A REFUGE TO ENERGY FACILITY LIKE H‑POWER, IN ORDER TO GET A PERMIT TO OPERATE THAT FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND THE E.P.A., YOU MUST HAVE SOME PLACE TO PUT THE ASH.

IT'S A REQUIREMENT.

>> Yunji: KIRAN, I KNOW YOUR PLACE RIGHT NOW IS THE PLACE, AND WE'VE ‑‑ GO AHEAD, I THINK YOU WANTED TO SAY SOMETHING.

>> I HAVE A QUESTION TO BOUNCE OFF.

HAS THE CONVERSATION EVER HAPPENED AND LOOKED AT COUNTY‑TO‑COUNTY?

ARE THE OTHER COUNTIES AND THEIR LANDFILLS AT CAPACITY?

AND BETWEEN THE MAYORS OF THE COUNTIES, HAVE THOSE CONVERSATIONS OR DISCUSSIONS OR EVEN BEEN EQUALLY LOOKED AT?

WHETHER IT BE BRINGING MORE RECYCLABLES TO H‑POWER WHICH IS AT FULL CAPACITY AND HAS SOME ROOM FOR GROWTH AND IN THE SAME TOKEN TAKE SOMETHING OF OURS TO ANOTHER LANDFILLS?

I'M JUST WONDERING IF THAT'S EVER BEEN RESEARCHED OR LOOKED AT?

>> YEAH, YEAH.

THANKS FOR THAT QUESTION, AND JUST ABOUT ANYTHING YOU CAN THINK OF, YOU KNOW, HAS BEEN INVESTIGATED AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER INCLUDING INNOVATIVE NEW PROCESSES THAT THEORETICALLY MAKE ALMOST NO RESIDUALS AND DOING TRANSFERS.

AND THERE WAS A PILOT, YOU MIGHT REMEMBER, WHERE TRASH WAS GOING TO BE BAILED UP AND SHIPPED TO WASHINGTON STATE, AND, UM, THEY DIDN'T ‑‑ TURNS OUT ‑‑ AND THEY ACTUALLY GOT A CONTRACT FROM THE CITY ‑‑ AND IT TURNS OUT THEY DIDN'T HAVE ALL OF THEIR PERMITS IN PLACE, AND IT WAS HALTED BEFORE ANY EVER LEFT O'AHU.

LARGE VOLUMES WERE BAILED AND RESTORED FOR A WHILE.

ESSENTIALLY WE TOOK THEM ALL BACK AND BURNED THEM AT H‑POWER.

THINGS LIKE THAT ARE VERY DIFFICULT.

I MEAN, AGAIN, I THINK WE NEED TO LIVE WITHIN OUR OWN MEANS IN A GENERAL SENSE, RIGHT?

SO IF SOMEONE ASKS IF WE WOULD TAKE THEIR RUBBISH AND BURY IT AT WAIMANALO GULCH, WE WOULD SAY NO!

SO ANYBODY ELSE GENERALLY WOULD SAY NO, ESPECIALLY OTHER ISLANDS IN HAWAI'I.

SOME FOLKS MIGHT HAVE SOME PROPERTY IN NEVADA AND SAY, YEAH, WE CAN TAKE THIS WASTE, BUT ONCE YOU CRUNCH THE NUMBERS IF YOU THINK ABOUT SHIPPING AND CARBON FOOTPRINT AND STUFF LIKE THAT, IT REALLY DOESN'T MAKE SENSE.

I DID WANT TO MENTION ONE OTHER THING YUNJI, WE'RE DOING AND SOMETIMES I FORGET TO MENTION.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE'RE DOING THAT I THINK IS REALLY BIG, AS YOU MENTIONED, MOST OF THE STUFF THAT GOES TO WAIMANALO GULCH IS ASH FROM H‑POWER.

H‑POWER GENERATES 10% OF OUR ENERGY, WHICH IS THOUGHT OF AS GREEN ENERGY, RENEWABLE ENERGY BECAUSE WE ALWAYS HAVE REFUGE, MAYBE, UNLESS WE GET TO ZERO WASTE, RIGHT?

AS THIS ASH PRODUCT IS THE MAIN THING THAT GOES THERE, AS YOU MENTIONED, IS CLOSE TO 70%, WE'RE INITIATING AN ASH RECYCLABLE PROGRAM.

IT'LL BE THE SECOND ONE ‑‑ THE OPERATOR OF THE LANDFILL IS COVANTA.

THEY WERE RECENTLY PURCHASED BY AN INTERNATIONAL COMPANY, BUT THEY HAVE ONE FACILITY ‑‑ THERE'S ONE FACILITY IN THE UNITED STATES THAT RECYCLES ASH INTO AN AGGREGATE PRODUCT.

AGGREGATE IS LIKE GRAVEL.

IT'S USED IN ROADS AND CONCRETE AND ASPHALT AND YOU CAN MAKE A MATERIAL OUT OF ASH THAT IS A SUBSTITUTE, COULD BE A SUBSTITUTE FOR A PORTION OF THE AGGREGATE.

AND, UM, SO OUR CONSULTANT RECENTLY VISITED THEIR FACILITY WHICH IS LOCATED IN PENNSYLVANIA, AND IT'S THE ONLY ONE IN THE UNITED STATES, AND, UM, AND WE ARE GOING TO BE CONSTRUCTING SUCH A FACILITY HERE.

SO THERE'S A POTENTIAL IT COULD REDUCE ‑‑ >> HOW SOON WOULD THAT BE?

>> IT'LL PROBABLY TAKE 10 YEARS.

BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHY IN A SECOND, BUT IT COULD REDUCE THE ASH BY 60%.

WHAT IT DOES IS GOES THROUGH A TREATMENT PROCESS AND EXTRACTS A LOT OF METALS AND MATERIALS AND LEAVES BEHIND MATERIAL THAT'S HARD ENOUGH TO BE CONSIDERED AN AGGREGATE.

IT'S BEEN SUCCESSFUL BACK THERE, SO WE'RE CONVINCED WE SHOULD MOVE FORWARD WITH THIS.

THERE'S SEVERAL STEPS.

THE REASON IT'S 10 YEARS IS BECAUSE WE FIRST HAVE TO MAKE SURE WE COULD GET IT APPROVED, BOTH ENVIRONMENTALLY AND BY THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH THAT WOULD BE ACCEPTABLE TO USE THIS MATERIAL, BECAUSE IF YOU DON'T HAVE ANY END USE FOR IT, IF IT'S NOT ACCEPTABLE TO USE, THEN WE WOULDN'T WANT TO MAKE IT, AND THEN THERE'S SEVERAL OTHER STEPS BEFORE IT COULD COME INTO OPERATION, BUT THESE ARE LONG‑TERM, YOU KNOW, ‑‑ LANDFILLS ARE LONG‑TERM.

WASTE ENERGY REFUGE IS LONG‑TERM.

SOUNDS LIKE A LONG TIME BUT ‑‑ >> Yunji: IN THE MEANTIME, KIRAN, YOUR COMMUNITY IS BEARING THE BRUNT OF THIS.

YOU KNOW, WE TALKED A LOT ABOUT THE COST OF SOME OF THESE OTHER PROPOSITIONS, BUT WHAT HAS THE COST BEEN TO YOUR COMMUNITY?

WHAT WOULD YOU TELL PEOPLE ABOUT THE EXPERIENCE OF HAVING TO HOST THIS FOR SO LONG?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I THINK THE WORDS "SOCIAL INJUSTICE" AND "ENVIRONMENTAL INJUSTICE" HAVE BEEN USED AND CAME UP MULTIPLE TIMES IN THIS CONVERSATION, BUT THERE ARE LONG TIME ‑‑ AND WE ACTUALLY DO HAVE A LOT OF ‑‑ ALL THE UTILITIES ON OUR SIDE OF THE ISLAND ARE THERE, TOO, SO IT'S NOT JUST THE WAIMANALO GULCH LANDFILL.

TO THE POINT THAT THE SPACE THERE WAS AND THE WAY THIS ISLAND WAS DEVELOPED AND BUILT AND GREW FROM DECADES AGO, THE IMPRINT WAS THERE, BUT IT'S COMPACTED, RIGHT?

AND SO I THINK THE COST IS ON SO MANY LEVELS THE ENVIRONMENTAL, THE SOCIAL AND JUST THAT SENTIMENT THAT WHY IS EVERYTHING ON THE WEST SIDE?

AND BEYOND THAT, THERE'S HEALTH CONCERNS.

I MEAN, I THINK THERE'S UNKNOWNS.

PEOPLE HAVE, YOU KNOW, TO YOUR POINT, THERE'S LANDFILLS ALL OVER, BUT THERE'S ALSO THAT 30‑YEAR PERIOD AFTER IT'S CLOSED, AND THERE'S A REASON FOR THAT BECAUSE OF THE TOXINS AND CANCER‑CAUSING AGENTS AND ALL OF THESE THINGS THAT ARE UNKNOWN.

SO THOSE ARE THE CONCERNS AND WORRIES OF OUR FAMILIES.

AND WE HAVE THE MOST CONCENTRATED FAMILIES ON OUR SIDE.

WE HAVE THE POPULATION.

AND SO THERE'S SOME BIG CONCERNS.

A LOT OF IT IS EMOTIONALLY‑DRIVEN, BUT FOR A GOOD REASON.

>> Yunji: WHEN YOU HEAR THAT, THAT EXPERIENCE, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT FOR YOUR COMMUNITY?

WHAT HAVE YOU BEEN HEARING FROM PEOPLE COMING TO THE NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD ABOUT THE PROSPECT OF HOSTING THIS?

>> WELL, THE NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD HASN'T TAKEN A POSITION, BECAUSE IT WAS ‑‑ IT HAS NOT BEEN PRESENTED.

WE AWAITED WHAT THE COMMISSION'S FINDINGS WOULD BE.

I'M VERY COMFORTABLE IN SAYING SHOULD IT COME IN FRONT OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD, IT'LL PROBABLY BE A VERY LARGE MEETING, AND THEY'LL COME OUT ‑‑ I COMPLETELY MIRROR WHAT KIRAN IS SAYING.

WE'VE BEEN THROUGH IT.

THERE WAS A LANDFILL THERE, AND LIKE YOU SAID, THEY'VE BEEN EVERYWHERE.

I CAN VERY COMFORTABLY SAY THAT THE COMMUNITY WILL COME OUT WITH FULL RESISTANCE, BECAUSE THERE'S JUST SO MANY THINGS THAT WE ARE STILL TRYING TO ‑‑ AS WITH MANY COMMUNITIES.

WE'RE NOT, YOU KNOW, EXCLUSIVE TO ANY ISSUES, BUT, UM, WE'RE STILL TRYING TO FIGURE OUT ISSUES WITH FLOODING, STREAM MAINTENANCE, UM, YOU KNOW, EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS, HOW TO FIX ALL OF THOSE THINGS AND TO ADD SOMETHING THAT COULD IMPACT ALL OF THOSE WOULD BE OF HUGE CONCERN AND THEN, OF COURSE, AGAIN THE WATER.

YOU KNOW, I ‑‑ THE VERY FEW PEOPLE THAT ARE AWARE OR REALLY KNOW ABOUT THE LANDFILL PROPOSAL, I CAN'T EVEN EXPRESS HOW PASSIONATE AND LIKE YOU SAID EMOTIONALLY‑DRIVEN THAT THEY ARE AND BECAUSE THEY'VE SEEN ‑‑ IT'S OLDER PEOPLE.

THEY'VE SEEN ALL OF THOSE CHANGES ALREADY, AND WE'RE STILL IN AN AREA WHERE WE HAVE SO MUCH TO FIX THAT TO THEM THAT WILL JUST BE ADDING AN ADDITIONAL THOUGHT OF, OK, HOW ARE WE GOING TO MANAGE THIS?

YOU KNOW, IT'S A TOUGH GAME, RIGHT, BECAUSE IT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE TO MANAGE.

IT'S SOMETHING WE HAVE TO FIGURE OUT.

AND NO COMMUNITY WANTS IT, BECAUSE IT IS IMPACTING.

KIRAN IS ABSOLUTELY RIGHT.

IT'S VERY ‑‑ IT'S ‑‑ IT'S SOCIAL INJUSTICE.

IT'S EMOTIONALLY‑DRIVEN AND, YOU KNOW, NORTH SHORE ALSO AS IN MANY AREAS HAS A LOT OF CULTURAL ASPECT THAT PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT.

THE CULTURAL ASPECT IS SOMETHING THAT EVERYONE IS STILL TRYING TO HOLD ONTO STILL.

THERE'S STILL QUITE A BIT OF, YOU KNOW, KUPUNA AROUND THAT BRING UP DON'T TOUCH THAT!

SO IT'S DEFINITELY AN EDUCATIONAL PROCESS TO NICOLE'S COMMENTS.

WE DEFINITELY NEED TO FIND A WAY TO ‑‑ IT IS A LIFESTYLE SHIFT AS WELL LIKE YOU WERE SAYING.

BUT THAT'S NOT AN EASY TASK EITHER, GETTING PEOPLE TO CHANGE THEIR WAY.

OH, IT'S JUST THIS ONE.

I'LL JUST THROW IT IN THERE, YOU KNOW?

JUST ONE.

THERE'S SOMEONE ELSE WHO IS SAYING THE SAME THING.

SO I KNOW THE COMMUNITY WOULD COME OUT STRONG, AND I COMPLETELY RESONATE WITH WHAT KIRAN IS SEEING.

I KNOW THAT'LL BE THE CASE.

THEY'VE COME OUT STRONG WITH SO MANY OTHER ISSUES.

>> Yunji: HOW DO WE WORK ON THAT?

TOMORROW IS EARTH DAY.

IT FEELS LIKE SOMETHING WE PAY KIND OF A LOT OF LIP SERVICE TO, BUT MAKING SURE WE'RE NOT JUST THAT ONE ‑‑ WE'RE ALMOST OUT OF TIME, BUT I DO WANT TO GET TO EACH OF YOU BEFORE WE GO.

TELL US WHAT ARE SOME CONCRETE STEPS WE CAN EACH TAKE TO REDUCE THAT STREAM FROM THE START?

>> SURE.

SIMPLE ONE THAT DOES TAKE SOME BEHAVIOR CHANGE, BUT IT'S A SIMPLE THING.

BRING YOUR OWN UTENSILS WHEN YOU DINE OUT.

THE SINGLE ‑‑ THE DISPOSABLE FOODWARE ORDINANCE THAT THE CITY PASSED REQUIRES RESTAURANTS TO NOT AUTOMATICALLY GIVE YOU UTENSILS.

THAT'S NOT FULLY ENFORCED YET.

IT'S COMING.

HAVE YOURS IN YOUR POCKET OR IN YOUR BAG.

IF YOU'RE TAKING YOUR TAKEOUT BACK TO YOUR OFFICE FOR LUNCH, HAVE UTENSILS IN YOUR OFFICE.

IF FOOD IS COMING INTO YOUR HOME, YOU REALLY DON'T NEED THOSE CONDIMENT PACKETS AND NAPKINS.

IT SAVES THE BUSINESSES MONEY.

THEY WON'T HAVE TO PROVIDE THOSE THINGS.

IT'LL GET USED ONCE AND TOSSED.

THAT'S A LOW‑HANGING FRUIT.

ONE MORE I'LL OFFER IS AROUND YOUR FOOD WASTE FOOTPRINT ‑‑ AND I KNOW SO MUCH ABOUT THIS, AND I'M NOT PERFECT, SO ACTUALLY THAT'S THE BIGGEST UMBRELLA IS GIVE OURSELVES ROOM TO GROW WITH IMPERFECTION.

IT'S NOT GOING TO ALL COME AT ONCE.

BUY FOOD A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY.

DON'T BUY SO MUCH AT ONCE WHEN YOU'RE THINKING ABOUT PRODUCE, BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN YOU TEND TO LET THE PRODUCE GO BAD.

AND THEN KEEP ENCOURAGING OUR STORES TO OFFER BULK SHOPPING OPTIONS, BECAUSE THEN YOU CAN BRING YOUR OWN BAG AND GET YOUR PASTA OR YOUR RICE IN SOMETHING YOU CAN REUSE INSTEAD OF SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO THROW AWAY.

>> Yunji: THOSE ARE GREAT, GREAT TIPS.

ROGER, HOW CAN PEOPLE GET ENGAGED IN THIS, BECAUSE WE ALL HAVE A STAKE IN THIS?

WE'RE ALL CREATING, AND WE HAVE TO BE BRIEF, BECAUSE WE ONLY HAVE A FEW MINUTES LEFT.

>> YUNJI, WITH RESPECT TO THE ‑‑ >> Yunji: THE DISCUSSION ON WHERE THEY SHOULD GO.

>> THE DISCUSSION ON WHERE THEY SHOULD GO.

THE LAST MEETING IS IN JUNE.

THE DATE ISN'T SET YET.

THAT'S A MEETING PEOPLE CAN ATTEND.

IT'LL BE IN PERSON AND ONLINE.

AND THERE'S A TIME FOR PEOPLE TO SPEAK.

YOU CAN GET UP‑TO‑SPEED ON EVERYTHING ON OUR WEBSITE.

THAT'S WHERE THE DATES AND STUFF WOULD BE ANNOUNCED.

I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT TO NOTE THAT ONCE A LANDFILL, NEW SITE, IS NAMED, THERE'S STILL A LONG PROCESS.

THIS IS REALLY STILL JUST THE INITIAL STEP.

IF YOU THINK ABOUT IT, WE'D HAVE TO CONDEMN A SITE.

WE'D HAVE TO PROCURE AND GO THROUGH ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT STATEMENT, WHICH IS A LONG PROCESS, WITH PUBLIC INPUT, EVALUATING CULTURAL SITES... ALL OF THAT KIND OF STUFF.

THAT'LL TAKE A COUPLE OF YEARS.

LOTS OF OPPORTUNITIES FOR ENGAGEMENT AT THAT TIME.

AND THEN WE HAVE TO GO THROUGH PROCUREMENT AND CONSTRUCTION.

THAT'S FAIRLY LONG PROCESS.

NONE OF THIS IS GOING TO HAPPEN EVERY NIGHT, SO THERE'S A LOT OF TIME, I THINK, FOR ENGAGEMENT AND FOR DISCUSSION WITH RESPECT TO EARTH DAY AND HOW WE ‑‑ HOW MUCH WASTE WE PRODUCE AS INDIVIDUALS.

>> Yunji: IN JUST THE LITTLE BIT OF TIME WE HAVE LEFT, I WANT TO GIVE YOU THE LAST WORD.

>> I JUST WANT THE OPPORTUNITY FOR THOUGHT TO GO INTO THIS ON ALL LEVELS ON HOW LONG WE KEEP OUR WASTE AT THE WAIMANALO GULCH LANDFILL AS WELL AS WHAT IS THE NEXT STEP AND WHERE IT GOES.

>> Yunji: MAHALO TO YOU FOR JOINING US TONIGHT.

AND WE THANK OUR GUESTS.

ROGER BABCOCK JUNIOR, DIRECTOR OF THE CITY’S DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL SERVICES, KIRAN POLK, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE KAPOLEI CHAMBER OF COMMERCE, VICE‑CHAIR OF THE NORTH SHORE NEIGHBORHOOD BOARD RACQUEL ACHIU, AND EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ZERO WASTE O'AHU NICOLE CHATTERSON.

NEXT WEEK ON "INSIGHTS," DRIVING UNDER THE INFLUENCE CAN HAVE DEADLY CONSEQUENCES.

EFFORTS TO LOWER HAWAI'I’S BLOOD‑ALCOHOL LIMIT FOR DRUNKEN DRIVING HAVE HIT ROADBLOCKS EACH LEGISLATIVE SESSION.

BUT WITH SENSELESS TRAGEDIES STILL HAPPENING, SHOULD HAWAI'I’S DUI LAWS BE TOUGHER?

PLEASE JOIN US THEN.

I’M YUNJI DE NIES FOR "INSIGHTS" ON PBS HAWAI'I.

ALOHA!