Doing better with trash
Picking it up on time and more often
With H-Power expansion, improved re-cycling and investment in advanced trash management technologies, Kirk will shrink our current landfill and solve this long-standing problem.
The fact is that we live on an island where space and resources are very limited. Aside from an immediate need for on time and frequent pickup, we need to reduce the need for a landfill on Oahu. One area that we have had some success in is the use of H-Power technology, which converts garbage into energy. During my time as Managing Director, the city began construction on a third H-Power boiler, which should come online this year. This boiler will reduce the use of fossil fuels by tens of millions of dollars and help Oahu residents save money on electricity costs. As mayor, I will implement innovative ways to put our opala to work for us. Here is just a sampling of what I would do:
- Ash from H-Power plants is a byproduct that is unnecessarily diverted to the landfill. It has the ability to harden like asphalt and can also act as a sealant. I will work to further study ways in which we can use this by-product to pave our roads and other purposes.
- Instead of relocating the landfill, we should re-purpose Waimanalo Gulch. This means a firm commitment to reducing the 10% of trash still going into it to “zero”. We can do this by sorting the debris that is already there and burn much of it in the mass burn 3rd boiler. As we sort, we can also recycle much of what is there.
