The Honolulu City Council will create a task force to determine how to wean O‘ahu off of landfills.
On Wednesday, the Council voted unanimously to pass a resolution to establish an “End Landfills Task Force” to develop potential alternatives to landfill disposal as a core component of the island’s waste management systems.
The task force has 540 days — until early November 2027 — to evaluate various strategies for ending landfill dependency and develop a transition plan for how to enact them.
Councilwoman Andria Tupola, who introduced the resolution, said a strategy is necessary given that the Waimānalo Gulch Sanitary Landfill is set to close in mid-2028, leaving the island landfill-less. While the Department of Environmental Services has plans for a new landfill near Makakilo, that site will not be operational for years, and even when it becomes usable, it will eventually reach capacity, as well.
Tupola said at Wednesday’s council meeting that she will oppose the development of a landfill in Makakilo, and said investments in other infrastructure — such as recycling facilities on-island or improved waste incineration — can eliminate the need for a new landfill on the island.
“We need to make a written plan, period,” Tupola said. “Whether you agree that landfills can end or not, we need to make a path forward.”
County officials disagreed on whether a new landfill can be avoided. Daniel Brieck, deputy director of the Department of Environmental Services, told the council Wednesday that while he supports the resolution, the county’s development of a new landfill must continue.
“We’re not in a position today to not have a landfill,” Brieck said. “We’ve looked into different technologies and scalability is not there right now.”
Nonetheless, the council voted unanimously in support of the resolution Wednesday.
The council also voted through a resolution that would begin a process to allow the city’s H-POWER waste incineration facility to expand and develop materials processing and waste-to-energy facilities.
“We are still sending an enormous amount of recoverable materials to H-POWER and, ultimately, into the landfill,” Tupola said.
Brieck could not provide specific data about how much additional waste could be diverted from landfills through the planned expansion. But, he said, DEM is still investigating potential uses for H-POWER ash, which is one of the main waste products that is dumped at Waimānalo Gulch.
The resolution on Wednesday merely allows the city’s Public Infrastructure Map identifying major infrastructure projects to be updated to include the H-POWER expansion, a necessary step to begin seeking permits for the project.
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